Since starting my business, I have begun to realize just how many tasks I must complete in order to stay successful. There are so many tasks that keep piling up, there’s so much to keep track of! So much goes into running my business smoothly and as a small business owner you wear many hats. I have to be equal parts CEO, accountant, social media marketing team, attorney, ad campaign manager, writer, video editor, graphic designer, and more! (I could and might write a whole blog on the power of delegation, asking for help, and hiring experts to assist you...) But I do all of these things on top of trying to be a great professional organizer. Did I mention I also have a second full time job? We love student loan debt!
Anyway! You do not have to be a small business owner to feel overwhelmed and be anxious about your never ending to-do list. If you’re feeling overwhelmed like I was, you might benefit from categorizing different types of tasks to different days of the week. I only do certain types of tasks on certain days which helps me better delegate my time without feeling overwhelmed or burning out. For example, on Mondays I do Money and Finance related tasks. That means unless something in a different category has a pressing deadline, I only do those types of tasks on Monday.
My current weekly breakdown looks something like this:
Monday
MONEY/FINANCES
Tuesday
BUSINESS/LEGAL
Wednesday
MARKETING/EMAIL
Thursday
CLIENT/LEAD ENGAGEMENT
Friday
SOCIAL MEDIA
Saturday
BLOG/SOCIAL MEDIA
Sunday
MISCELLANEOUS/DAY OFF
Segmenting my tasks into different days of the week helps my week feel way more manageable. I find I am more focused and more efficient. I, of course, have daily tasks I complete every single day and tasks that pop up as needed especially if I have many clients that week. However, instead of thinking about the million other things that need to be done, I focus on the 10 that pertain to that days category. If I complete my tasks, I can choose to complete another category's tasks to shift my workload off a heavier day. OR (and I encourage this option), I STOP WORKING. This helps to create a stronger work life balance, which I know for a lot of people (especially small business owners) can feel impossible to do. Whether you are in school, a stay at home mom, or a #boss, this principle can apply to you as well! For example, you can use weekly segmentation to household chores and cleaning. On Monday you clean the kitchen, Tuesday bathroom, Wednesday bedroom, Sunday laundry day, etc. If you’re in school, you can delegate tasks based on your class schedule.
No matter where you are in life or your career, you probably have a list of to-dos that can overwhelm or stress you out. Try categorizing and segmenting this week and see if it helps!
