091: How I make time for two businesses *and* life
A listener asked how I balance my focus between the two businesses I run, and how I decide what to work on when – and I'll be answering these questions in today's episode.
If you’re a high achiever, or just in general someone who ponders how to focus your time and energy between many different things, I hope this episode inspires you.
In this episode, I share
- the context for why my solutions work for me
- 6 solutions that help me focus my time and energy between businesses while having a life, too
While these 6 things enable me to balance #AllTheThings, your solutions might be different and I'd love to support you in finding what works for you.
Mentioned in this episode:
Episode 81: A different way to view and experience balance
Productivity Ecosystem summary
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On making time for two businesses *and* life
The challenge of having lots of things to focus on is not uncommon amongst the business owners and clients I talk to. And I know it, too!
There’s this drive to do many different things and to take good care of responsibilities – while being acutely aware of the need to take care of ourselves outside of work too. Because that balance is the only way we can do business thing long term while being happy, healthy, well-rounded human beings.
Context
I had been working on my photography business for six years by the time I started playing around with ideas for a second business – so that business was already pretty established at that point. When it was time to cut back on my work hours in that business, I had a lot of data available that helped me declutter my to-dos without it affecting my progress and income.
I created systems and practices around my photography work, so that’s also part of why it doesn’t need as much of my involvement as a newer business would.
And as of right now, the photography business needs even less attention because it’s evolved since that time, I have many families who hire me every year, and then families find me on Google thanks to the SEO work and blogging I’ve done for that business. So I don’t need to spend much time marketing the business and getting clients as I do for this business.
6 tangible solutions that help me focus my time and energy on two businesses *and* life
I’m organizing these solutions according to where they belong in the productivity ecosystem.
We could argue that some of these solutions bridge a couple of different areas of the ecosystem, and that’s really only natural because in life things aren’t as clear-cut as we’d like them to be.
1 – I’ve delegated tasks in both businesses to software (design)
I have workflows and templates in my CRMs that help me with backend stuff for both businesses, as well as other software that make my work time more effective.
17hats: photography business bookkeeping and client management
Dubsado: coaching call scheduling and client management
Wave: coaching business bookkeeping
Otter: coaching call transcipts
2 – Themed days (design)
I like giving my days a theme, because it helps me know what kinds of tasks to plan for and when. I don’t have to spend a lot of energy making decisions, and I don’t need to switch between lots of different types of tasks per day.
Having a theme for the day doesn't mean I spend the entire day on that theme. My priorities for that day are tied to the theme, or the first half of the day is dedicated to that theme, and then I still have time left for those other things that have “popped up” or for a bunch of little tasks that need attention.
3 – Weekly task planning sheet (design)
My weekly planning template is the number #1 tool that helps me stay on top of the things I need to do.
✔︎ It helps me not get overwhelmed by all the things I *could* do
✔︎ It keeps me more realistic about how much fits in a day
✔︎ It also allows me to flexible around which day I check off which tasks, in case I’m feeling inspired to switch themes around
4 – Flexible schedule or boundaries (design and wholeness)
To me, balance isn’t about strict boundaries between business and life, and it’s not about some kind of 50/50 split of my time. I share more about this in episode 81.
My routines and schedule fluctuate a bit depending on whether or not Marcus is traveling.
I’m not against working in the evenings or the weekends. Sometimes that’s when I do some of my best work!
But if I do work in the evening or during the weekend I make up for it with time off at some other point in the week – unless the work I did was really enjoyable and energizing.
5 – I plan for self-care (and life in general) upfront as much as possible (wholeness)
When I’ve set aside time for life outside of business, it’s easier not just to motivate myself to work but it’s easier to then step away from the business and do the *life stuff* without feeling guilty, because it’s been taken into account and planned around. Essentially, I plan my time with work *and* life in mind.
6 – Trust (sisu)
This is a bit less tangible, but it’s still important when considering how I make all of this work.
I try to trust that the instinct to do more and “push through” will only get me in trouble (with my health) again.
I try to trust that if I stick with a doable workload, and focus mostly on tasks and activities that feel good to me, my sisu and overall capacity will stay stronger long term.
Focusing on two businesses without exhausting myself requires a mix of things to make it work.
How you’d best make time and space for multiple things may look different from how I do it.
I’d be happy to team up with you to figure out how to work more effectively and focus your time and energy between the things you want to do 👍