Post on 23-Jan-2018
Productivity Primer
Your guide to getting more done Sarah Hawkins, Process Consultant
True North Business Management
www.truenorthbusinessmanagement.com
“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”
Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
3
What’s a system?
Your business
operations
marketing
Social Media
News letters
website time
money
resource A definition:
BusinessDictionary.com defines a system as “a set of detailed methods, procedures and routines created to carry out a specific activity, perform a duty, or solve a problem.”
4
any task or activity that you do on a regular basis should have some
sort of system attached to it, even if -- and maybe especially if -- the “regular basis” is once a year.
5
Why use systems?
Save time and energy
Delegate with greater ease
Focus on the work you love
Replicate your business for spinoff
6
getting focused: tips Start your day with quiet time:
meditate, journal, yoga
Set your work hours and stick to them
Eat regular meals
Turn off the ringer on your phone, and all other notifications from email, text, social media
Move your body regularly
Brain-dump all of the work you need to do and create a “must-do today” list and work from it
At the end of the day, create your “must do tomorrow” list so you hit the ground running
Move your body regularly
Get at least 7 hours of sleep
7
Getting focused: Apps Self Control: free application to
help you avoid distracting websites (Mac)
Cold Turkey: temporarily block yourself off of distracting websites (Windows)
Newsfeed Eradicator: a Chrome extension that replaces your entire Facebook news feed with an inspiring quote
Pomodoro Technique: work intentionally in 25-minute spurts with planned 5-minute procrastination breaks.
Insight Timer: stay in the flow without keeping an eye on the clock. BONUS: a range of soothing chime sounds to choose from
Todoist and Wunderlist for brain dumps and to-do lists
8
Calendars & Scheduling
People who are in business for themselves
(whether freelancer, entrepreneur, solopreneur,
small business owner) are famous for
never/rarely taking time off, and resisting
spending time doing things that are not
"business-related."
My message is that it is IMPERATIVE that we
figure out how to incorporate self care (which
includes time off) into our schedules. We can
do this when we get more purposeful about
what we're doing, and how we are doing it.
9
calendars & scheduling
Google Calendars
Online booking
forms
Herding the cats
Create multiple calendars (personal, business, family)
and color-code them so you can easily see at a glance
which category the appointment is in.
Make it easy for clients and potential clients to book time
with you with an online booking form. Calendly, Acuity, YouCanBookMe
To find a convenient time for multiple people to attend a meeting or an event, try Doodle.
10
1 1
Join the incubation lab Visit www.truenorthbusinessmanagement.com to sign up
Social media Automate and schedule social media posts months in advance using
Hootsuite or Buffer
Systematize your marketing communications by having a plan for when
and what you post. Use a simple word doc or excel spreadsheet or you
can also use a task management system like Asana, or get a little fancier
using one of these editorial calendars.
Keep it simple and pick just one or two social media platforms to play on.
More than that and you spread yourself too thin.
1 2
File management
Dropbox
Google Drive
Evernote
13
Keep your files organized and easily accessible using online storage.
With these tools, you’ll be able to access files from anywhere, and
share with clients
Organize and collaborate Document your processes. Create checklists
each time you do a task; refer to them the next time so you don’t miss a vital step.
Record your on-screen processes using screen-recording software such as Jing or Recordit
Batch your tasks. Dedicate blocks of time to similar tasks in order to decrease distraction and increase productivity.
Collaborate with your team and/or clients using project management systems such as Basecamp, Asana, Trello
Use Evernote to store files, checklists, screenshots, and to manage your tasks. Evernote has a Chrome extension for the web called Webclipper that allows you to store information from the internet such as web pages, screenshots, emails. This tool has so much functionality, it’s mindboggling.
With Wunderlist and ToDoist, you can share your to-do lists
Google Alerts: get an email based on your individual search query.
1 4
communicate
Skype
Google Hangouts
Zoom.us
Join.me
Appear.in
Free Conference Call HD
Uberconference
Periscope
Blab
1 5
Try these Teleconference, videoconference, and screensharing apps
Email management
Active Inbox for Gmail has completely changed my life. Turn your emails into tasks and get to Inbox Zero.
Create canned responses to compose replies to common messages, and save them for future use.
Stem the tide of email overwhelm & unsubscribe from multiple lists simultaneously with Unroll.me.
Auto responders: not just for “Out of Office” notifications, they are also useful for letting people know that you received their email and you will reply in #days/hours/whatever. You can also list your FAQs.
Boomerang for Gmail allows you to schedule an email to be sent later, and also will send you follow-up reminders.
16
Password management
LastPass saves your passwords,
stores online shopping profiles,
generates long and strong
passwords for you, and will even
allow you to safely share login rights
with fellow LastPass users.
17
Client management Create a welcome packet for new
clients. Include all the things they need
to know about working with you: a
welcome letter, policies and procedures,
agreement/contract, an intake
questionnaire, and information on your
referral program. Put all of these items
in a folder on in your Dropbox or
Google Drive called “Welcome Packet”
and share this folder with your clients.
Use a client management system to
keep track of client information.
Satori and vCita are scheduling
systems that also capture client
information at the time of scheduling,
so you’ll have handy client cards to
reference later. Insightly is also a good
option.
18
testimonials
Capture testimonials or create surveys using Google Forms (free) or Woofoo (free with a paid option).
Store them in the cloud and use them each time you complete work with a client.
19
Financial flows
EchoSign from Adobe or HelloSign with Google integration
Contracts
Invoice to me and Free Invoice Generator (both are free)
Invoice generators
Outright, Freshbooks, and the ubiquitous QuickBooks
Accounting
20
• Harvest
• Toggl
• Timelog
Time tracking
Remember the story about the goose that laid the golden egg?
You absolutely must ensure that you’re
taking care of yourself adequately as you build and run your business.
Take time to integrate into your life, and engage in self-care.
2 1
Tending the flame
Get at least 7 hours of sleep each night
Meditate
Journal
Give yourself regular breaks during the day, the week, the month, the year
Go on an annual retreat
Eat healthy meals and snacks.
Exercise – get outside at least 20 minutes a day
Manage your energy. Introverts and Extroverts have different needs. Find out where you fit on the spectrum, and give yourself what you need.
Engage in community, online and in person
22
When you’re inspired, you inspire your clients.
Here are some ideas to support you in tending your flame.
Thank you
I hope the tools I’ve shared with you serve as a supercharged launch pad to help you get more done with greater ease.
May your business soar to new heights.
Questions? Comments? Contact me! sarah@truenorthbusinessmanagement.com
Your next steps Go to www.truenorthbusinessmanagement.com and sign up to join the Business Incubation Lab to get your systems sorted before the holidays hit.
The Lab will be open from November 16 through November 20, when I’m running a special challenge to teach you how to implement the right systems for your business.
25
Join the incubation lab Visit www.truenorthbusinessmanagement.com to sign up
Thank you
@sarahmartinhawk
truenorthbusinessmanagement
www.truenorthbusinessmanagement.com
26
W