Proven Summer Productivity Strategies to Maximize Time

How do you strike the perfect balance between relaxing summer vibes and productive work habits? 

Tune in as we share actionable productivity strategies to leverage the slower summer months while still hitting your business milestones. In this episode, we’ll explore the benefits of setting up summer hours and switching up your work environment to places like coffee shops or poolside. You'll also learn about exclusive resources from The MY-T Society that help you break down big goals into manageable steps, prioritize effectively, stay flexible, and maintain high motivation.

This topic is essential for entrepreneurs and business owners looking to enjoy the summer while making significant progress in their business. By implementing these strategies, you can streamline your operations, enhance customer experiences, and ensure sustainable growth. Whether you're a startup or looking to optimize your current processes, these insights are timeless and beneficial for any stage of business growth.

So, if you’re ready to take control of your business goals and achieve measurable results, press play. Let’s make this summer your most productive one yet!

1:43 How to boost productivity by implementing summer hours

4:26 Prioritizing tasks for maximum impact and work smarter

7:38 How goal-setting worksheets helped me replace my day job income and stay motivated

9:57 Why you need systems in place before hiring a virtual assistant to avoid frustration and inefficiency

References Mentioned In This Episode:

Episode 172 - The Hidden Pitfalls of Hiring a VA Without Business Systems

Episode 173 - Is Your Business Growth Stuck? Implement These Six Core Systems

Leave a Rating and Review: https://ratethispodcast.com/mindyourtime

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

Check Out The MY-T Society Membership

Listen to My Free Audio Masterclass

Schedule a 20 Minute Chat with Me

Let’s connect online:

Follow Me On Instagram: @the_shannonbaker

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

If you're looking to make the most of your summer while still achieving your business goals, then this episode is for you. Today, we're going to talk about how you can stay productive during the summer slowdown and the importance of having efficient business systems in place to save you time and energy. I'm also going to introduce a valuable resource that can help you not only streamline your operations but really set yourself up for success in the future. So stay tuned to discover how you can maximize your summer productivity. Welcome to the Mind your Time podcast. I'm Shannon Baker, your coffee-loving host and business strategist. Each week, I will share practical insights and bold strategies for six-figure entrepreneurs looking to clean up their back office and create streamlined systems. The weekly episodes will help you take control of your time, scale your business and create success on your own terms. So grab your cup of coffee or your favorite beverage and let's dive into today's topic. So if you're listening to this episode when it goes live, it is the first Thursday in August and summer is definitely in full effect Now.

Speaker 1: 1:11

I know many of you moms are counting down the days for the kids to go back to school. Some of you have already taken your vacations and if you haven't already done so, I hope it's because you've got one coming soon. Whatever the case is, during the summer weather, personally I try to spend as much time as I can out of the office. I've really become fond of working in local coffee shops, working out on my decor day or just relaxing by the pool, but one of the smartest things that I started doing years ago was I implement summer hours. I maintain my four-day work week all year, but during the summer, I shorten my business hours for two or sometimes three months by one, two or three hours a day, and this is the best time of the year to do this, and it's because of the summer slowdown. I mean, think about it your clients are taking vacations, so this opens up time in your schedule because you tend to have fewer meetings. That being the case, there are several things that you can do to enjoy this slower pace of the summer and still get things accomplished in your business Now.

Speaker 1: 2:28

One of the key resources that can help you maximize this slower period of time and really set yourself up for success in your business in the future are the 90-day goal-setting worksheets that are available exclusively inside the Mighty Society membership. Now I'm going to talk a bit about how these worksheets can help you not only plan effectively and make the most of your summer, but provide value for you and your business all year long. When I designed these worksheets, it was really to help you be able to break down those big goals into manageable, actionable steps. So here's how they can transform the way that you approach your business goals. The biggest thing is they help you get clarity and focus. The worksheets are designed to guide you to define what you want to achieve in the next 90 days, so you narrow the scope. By having this clear focus, you can align your daily tasks with your long-term vision and make sure that every action you take is purposeful, intentional and productive. For example, there's a section that you can clearly write out your SMART goals, and SMART in my world is a bit different. It's specific mind your business, appropriate to the season of your life, realistic based on that season, and then T is for treat yourself. This framework not only helps you set clear and realistic goals, but it also helps you stay motivated and positive. These worksheets are also designed to help you to prioritize. It's really easy to get overwhelmed if you have a long to-do list, but with these worksheets, you can prioritize the tasks that are going to have the most significant impact on your business, which allow you to work smarter, not harder. There's a dedicated section for listing not only your business goals but also your personal goals, and you can list out the tasks that support each, because you have to look at both. This helps you focus on what truly matters. So, whether it's increasing your savings for vacation or launching a new product or service in your business, this is the area where you look at what you have in both worlds so that you can get your goals accomplished.

Speaker 1: 5:13

And then there's accountability. One of the biggest challenges when it comes to achieving your goals is staying accountable and focused. The worksheets include sections for tracking your progress and reflecting on your achievements and setbacks, and this helps you stay on course so that you can also make adjustments as needed. But you can't do that if you're not tracking what you're doing can't do that if you're not tracking what you're doing. So the daily and weekly plans that are included in the worksheets allow you to schedule and time block your tasks to make sure you stay on track, and there's a weekly review section so that you can reflect on what went well, what can be improved and how you're making progress in your 90-day plan. And the best part is, you can find an accountability partner right inside of the Mighty Society membership. And guess what? I will gladly be one of them.

Speaker 1: 6:13

These worksheets will also help you with flexibility when it comes to achieving your goals. Why? Because life happens and sometimes plans need to change. The beauty of the 90-day goal setting worksheets is that they are flexible enough to adapt to your changing needs and circumstances so that you can stay busy but take care of what becomes the priority. Here's an example. There's a section to help you identify potential challenges so that you can overcome them. This proactive approach will enable you to pivot and stay on track, even when an unexpected event occurs, because you've already got a game plan kind of laid out, and then we know, when it comes to achieving goals, sometimes it's hard to stay motivated. But the best thing about these worksheets is they help you break your goals down into smaller achievable milestones and it helps you celebrate your success along the way, because you can see it. This will help you stay motivated and energized so that you can continue to push forward. Also inside of the worksheets are some prompts for listing ways to celebrate your progress. That's whether you're treating yourself to a nice lunch or dinner or just taking a day off to relax.

Speaker 1: 7:38

So now here is how the worksheets really helped me. Last year, my goal was to increase the revenue in my business to replace the income that I made at my day job so that I could quit, and I achieved that goal. Last December, I used the worksheets to break my goal down into weekly targets and track my progress. I stayed motivated, I stayed focused and ultimately I achieved my goal. And let me tell you, it was not easy, because I really had to hustle for a few months to make it happen, but because I had a clear and simple plan, I didn't get overwhelmed. Every week I reviewed what worked, what didn't work, and I made adjustments when needed. I also made it a point to notice and celebrate small wins I made along the way. This kept my spirits high, even when things didn't go plan, so that I didn't lose focus or momentum. And I cannot tell you how invaluable my cheer squad was. They helped me stay focused on my goal, because a few times I really just wanted to give up.

Speaker 1: 8:53

I want you to find this type of support inside of the Mighty Society membership. I mean, think about it. We all need people in our circle that we can laugh with, cry with, brainstorm with, just do all the things related to our business with, and that's the type of support we need, and I want you to find that inside of this community. Now let's talk about another critical aspect of managing your business effectively Systems. You know I wasn't going to go through this whole episode and not talk about another critical aspect of managing your business effectively Systems. Now, you know I wasn't going to go through this whole episode and not talk about systems, because you have to have systems in place, because they save you time and energy. Systems are definitely the key to working efficiently and this saves you time. They complete routine tasks for you. And remember, when I say system, I'm talking about a documented, step-by-step process, the tech tools that you can integrate for automation, and then you identify what still has to be manually done by a person and who that person is, and it doesn't have to be you.

Speaker 1: 9:57

But before you try to delegate to a virtual assistant or anyone else, you have to have some systems in place. And what I'm about to say is contrary to popular opinion and, honestly, I don't care. You should not try to hire a virtual assistant just because you're overwhelmed by your business. If you do this and you don't have some systems in place, both of you are going to be frustrated and you're going to spend more time putting out fires during the summer instead of being able to enjoy the weather. I did an entire episode on the pitfalls of hiring a virtual assistant without business systems, so I'm gonna put a link in the show notes to that for you. Make sure you listen to that episode. If you think bringing a person into your chaos is going to solve your problem, it's actually gonna magnify the problem, so don't inflict your pain on someone else Now.

Speaker 1: 10:56

While you should not have to train your VA to complete the work they're hired to do, you do have to invest the time to help them get familiar with how you operate your businesses. That means you have to create the systems before you hire them, and then you can easily integrate them into your existing systems. Now, if you have little to no systems in place right now, the summer is a great time to give this some attention, and if you have some systems in place, this is a great time to audit those systems to make sure they're efficient. Another valuable resource that's available to members of the Mighty Society membership is the BizOps checklist. This can help you do a quick audit of your back office to make sure you have the needed processes in place so that your business is running smoothly and efficiently, and there are six core systems that you need to have in place. Last week's episode gives you an overview of each. I'll drop a link to that in the show notes.

Speaker 1: 12:00

But one of the main systems that fall under the communication umbrella in your core systems is a customer care system, and this starts the moment a person reaches out to you online through a website or inquires about your services. However they come to you, the first impression you make is a lasting impression and there are no do-overs. You can take care of all your potential customers without living your entire life in your inbox or constantly wasting time on the phone following up on dead leads. And I'm talking about this now because during the summer is a great time to really evaluate this system. So when things pick back up, it's already in place, but you have to have a documented process, templates and a scheduling system. Why? Because research shows that 35% of customers out there prefer scheduling appointments during non-business hours, and 40% of online bookings actually happen after working hours, and I can tell you this is true. This is when I schedule all my appointments after I'm done working, and I've noticed that most of my bookings come in in the evenings or on weekends, when I'm not working. The bottom line people want to book their appointments with you when it's most convenient for them, not you and in the busy and fast paced world that we live in, that often means they're doing it outside of your business hours, and I hope you have set business hours, but that's an entirely different topic that I've covered in some other episodes, but I might need to revisit that. But anyhow, since you don't want to sit by the phone 24-7, an online scheduler allows you to attract customers even when you're not available, and existing clients have the same access to your calendar as well. But the great part about having an online scheduler is you can use intake forms to vet people and gather data before you get on a call with them. That's a wonderful screening process to help you gauge whether or not a person is a good fit for you. How cool is that?

Speaker 1: 14:20

Okay, so let's recap what we've covered today. We started by talking about the benefits of implementing summer hours to enjoy the slower pace of the season while making progress in your business, but getting to enjoy time with your family. Then I shared some information about the 90 day goal setting worksheets with you that are available inside of the Mighty Society membership and highlighted how they can help you get clarity, prioritize, be accountable, be flexible and stay motivated to achieve your goals. Be flexible and stay motivated to achieve your goals. Then I talked about the importance of having systems in place to save you time and energy, because they're vital and you have to establish these systems before you start outsourcing. Last thing I shared with you is the BizOps checklist, which is another valuable resource inside of the Mighty Society membership to help you do a quick audit of your back office. So if you're ready to take control of your business and achieve your goals, then, yes, I invite you to join me inside the Mighty Society membership. Not only will you get access to those 90-day goal-setting worksheets, but there are a ton of other resources in there to support you and help you streamline your back office operations so that you can grow your business without overwhelm. So make sure you check out the links in the show notes to learn more about the episodes I mentioned today, as well as the Mighty Society membership. Let's make this summer a season of intentional growth and success, not just now, but well on into the year and beyond. So until next time, keep calm and streamline.

Speaker 1: 16:19

Thank you for tuning in this week. Remember, just listening to this episode will not get you better results, so I challenge you to break the mold and take action today. If you're unsure where to start, book a call with me to get your questions answered about the Mighty Society membership or anything else that I mentioned. A link to my calendar is in the show notes. Not ready to take that step yet? No problem, be sure to connect with me on Instagram at the underscore Shannon Baker. You can ask me your questions there or let me know that you enjoyed the episode by taking a screenshot, sharing it and tagging me Now.

Speaker 1: 16:58

If you haven't already grabbed my free audio masterclass, why don't you just start there? It's a great first step to assess your back office on your own, and this masterclass provides valuable insights and practical steps to help you organize your processes, reduce chaos and improve efficiency. Go to theshannonbakercom forward slash audio masterclass Now. If you haven't left a review for the podcast yet please do so. I would love to hear from you, and it's an easy way to show some love to the podcast and help me reach more small business owners who are ready to defy the status quo. I can't wait to hear from you. So until next time, keep calm and streamline.