On a regular basis, people ask what they should be doing to run their business. After all, if you’re in an office, you can watch the person next to you to get an idea of what they do every day, how they do it, how often they do it – generally model what they do.
But when we’re each working from our homes, it’s hard to model what someone else is doing unless you ask.
So as part of the Starting Over series, here’s how to determine what you “should” be doing daily and what you “must” do daily.
Start by listing out everything you think you should do daily. As you’re making this list of “shoulds” be realistic. Yes, we should create World Peace, but it’s not gonna happen on this list.
Just as an example, here are some of the “shoulds” from my list, as an information marketer. The times are my estimates on how long I should dedicate to that task daily.
- Respond to client emails. (15 min)
- Respond to staff emails. (10 min)
- Write or distribute an article. (30 min)
- Send an email broadcast or add to an autoresponder sequence. (30 min)
- Record or edit a video. (60 min)
- Create or monitor ads. (30 min)
- Social media (3 sites x 10 min each x twice a day = 60 min)
Now I “could” go ahead and add product creation, writing sales letters, adding to membership sites, etc. But those are additional tasks, on an as-needed basis. All I’m trying to capture above are those things I “should” be doing daily.
And suddenly the job doesn’t seem that big! After all, if I do everything I “should”, I’m only spending 4 hours a day!
And now for the Musts – the positively, even if I don’t feel like working that day tasks. For me they are:
- Respond to client emails. (15 min)
- Respond to staff emails. (10 min)
Essentially in a half hour a day I could maintain my business. Of course that doesn’t provide any time for marketing or growth. But it does show me that on those days “I don’t wanna” – I don’t have to.
And that’s a good feeling!
A disclaimer: Your tasks and time estimates will vary. But be realistic for YOU. For example, I am a fast writer. Other people can’t crank out 500 words in 30 minutes. But as long as I have a topic, that’s a realistic time frame for me. That’s the result of writing curriculum full-time for six years! But you want to be truthful with yourself.
The important thing is to take a few minutes to do this task. If you don’t you’re either a slave to every thing that comes across your desk or you’re not doing what needs to be done in your business.
Need more help? Then use the system in Plan Your Online Business to work through your “shoulds.”
What did I leave off the list that you consider a “should” or a “must”? Share it in the comments below:
While you may have gotten the impression from many online sales letters that people “just happen” into success online, the truth is ANY small business requires planning.
When you work for yourself you recognize that there is a lot to do. You also know that it’s a challenge getting it all done, whether you’re full-time or part-time in your business.