Time Management for Solo Service Providers

Time Management for
Solo Service
Providers

Setting Your Business Goals
 Where do you see yourself in 5-10
years?
 Look at the ‘big picture’
 Goals are the road map to success
 Goals can be changed as you grow
in business
 Think big!
Time Management for Solo Service Providers

 Long Term Goals – your biggest
dreams
 Medium Term Goals – steps necessary
to reach your Long Term Goals
 Short Term Goals – smaller steps
necessary to reach your Medium Term
Goals

Long
Term
Medium
Goals
Short Term
Goals

 Create multiple Medium & Short
Term Goals
 There’s no straight path to success
 Combine projects or strategies to
reach Long Term Goals quicker
 Use a ‘mind map’ or other visual
representation as a reminder

Creating a Mind Map
 Done on the computer
 Start with a central Long Term Goal
 Break that goal into medium &
short term goals
 Serves as a visual reminder or road
map to your Long Term Goal

Mind Map Software
 Free Mind & Mind Meister are
free
 xMind & Mind Jet are paid
(I use Xmind)
 Each program has different
features & capabilities

Making S.M.A.R.T. Goals
 S = specific
 Don’t be vague; write very specific
goals
 M = measureable
 Give yourself a deadline for meeting
goals or track how much your profits
increase
 A = attainable
 Do you have the tools to reach these
goals?

Making S.M.A.R.T. Goals
 R = relevant or realistic
 Do your goals relate to each other?
Are your timetables realistic without
working 24 hour days?
 T = time sensitive
 Always make a deadline for yourself;
open-ended goals give you too many
excuses to procrastinate

Make a Plan
 Prioritize your Medium goals
 Break those down into smaller,
short term goals
 Use an outline to prioritize what
steps have to happen and when
 Cross off each item as it’s
completed
 Delegate tasks when you’re sick or
have an emergency

Organizing Apps for Your
Phone
 Make lists on your smart phone with
Toodledo, Todoist, Remember the
Milk & Wunderlist
 Create ‘to do’ lists & schedule
deadlines with Trello
 Keep your research for each project
handy with Evernote
 Be specific with your daily action tasks

Expect the Unexpected
 Whatever CAN go wrong WILL go
wrong when working from home!
 Have a backup plan – babysitters,
repair service phone numbers, work
at night
 Learn to be more flexible & less
rigid in your routine

Eliminate Distractions
 Avoid multitasking – focus on one
job or client at a time
 Close your office door
 Ignore housework during work hours
 Turn off your telephone
 Set a specific time of day to answer
emails & return phone calls

Eliminate Distractions
 Limit social media usage
 Make a social media plan to avoid
wasting time
 Use Hoot Suite to automate & schedule
social media posts
 Use Leech Block to block off
distracting websites during work hours
 Work from library or coffee shop for
change of scenery

Know When You Do Your Best
Work
 When are you most awake?
 Do you have kids to get to school?
 Do you need 12 cups of coffee to
get going?
 Are you a night owl?
 When do you go to bed?
 When do you have the most energy?

Know When You Do Your Best
Work
 Consider these questions when
recording podcasts or videos
 The most energy when recording =
better quality & more interesting
 Rearrange work hours to suit your
energy levels
 Post business hours for clients &
customers

Stop Being Your Own Worst Critic
 No one is perfect – don’t let that stop
you from moving toward your goals
 Be gracious when accepting a
compliment – don’t diminish your skills
or talents
 Take pride in your small
accomplishments – they all add up to
your main goals
 Give yourself small rewards for reaching
certain milestones

Rebooting Your Brain
 Learn to unplug a little each day
 Start by turning off your cell phone
& computer by dinnertime
 Unplug for the weekends
 Unplug for a week-long vacation
 Spend more time with family &
friends
 Enjoy a favorite hobby

Rebooting Your Brain
 Take multiple breaks during the day
 Go for a walk
 Play with your dog
 Have lunch with a friend
 Meditate or do yoga
 Save your eyesight by taking many
breaks
 You’ll have a fresh & new
perspective when you return from
your break

There’s An App For That!
 Freedom – blocks you from the
internet during your predetermined
time frame
 Anti Social – blocks you from social
media sites during your
predetermined time frame
 Cold Turkey or Leech Block – block
favorite websites during work hours

Track Your Results
 How much time do you spend
working?
 How much other time do you spend
at the computer?
 How much money do you make each
month?
 Remember…time is money so don’t
waste a single minute!

Track Your Results
 Use Slife to create timesheets for
clients & measure how you use your
time every day
 RescueTime tracks computer
activity so you can spot
inefficiencies during your day
 Cut out the tasks or websites that
aren’t making you money – or
delegate to a VA

Outsourcing: Increase
Productivity & Profits
 Outsourcing – hiring an independent
contractor to handle certain tasks
 Don’t have to pay their taxes or
give them office space
 Simply send them the info they
need to get the job done
 Independent contractors are
responsible for their own training

Increasing Productivity
 Learning something new is a slow
process
 More than 1 person working on the
job = quicker results
 Hire an expert who has training
already
 You can focus on another aspect of
the project

Increasing Profits
 Save money on specialized
computer software or other tools
 You’re not earning money during
the learning process
 You may incur more charges to fix
the task than if you had hired an
expert in the first place

Where to Find Freelancers
 Elance – experts bid on your job &
you pay when satisfied
 Fiverr – experts post jobs online, all
for $5
 99designs – design experts compete
for your job
 Ask friends for referrals
 Check out my class on Udemy for
help: http://udemy.com/outsource-
your-service-business

Time Management for Solo Service Providers

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Time Management for Solo Service Providers