By skyforbes 
As I go through execute, I’m going to be using the example of client work being your biggest frustration. If yours is something else like emails or phone calls it will still all be the same process.
- First establish your ideal workflow for this major pain point. Establish what you really want this system to look like either on paper or on MindMeister. MindMeister is my second most used piece of software in my business to get my thoughts organized. It’s straightforward and pretty intuitive.
Either in MIndMiester or on a piece of paper dream about what you want it to be like for a client flow. As soon as a client contacts you what do you want that to look like? Lay out all the steps exactly how you want it. Here are some good questions to ask yourself:
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- What in your current process needs to be tossed?
- What are you doing right now that is not working?
- What has to stay and is working really well?
- What can be outsourced? I got creative with this. My first “hire” was with an intern.
- What can be automated? Just remember time is money.
When you get these things figured out there is going to be some work to do. You will have to establish the spreadsheet or whatever it is. You are going to build the system and it will take work. Alright onto step number two.
2. Now that you have all your steps put them in the order you want them to go in. Then outline what happens in each one of those steps. Is there a contract that needs to be signed and where is that held?
Then put this information into some type of workflow. This can be a spreadsheet, Asana, Trello, or my very favorite MeisterTask. MeisterTask is beautiful, visual, and intuitive. If you have a lot of client work Dubsado and Honeybook are also great. There is no right or wrong way to do any of these things it’s just about getting these processes into one spot so it is repeatable and you do not have to think about it anymore.
I know you are already overwhelmed but this is not about magic making and unicorns. It’s going to be awkward for a little while and it’s going to take a lot of work. These are the things you need to do so you can get your things done in a lesser amount of time so you can get back to loving on your family well. The point is not to just hustle harder so you’re chronically overwhelmed and exhausted.
3. The third step is to transition. You’re going to have every new person that comes in go through this but you are also going to have old people that will slowly transition. There will be a period of time where it feels like you have created more work for yourself but in the end, you will gain freedom mentally from your business. You will gain back hours of time when you are prepared and mentally not thinking through all these little things.
If you are just dealing with a problem like emails you do not need a whole workflow but you do need a process. What’s your ideal flow for managing your emails? Maybe M-F you show up at 9 am and 3 pm and check your inbox for 5 minutes. Maybe one card you open up inside your workflow that tells you exactly what to do. I don’t know what your process will be but figure out what would be ideal for your business.