1 00:00:00,569 --> 00:00:03,480 Do you feel like you're juggling everything and always falling behind? 2 00:00:03,970 --> 00:00:06,150 Then you'll want to listen to this episode where I'm going to be 3 00:00:06,150 --> 00:00:09,520 talking you through time management tips for independent retailers. 4 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:12,810 Welcome to the Resilient Retail Game Plan. 5 00:00:13,090 --> 00:00:16,389 I'm Catherine Eardley, and this podcast is here to share retail industry 6 00:00:16,389 --> 00:00:20,510 trends, insights, and best practices for you, the retailer who's serious 7 00:00:20,510 --> 00:00:22,489 about building something that lasts. 8 00:00:24,180 --> 00:00:27,059 How do you juggle everything in your retail business? 9 00:00:27,379 --> 00:00:29,750 This was a question that I got asked. 10 00:00:29,799 --> 00:00:34,240 I was out and about on my road trip through Devon, Cornwall, and Dorset, 11 00:00:34,500 --> 00:00:38,169 and I'd stopped into the beautiful town of Shaftesbury in Dorset and visited 12 00:00:38,459 --> 00:00:42,893 the absolutely stunning Fold store and met Karen, who is a podcast listener. 13 00:00:43,110 --> 00:00:43,979 So hi, Karen. 14 00:00:44,330 --> 00:00:48,110 And I asked Karen if she had any suggestions for what she'd like to hear 15 00:00:48,110 --> 00:00:51,900 on the podcast, and she said, "What about how do you actually juggle everything?" 16 00:00:51,900 --> 00:00:55,020 And to be fair to Karen, this is not the first time I've been asked that 17 00:00:55,130 --> 00:00:57,529 question, and for a very good reason. 18 00:00:58,009 --> 00:01:03,049 Independent retailers have their plates absolutely full, and they're all spinning. 19 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:06,650 The reality is if you run an independent retailer, then you 20 00:01:06,650 --> 00:01:08,919 have to buy stock, plan your range. 21 00:01:09,220 --> 00:01:11,650 You have to reorder stock, chase your suppliers. 22 00:01:12,050 --> 00:01:15,260 You're merchandising your store, doing your windows. 23 00:01:15,370 --> 00:01:19,389 You're working on your online store, maybe dispatching and posting orders. 24 00:01:19,879 --> 00:01:22,970 You've got all of your marketing to think about, from email marketing to social 25 00:01:22,970 --> 00:01:28,410 media, your launches, creating content, customer service, managing your staff 26 00:01:28,410 --> 00:01:34,250 and rotas, bookkeeping, figuring out VAT, looking at your cash flow, as well 27 00:01:34,290 --> 00:01:36,860 as events, pop-ups, or collaborations. 28 00:01:36,919 --> 00:01:39,949 And that's before anything's even gone wrong. 29 00:01:39,949 --> 00:01:43,660 Late deliveries, tech issues, team problems, or a slow week 30 00:01:43,690 --> 00:01:45,589 that just throws everything off. 31 00:01:45,900 --> 00:01:48,959 So the point is that you're not bad at managing your time. 32 00:01:49,269 --> 00:01:52,230 It's just that there is genuinely a lot to do. 33 00:01:52,599 --> 00:01:56,608 So the real question is not really how do I do everything, it's how do 34 00:01:56,608 --> 00:01:58,948 I decide what actually gets my time? 35 00:01:59,608 --> 00:02:02,528 And I'd also like to reassure you, if you're listening to this and 36 00:02:02,528 --> 00:02:06,298 thinking, "This sounds like me," that this is probably the number one issue 37 00:02:06,338 --> 00:02:10,058 that I work with clients one-to-one in my Retail by Design program. 38 00:02:10,468 --> 00:02:14,008 And I have worked with people who have had really, really 39 00:02:14,048 --> 00:02:15,568 tight restrictions on their time. 40 00:02:15,568 --> 00:02:19,548 I've worked with people who've got a couple of hours a day to work on their 41 00:02:19,548 --> 00:02:24,078 business after their kids go to bed, or they have got one day a week when they 42 00:02:24,078 --> 00:02:25,898 can actually not be on the shop floor. 43 00:02:25,898 --> 00:02:30,418 So it is very common for me to come across people who have a lot to do 44 00:02:30,748 --> 00:02:32,788 and not a lot of time to get it done. 45 00:02:34,058 --> 00:02:37,568 When I have someone who comes to me who has this issue, the first thing 46 00:02:37,568 --> 00:02:41,998 that I encourage them to do to really help us understand what is going 47 00:02:42,038 --> 00:02:44,168 on is to actually track their time. 48 00:02:44,168 --> 00:02:47,168 Because the first question in how do I juggle everything is, well, 49 00:02:47,168 --> 00:02:50,048 how long is it all taking you and what are you actually doing anyway? 50 00:02:50,398 --> 00:02:54,938 So I suggest using either a notebook and a pen just to write 51 00:02:54,938 --> 00:02:57,598 down what you're doing and, and what and how long it's taking you. 52 00:02:58,073 --> 00:03:03,323 Or you can use something like a free app called Toggl, T-O-G-G-L, a little 53 00:03:03,323 --> 00:03:06,443 plugin on your browser that you can click start and stop whenever you're 54 00:03:06,443 --> 00:03:10,973 doing tasks so that you can find out exactly how long things are taking you. 55 00:03:10,973 --> 00:03:14,433 And I suggest that you do it for about one or two weeks. 56 00:03:15,003 --> 00:03:18,803 And once you've done that, you should start to build up a bit of a picture. 57 00:03:18,803 --> 00:03:20,823 What are you actually spending time on? 58 00:03:21,303 --> 00:03:23,003 Not what you think you're spending time on. 59 00:03:23,213 --> 00:03:27,783 Where are the time leaks, and where are you switching tasks constantly? 60 00:03:27,783 --> 00:03:29,833 So you might be doing lots of different things, but you're 61 00:03:29,833 --> 00:03:31,843 doing it really inefficiently. 62 00:03:32,783 --> 00:03:36,063 So what you often find is, well, one thing that I find really funny, 63 00:03:36,063 --> 00:03:39,453 is that when people do this time tracking, often what they find is 64 00:03:39,503 --> 00:03:43,313 just the fact that they're tracking their time makes them more focused. 65 00:03:43,533 --> 00:03:46,393 Because when you sit down and you have to click a button that says, " what 66 00:03:46,393 --> 00:03:47,473 are you working on right now?" 67 00:03:47,473 --> 00:03:50,593 And you have to select something, makes you stop and think, "Well, actually, 68 00:03:50,643 --> 00:03:54,873 what am I doing right now?" And so people often find that there's a lot of 69 00:03:54,923 --> 00:03:59,543 procrastination going on, or a lot of procrastination disguised as busy work. 70 00:04:00,213 --> 00:04:03,623 Lots of, "I'll just do it quickly," but it takes far longer, and 71 00:04:03,623 --> 00:04:07,433 then there's often constant interruptions and context switching. 72 00:04:07,783 --> 00:04:10,023 So context switching is where you're sitting there 73 00:04:10,023 --> 00:04:11,783 writing an email, for example. 74 00:04:11,783 --> 00:04:14,253 You're thinking, "Right, I'm gonna work on my email marketing. 75 00:04:14,253 --> 00:04:19,743 I'm gonna send out this email." You start typing away, and then somebody messages 76 00:04:19,743 --> 00:04:22,923 you on Instagram, and you think, "Oh, I better respond to that." So you go 77 00:04:22,923 --> 00:04:25,419 over on Instagram, and then who knows? 78 00:04:25,419 --> 00:04:28,149 Before you know it, maybe you found yourself scrolling and looking at cat 79 00:04:28,199 --> 00:04:31,099 videos, and, uh, 20 minutes has gone past. 80 00:04:31,209 --> 00:04:33,779 And you suddenly realize, "Oh, hang on a minute, I'm supposed to be doing 81 00:04:34,109 --> 00:04:37,109 my email marketing." And then you go back into it, and you have to almost 82 00:04:37,109 --> 00:04:41,239 re-engage your brain to really think about what it was that you were doing. 83 00:04:41,239 --> 00:04:44,449 And that is context switching, and it can be a real time leak. 84 00:04:45,219 --> 00:04:50,619 But do this exercise, track your time, go through it all, because you can't fix 85 00:04:50,619 --> 00:04:52,559 your time if you don't understand it. 86 00:04:52,619 --> 00:04:57,519 So once you've tracked your time, then you can start asking some questions. 87 00:04:57,869 --> 00:04:59,549 What tasks are you doing regularly? 88 00:04:59,549 --> 00:05:01,699 Which ones have a clear beginning and end? 89 00:05:02,119 --> 00:05:05,659 Uh, these can be easier to delegate, so it could be something that you can highlight. 90 00:05:05,689 --> 00:05:07,209 What could I actually hand off? 91 00:05:07,599 --> 00:05:10,149 And then what are the natural time blocks in your day? 92 00:05:10,639 --> 00:05:12,859 And then you also have to factor in real life. 93 00:05:13,359 --> 00:05:16,979 You've got to perhaps walk the dog, do a school run, maybe you 94 00:05:16,979 --> 00:05:18,939 have other caring responsibilities. 95 00:05:19,489 --> 00:05:23,829 Maybe who knows, you want to exercise, or maybe you have to travel to your place 96 00:05:23,829 --> 00:05:25,639 of work, and you need to factor that in. 97 00:05:25,679 --> 00:05:27,439 And you also have all your life admin. 98 00:05:27,439 --> 00:05:27,839 Who knows? 99 00:05:28,419 --> 00:05:32,659 Emptying the dishwasher, prepping food, all of these things take time, and so it's 100 00:05:32,659 --> 00:05:37,629 really helpful and useful to understand how much actual time have you got. 101 00:05:38,069 --> 00:05:41,419 And often, what people find is it's actually less than they thought 102 00:05:41,479 --> 00:05:43,319 in terms of the number of hours. 103 00:05:43,779 --> 00:05:46,909 So when you're trying to fit all of these different things in, it could 104 00:05:46,909 --> 00:05:50,279 just be that you have got a jigsaw puzzle with too many different pieces. 105 00:05:51,119 --> 00:05:53,999 So it's not that you're failing, it's that you've just been working with an 106 00:05:54,059 --> 00:05:56,419 unrealistic expectation of your time. 107 00:05:57,259 --> 00:06:00,949 And if that sounds gloomy, then one thing I will say though, the trade-off 108 00:06:00,949 --> 00:06:04,609 is, is that you may have less blocks of time than you think, but often 109 00:06:04,859 --> 00:06:07,639 you may also be wasting a lot of time because of all this context 110 00:06:07,639 --> 00:06:09,389 switching, which we'll come onto later. 111 00:06:10,429 --> 00:06:13,679 So the third step that I suggest that you do to help you really get to 112 00:06:13,679 --> 00:06:17,129 grips with your time is to then start defining what needs to happen each week. 113 00:06:17,209 --> 00:06:21,109 This is your BAU, or business as usual tasks. 114 00:06:21,209 --> 00:06:23,379 So they could fit into themes as well. 115 00:06:23,379 --> 00:06:27,139 It may be marketing, which could be that you need to create certain 116 00:06:27,139 --> 00:06:30,199 amount of social media content, you need to draft an email newsletter. 117 00:06:30,689 --> 00:06:36,209 You might have to do things like come up with some ideas for 118 00:06:36,209 --> 00:06:37,909 future promotions, for example. 119 00:06:38,499 --> 00:06:41,819 You may also have a money and finance bucket, so things like 120 00:06:41,819 --> 00:06:45,329 checking your cashflow, doing your bookkeeping, or sending information 121 00:06:45,329 --> 00:06:46,549 that your bookkeeper needs. 122 00:06:47,299 --> 00:06:51,019 You may have to look at your taxes or any number of tasks that fit 123 00:06:51,069 --> 00:06:52,379 under that money and finance. 124 00:06:52,639 --> 00:06:54,099 You may have team tasks as well. 125 00:06:54,099 --> 00:06:56,509 That could be team meetings. 126 00:06:56,559 --> 00:06:57,669 It could be rotas. 127 00:06:57,669 --> 00:07:02,239 It could be training people or working on, for example, recruitment. 128 00:07:03,089 --> 00:07:08,519 You may have stock related tasks such as reordering, planning out 129 00:07:08,519 --> 00:07:11,879 your range for an upcoming occasion, or whatever else it might be. 130 00:07:12,229 --> 00:07:14,789 And then you may have operational tasks as well, which could be 131 00:07:14,789 --> 00:07:19,159 anything from cleaning the shop to organizing or whatever else it might 132 00:07:19,199 --> 00:07:20,849 be that falls under that bucket. 133 00:07:21,539 --> 00:07:24,969 So then what you want to do is work out all of these things have to happen. 134 00:07:24,999 --> 00:07:26,349 This is roughly how long they take. 135 00:07:26,669 --> 00:07:28,899 You should have s- a good idea because you've been tracking 136 00:07:28,899 --> 00:07:32,379 your time, and then you can start building a rough weekly structure. 137 00:07:32,379 --> 00:07:36,049 So for example, in my own business, I like a bit of alliteration, I have a 138 00:07:36,049 --> 00:07:40,289 marketing Monday because I've identified the amount of time I need to create social 139 00:07:40,289 --> 00:07:44,929 media content or podcast planning, and then I've worked out the time, the block 140 00:07:44,929 --> 00:07:46,689 of time in the week that works for that. 141 00:07:46,729 --> 00:07:52,039 Batching tasks together, as I mentioned, it can really significantly help reduce 142 00:07:52,109 --> 00:07:55,999 overwhelm, and some people are not a fan of this technique, so it may not work 143 00:07:55,999 --> 00:07:59,469 for you, but it does work for a lot of people because you start then grouping 144 00:07:59,469 --> 00:08:03,429 things together and putting them all together in one particular time zone. 145 00:08:03,819 --> 00:08:06,559 So make sure you give yourself those focused blocks of time. 146 00:08:06,629 --> 00:08:08,909 For example, let's use the marketing example. 147 00:08:09,359 --> 00:08:12,019 You've identified that roughly speaking, you're spending about three 148 00:08:12,019 --> 00:08:14,939 hours a week between lots of different things working on your marketing. 149 00:08:15,239 --> 00:08:18,439 So could you identify then 9:00 till 12:00 on a Monday morning is going to 150 00:08:18,439 --> 00:08:20,449 be when you do your marketing tasks? 151 00:08:21,189 --> 00:08:24,719 This can really help you reduce context switching, which as we touched on, can 152 00:08:24,979 --> 00:08:28,629 really, really slow you down massively because your brain has to do that 153 00:08:28,699 --> 00:08:30,709 reset every time you switch tasks. 154 00:08:31,079 --> 00:08:35,209 So if you've kind of gathered your similar tasks together, it... and put 155 00:08:35,209 --> 00:08:38,909 them into one place, it should really reduce the amount of context switching. 156 00:08:38,979 --> 00:08:42,169 It should also calm down your brain because your brain can see that 157 00:08:42,169 --> 00:08:44,729 there's a time in your week for you to do all of these things that you 158 00:08:44,729 --> 00:08:47,299 have to do Now here's the key thing. 159 00:08:47,379 --> 00:08:51,129 A lot of people will try this, but they end up getting distracted, and that is 160 00:08:51,129 --> 00:08:55,589 because we have developed this theory that we are completely 100% always available 161 00:08:55,589 --> 00:09:00,659 to everyone, whether that's our staff, whether that is our customers, whoever 162 00:09:00,659 --> 00:09:04,409 it might be, we've decided they have to be able to reach us at all times. 163 00:09:04,669 --> 00:09:08,529 And that fact can really significantly damage your ability 164 00:09:08,529 --> 00:09:10,459 to have focused and quiet time. 165 00:09:11,039 --> 00:09:15,119 So alongside the idea of having these time blocks, I would highly suggest 166 00:09:15,119 --> 00:09:18,119 that you do things like pause your inbox, if you've got the opportunity 167 00:09:18,179 --> 00:09:22,019 to do that, where you no longer get new emails in for a certain amount of time. 168 00:09:22,409 --> 00:09:23,749 Put your phone in another room. 169 00:09:24,260 --> 00:09:28,770 remove distractions as much as possible so you can actually get on and do the work. 170 00:09:29,830 --> 00:09:32,980 Some people I've talked to about this, they are absolutely 100% adamant 171 00:09:32,980 --> 00:09:34,370 that they cannot be unreachable. 172 00:09:34,880 --> 00:09:36,970 They have real fear that something's gonna happen, that 173 00:09:37,010 --> 00:09:38,920 No one's gonna be able to contact them, and they feel 174 00:09:38,920 --> 00:09:40,100 really uncomfortable about it. 175 00:09:40,680 --> 00:09:44,330 If that is you, then I would suggest that you get yourself a dumb phone. 176 00:09:44,660 --> 00:09:47,890 You get yourself a specific phone number which is only for emergencies, 177 00:09:47,930 --> 00:09:50,960 and you give that with your, to your team, or you add it to an autoresponder 178 00:09:50,960 --> 00:09:53,880 on your emails saying, "If it's an emergency, call this number." 179 00:09:54,270 --> 00:09:57,450 And that phone exists only for one purpose, to allow you to switch off 180 00:09:57,580 --> 00:10:01,000 all other distractions, but know that there's a way for people to reach you. 181 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:03,010 Or maybe, who knows, maybe you have a landline and 182 00:10:03,010 --> 00:10:03,990 people can actually call that. 183 00:10:04,650 --> 00:10:07,470 But make sure that there is some way, if you feel really nervous about this and you 184 00:10:07,470 --> 00:10:12,180 just think, "There's no way I can possibly block out all people being able to reach 185 00:10:12,180 --> 00:10:13,920 me for two to three hours," then make... 186 00:10:14,190 --> 00:10:16,770 Set yourself something up that people can get ahold of you, but make sure 187 00:10:16,770 --> 00:10:18,710 they know it's for emergencies only. 188 00:10:19,260 --> 00:10:22,210 And while we're talking about autoresponders as well, I do highly 189 00:10:22,210 --> 00:10:26,120 recommend that, number one, you have a separate email address for your customer 190 00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:30,270 services from your own personal inbox, because that is one thing that really 191 00:10:30,270 --> 00:10:32,770 messes people up, is when they're trying to go through their inbox and 192 00:10:32,770 --> 00:10:34,340 they get customer service as well. 193 00:10:34,760 --> 00:10:38,086 Make sure they're two separate ones, also means it's easier to outsource as 194 00:10:38,086 --> 00:10:39,846 you grow, someone else can handle that. 195 00:10:40,526 --> 00:10:43,146 And secondly, make sure you have an autoresponder on your customer 196 00:10:43,146 --> 00:10:46,686 service that, number one, answers commonly asked questions such as, 197 00:10:46,726 --> 00:10:51,196 "Where is my package?" And as well as making it clear when they will... 198 00:10:51,336 --> 00:10:52,456 can expect a response. 199 00:10:52,716 --> 00:10:56,436 Many people find that they feel much more comfortable letting go of being 200 00:10:56,436 --> 00:10:59,656 always on and always available when they know that their customers have 201 00:10:59,736 --> 00:11:03,406 got information telling them when they can expect a response, and that 202 00:11:03,406 --> 00:11:05,356 it may be 24 hours, for example. 203 00:11:05,356 --> 00:11:08,116 So that can really help you reduce your anxiety about being 204 00:11:08,116 --> 00:11:08,956 able to switch things off. 205 00:11:09,016 --> 00:11:13,086 Because one thing I can tell you is that that is almost impossible to get 206 00:11:13,256 --> 00:11:19,536 focused work done when you have got this fear or this constant need to check your 207 00:11:19,536 --> 00:11:23,486 messages, because you just get distracted and all of that time gets frittered away. 208 00:11:24,306 --> 00:11:26,356 So you don't necessarily need more hours. 209 00:11:26,356 --> 00:11:28,956 This is where the, the good news, bad news comes in to... 210 00:11:28,956 --> 00:11:31,506 when you maybe identify that you've got less time than you think. 211 00:11:31,806 --> 00:11:35,316 You just need more focused ones, 'cause you will be absolutely amazed how much 212 00:11:35,316 --> 00:11:41,131 you can achieve in 20 minutes of focused time without any distractions So once 213 00:11:41,131 --> 00:11:44,901 you have done all of this piece of work, you've worked out what your business as 214 00:11:44,901 --> 00:11:48,111 usual tasks are, how long they're going to take, when you're going to get them 215 00:11:48,141 --> 00:11:52,561 done, then you can start identifying where you might have extra capacity. 216 00:11:52,561 --> 00:11:55,331 Now, for some people, that might not be very often. 217 00:11:55,951 --> 00:11:59,691 For some people, it may be that you have one or two days of extra capacity 218 00:11:59,761 --> 00:12:01,801 a month, and that's absolutely fine. 219 00:12:02,151 --> 00:12:04,621 But just being aware of how much time you've actually got to play 220 00:12:04,621 --> 00:12:06,341 with can be really, really powerful. 221 00:12:06,641 --> 00:12:08,601 You may also want to have blocks of time in the day which 222 00:12:08,601 --> 00:12:09,821 is for more distracted work. 223 00:12:09,881 --> 00:12:13,581 For example, if you know that you can really only concentrate for a couple 224 00:12:13,581 --> 00:12:16,841 of hours first thing in the morning, then do your deep work then, but then 225 00:12:16,961 --> 00:12:20,531 give yourself a couple of hours in the afternoon to answer messages or go 226 00:12:20,531 --> 00:12:23,771 through the kind of work that requires less of a deep focus and can be done 227 00:12:24,061 --> 00:12:28,401 when you're maybe not exactly distracted, but you don't have to be as focused. 228 00:12:28,691 --> 00:12:30,261 So you can break your day up like that, too. 229 00:12:30,691 --> 00:12:33,001 And then on top of that, think about when you might have extra 230 00:12:33,001 --> 00:12:35,031 capacity to work on your projects. 231 00:12:35,611 --> 00:12:39,511 So for example, I can take no credit for this method. 232 00:12:39,511 --> 00:12:41,721 This is something that I have learned working with Andrew 233 00:12:41,721 --> 00:12:42,781 and Pete, who run Atomic. 234 00:12:43,501 --> 00:12:46,091 But basically, I will sit down and I will look at my entire 235 00:12:46,151 --> 00:12:48,501 quarter, upcoming day by day. 236 00:12:48,561 --> 00:12:52,301 I work out what days I've got particular things happening, where I'm traveling, 237 00:12:52,301 --> 00:12:57,041 where I'm away, what my business as usual tasks are, what my weekly 238 00:12:57,041 --> 00:12:59,461 tasks are, what the days that they are that they're going to take up. 239 00:12:59,591 --> 00:13:03,021 And then I work out how many additional days I've got, and therefore, that 240 00:13:03,061 --> 00:13:06,671 can help me really understand how much time I've got to work on additional 241 00:13:06,671 --> 00:13:08,681 projects to move the business forward. 242 00:13:09,251 --> 00:13:12,691 So for example, let's say you've got some bigger projects that have been 243 00:13:12,691 --> 00:13:14,351 kicking around for a really long time. 244 00:13:14,751 --> 00:13:19,031 Maybe it's redoing your website, maybe it's launching a newsletter, maybe 245 00:13:19,061 --> 00:13:21,131 it's developing your own product. 246 00:13:21,131 --> 00:13:22,101 Who knows what it might be? 247 00:13:22,101 --> 00:13:25,201 But you've got something that you've been wanting to tackle that you know 248 00:13:25,201 --> 00:13:28,251 is going to be really beneficial to the business, but you've just got no idea 249 00:13:28,251 --> 00:13:29,551 how you're ever going to get it done. 250 00:13:30,311 --> 00:13:31,191 Do the exercise. 251 00:13:31,241 --> 00:13:34,611 Work out how much time you've got after you've done all 252 00:13:34,611 --> 00:13:36,071 your business as usual tasks. 253 00:13:36,531 --> 00:13:39,461 Don't be disheartened if some week you only have time to do 254 00:13:39,461 --> 00:13:40,861 your business as usual tasks. 255 00:13:40,861 --> 00:13:41,571 That's quite common. 256 00:13:41,881 --> 00:13:44,801 But hopefully, somewhere in the month you might have a couple of days where 257 00:13:44,801 --> 00:13:46,871 you can actually work on those tasks. 258 00:13:47,621 --> 00:13:51,231 So then what you want to do is make sure you've got a task list. 259 00:13:51,231 --> 00:13:54,521 So rather than just saying, "Start my newsletter," actually write down 260 00:13:54,571 --> 00:13:56,061 all of the various different steps. 261 00:13:56,361 --> 00:13:59,721 Because if you sit down with a day and you think, "Right, today I'm gonna start 262 00:13:59,721 --> 00:14:03,901 my newsletter," that's still a lot for your brain to overcome in terms of working 263 00:14:03,901 --> 00:14:05,761 out how to actually get it started. 264 00:14:06,251 --> 00:14:08,521 So instead, break it down into lots of different steps. 265 00:14:08,661 --> 00:14:13,561 Break it down into research different email software. 266 00:14:14,221 --> 00:14:17,341 Then you're going to take a look at how many people you've currently 267 00:14:17,341 --> 00:14:21,061 got subscribed, and then you're going to work out how to get those 268 00:14:21,061 --> 00:14:22,401 imported into the new software. 269 00:14:22,701 --> 00:14:26,291 Whatever it might be, go through all of that so that when you do actually have 270 00:14:26,291 --> 00:14:30,636 time to sit down and work on it, you're not spending that first block of time just 271 00:14:30,636 --> 00:14:31,806 trying to work out what you want to do. 272 00:14:31,806 --> 00:14:34,006 You know exactly, right, task number one. 273 00:14:34,036 --> 00:14:37,886 A task is basically something you can sit down and, and achieve in a certain 274 00:14:37,886 --> 00:14:40,096 amount of time with clear guidelines. 275 00:14:40,096 --> 00:14:43,516 So task number one, I'm gonna look at three different s- email 276 00:14:43,516 --> 00:14:45,086 marketing software, for example. 277 00:14:45,892 --> 00:14:48,612 Or maybe you're thinking about, right, I'd really like to have some 278 00:14:48,612 --> 00:14:51,732 leaflets that I can hand out to people in their bag as they leave the shop. 279 00:14:51,802 --> 00:14:54,032 Okay, so how long is it gonna take you? 280 00:14:54,122 --> 00:14:56,412 Right, I need to do the following four things. 281 00:14:56,452 --> 00:14:58,132 I need to design the leaflet in Canva. 282 00:14:58,172 --> 00:14:59,542 I need to research printers. 283 00:15:00,152 --> 00:15:05,082 I need to send it to print, actually s- place the order, and then I need to get 284 00:15:05,082 --> 00:15:06,522 the proof back from them and approve it. 285 00:15:07,242 --> 00:15:10,192 And then you work out how long each one of those tasks will take, so maybe 286 00:15:10,192 --> 00:15:14,442 it's gonna take you an hour and a half to design the leaflet, an hour to 287 00:15:14,442 --> 00:15:18,082 research printers, half an hour to place the order, half an hour to proof it. 288 00:15:18,112 --> 00:15:21,882 So you've worked out now it's gonna be roughly three and a half, four hours. 289 00:15:22,512 --> 00:15:25,222 It also really helps you be very realistic to do this kind of thing 290 00:15:25,222 --> 00:15:28,632 because that's often the answer why you don't get things done, is 'cause often 291 00:15:28,632 --> 00:15:31,202 these things, it sounds like a quick job, I'll just create some leaflets, 292 00:15:31,202 --> 00:15:33,972 but actually that, we're talking about three and a half to four hours. 293 00:15:34,072 --> 00:15:37,022 And if you're constantly being distracted, then that, also that 294 00:15:37,022 --> 00:15:39,432 three and a half to four hours could stretch out longer and longer. 295 00:15:40,382 --> 00:15:44,702 So work out how much time you've got, work out what you want to get done, and 296 00:15:44,702 --> 00:15:46,922 then work out when you can slot that in. 297 00:15:47,622 --> 00:15:51,002 It's also really useful, one thing that I find when I look forward and look at 298 00:15:51,002 --> 00:15:55,212 a quarter that's coming up, it really helps me protect my time because I realize 299 00:15:55,302 --> 00:15:59,622 how few days I actually have to work on projects, and you may well find the same. 300 00:15:59,892 --> 00:16:02,672 So that if you actually go through all of this and realize, right, I want to 301 00:16:02,672 --> 00:16:05,552 get this done, but I've only actually got this one day to get it done. 302 00:16:05,552 --> 00:16:08,712 It also really helps you focus your mind, or for me personally, 303 00:16:08,712 --> 00:16:09,962 it helps me focus my mind. 304 00:16:10,202 --> 00:16:12,592 When it is that day, I'm like, "Okay, if I don't get this done now, there 305 00:16:12,592 --> 00:16:15,272 isn't another slot for a while, so I've really got to get on with it." 306 00:16:15,732 --> 00:16:18,422 And if I've broken down my tasks so I'm just sitting there doing a 307 00:16:18,422 --> 00:16:21,902 list of things that I know how to do, each one individually, then 308 00:16:21,902 --> 00:16:24,882 that makes it a lot easier and makes it a lot smoother as well. 309 00:16:25,242 --> 00:16:27,832 So you can see what's actually possible. 310 00:16:27,832 --> 00:16:29,182 You can avoid over-committing. 311 00:16:29,442 --> 00:16:30,562 You can protect your time better. 312 00:16:30,802 --> 00:16:32,812 And you can also feel better about how much you're getting 313 00:16:32,812 --> 00:16:35,532 done because it's really clear to you where your time is going. 314 00:16:36,082 --> 00:16:38,272 Another point that I'd like to make is about decision fatigue. 315 00:16:38,932 --> 00:16:41,472 Because just like if yous going to sit down and do a big project, 316 00:16:41,472 --> 00:16:43,692 it can be a lot to try and work out how to get it all done. 317 00:16:43,982 --> 00:16:46,842 Even on your weekly tasks, that can feel like a lot as well. 318 00:16:47,142 --> 00:16:51,012 So don't forget to create checklists for everything that you can think of. 319 00:16:51,062 --> 00:16:54,882 If you've got a weekly task to do for your marketing, then you can 320 00:16:54,882 --> 00:16:57,502 use a checklist that literally goes through all of the different tasks 321 00:16:57,502 --> 00:16:58,652 that you need to do each week. 322 00:16:58,652 --> 00:17:01,562 So each week you're not starting from scratch thinking, "Right, what is it I 323 00:17:01,562 --> 00:17:06,012 need to do this week?" Create repeatable ways of doing things, so a set process 324 00:17:06,012 --> 00:17:09,462 for planning your content, a regular day on your regular day for marketing, 325 00:17:09,832 --> 00:17:11,532 getting that consistent weekly rhythm. 326 00:17:11,532 --> 00:17:15,592 Because the more that you can plan this out, the less that you have to think 327 00:17:15,592 --> 00:17:18,622 about the basics and the more energy you have for the important stuff. 328 00:17:19,367 --> 00:17:22,117 So there is no one perfect way of working. 329 00:17:22,292 --> 00:17:24,652 there are different approaches that work for different people. 330 00:17:24,942 --> 00:17:27,462 Some people like to get up early in the morning and do 331 00:17:27,462 --> 00:17:28,772 things before anyone else is up. 332 00:17:29,692 --> 00:17:31,862 Some people like to have one focused hour at the start of the 333 00:17:31,862 --> 00:17:34,412 day, and that is the extent to, to which they could concentrate. 334 00:17:34,932 --> 00:17:37,852 Some people like to work in short bursts throughout the day in 20 to 335 00:17:37,852 --> 00:17:42,622 25-minute blocks, and some people like to have longer work blocks. 336 00:17:42,902 --> 00:17:46,662 Some people like things like the Pomodoro method where you set a timer 337 00:17:46,662 --> 00:17:50,632 for 20, 25 minutes, and then you take a five-minute break and then repeat. 338 00:17:50,832 --> 00:17:52,622 Some people find that too bitty. 339 00:17:54,012 --> 00:17:56,202 The point is, is that there is no one-size-fits-all. 340 00:17:56,522 --> 00:18:02,392 All there is is tracking, reflecting, adjusting, and repeating so that you 341 00:18:02,392 --> 00:18:06,692 can get a sense of how you work, how you like to work, and also how much 342 00:18:06,692 --> 00:18:08,122 contingency you have to build in. 343 00:18:08,122 --> 00:18:08,852 Because that's the thing. 344 00:18:09,302 --> 00:18:12,902 You can have the most perfectly planned out plan in the world, but 345 00:18:12,932 --> 00:18:16,182 if somebody calls you and tells you that your basement's flooded, then 346 00:18:16,182 --> 00:18:17,942 all of a sudden everything shifts. 347 00:18:17,942 --> 00:18:21,172 So do think about how you can build in some contingency because 348 00:18:21,462 --> 00:18:23,702 there will always be emergencies. 349 00:18:23,702 --> 00:18:26,392 There will always be things that come up that are unexpected. 350 00:18:27,212 --> 00:18:30,262 And if it's all still too much, if you've done all of this and there's still more to 351 00:18:30,262 --> 00:18:34,152 do than there's time available, then the answer is you have to either delegate, if 352 00:18:34,222 --> 00:18:39,462 that's a possibility, you have to simplify or simply stop doing certain things. 353 00:18:39,462 --> 00:18:44,352 So one of the other really big benefits of doing a big time investigation like 354 00:18:44,382 --> 00:18:47,382 this is it helps you identify like, "Well, what can I actually drop and 355 00:18:47,382 --> 00:18:50,772 what is just happening for the sake of it, and what can I just simply no 356 00:18:50,772 --> 00:18:56,002 longer fit in?" You cannot optimize your way out of doing too much forever. 357 00:18:56,002 --> 00:18:58,622 There is a point at which you just have to say, "Well, you 358 00:18:58,622 --> 00:19:00,562 know, time is a finite resource." 359 00:19:00,972 --> 00:19:04,512 So if you've got too much to do and not enough time, you have to figure 360 00:19:04,512 --> 00:19:07,592 out either to stop doing it or have someone else do it for you instead. 361 00:19:08,442 --> 00:19:10,872 So this work, it can feel a bit heavy up front. 362 00:19:10,992 --> 00:19:14,832 And as I said, when we work in retail by design, this is something that we 363 00:19:14,862 --> 00:19:19,402 do together over a number of weeks because we have to learn about how 364 00:19:19,402 --> 00:19:20,602 people are spending their time. 365 00:19:20,602 --> 00:19:23,642 We have to help them shape their time more effectively, and there is a lot 366 00:19:23,642 --> 00:19:25,792 of backwards and forwards that goes on. 367 00:19:26,132 --> 00:19:30,132 So don't feel overwhelmed if you listen to this and think this just feels like a lot. 368 00:19:30,202 --> 00:19:32,832 It can be something that you can do over a period of time. 369 00:19:33,322 --> 00:19:37,802 And it is a time investment up front, but it's also incredibly clarifying 370 00:19:38,142 --> 00:19:41,312 because instead of feeling constantly behind, you can start making really 371 00:19:41,312 --> 00:19:45,122 intentional decisions about your time, and that's where things start 372 00:19:45,122 --> 00:19:48,902 to feel calmer, more structured, and ultimately more profitable. 373 00:19:50,562 --> 00:19:51,762 Thank you so much for listening. 374 00:19:52,403 --> 00:19:55,103 Don't forget to like, follow, or subscribe, depending on wherever 375 00:19:55,103 --> 00:19:56,933 it is you get your podcasts from. 376 00:19:57,253 --> 00:19:59,893 That way you'll be the first to know about each new episode when 377 00:19:59,893 --> 00:20:01,673 it comes out on a Thursday morning. 378 00:20:02,083 --> 00:20:02,703 See you next week