Routines = Productivity and Productivity = Success | What do your routines look like?

To be a successful business owner, you need to be productive in your day-to-day work. And to be productive, you need routines surrounding everything you do.

Before you roll your eyes and equate routines with boring and stifling, hear me out.

Routines are that magic sauce that help you accomplish tasks inside your business without having to make loads of decisions–because you’ve already made them when setting up the routines. You know when you’re working on this project, you know the steps in that project and (maybe most importantly) you know where your boundaries are.

And most importantly, routines save you time so you have more space to be creative.

One of the most important routines you can set up for yourself involves deciding what your work day will look like. Not every day will look the same, and not every season will look the same, but having an ideal to use as a guide is critical to boost productivity and, by design, your success.

How to design your ideal routine

Like every part of business, there are seasons to your routine. A lot can vary depending on your home life and the type of work you do. If you’re a product-based business, you might have a production season in the spring and a sales season in the fall–both of which will look very different. If you have kids at home, you likely change up your routine based on their school or sports schedules.

Whatever your circumstances might be, use your routines to guide your business day, week, month and season.

First

Identify what’s important to you, both personally and professionally. What are your non-negotiables in life? What are your “it’d be nice to haves” each day or week?

For me, I want to read for 30 minutes a day and make sure I do some sort of exercise daily. I also have activities for my kids on a regular basis, so I need to make time for that.

Next

Sketch out your daily and weekly calendar with all the items you identified in the first step. Google is a great tool for this. Set up a new calendar by clicking the “+” sign on the far left, then selecting “New Calendar.”

Using this new calendar, you can schedule in your ideal day and allow it to lay on top of your actual calendar (without interfering with any of your appointments). This sets a general guideline for you and keeps it top-of-mind.

Then

Use your new ideal calendar as your guide as you decide what your priorities are in your business. Update it as needed to allow you the time you need for your clients, when working on your business or simply for life.

Give yourself grace that you’re not going to follow this calendar rigidly–that’s part of the joy of owning a business. Know that the schedule is there and that following it will bring you the productivity and success you crave. And if it’s not working for you? It’s your prerogative to adjust it.

My Biggest Tip for Creating Routines in Business

When scheduling out your ideal day and week, know that you must include time for your own business. If you don’t have time to work on your business, you won’t grow. I’m a big believer in having one full day every week just for my own business. I learned this from Abby Herman, and it’s transformed me. It gives me dedicated time to look at my business strategy regularly, delegate what I need to delegate and work on what I need to do for my own business.

When I wasn’t setting this time aside, I wasn’t moving forward. Now I can get really clear on my next step in the right direction so my team isn’t waiting on me.

But Remember

Your ideal day or week, those routines, are a guide for you. They’re not the end-all, be-all. Things happen and you need to adjust. You’re much better off making the changes you need than lamenting the fact that you’ve fallen off your routine.

Need help determining what direction to go in your business? You need to know your mission, vision and values first. Grab my guide to help you do just that!