2 Hacks to Get Organized & Out of Business Overwhelm

As entrepreneurs we wear A LOT of hats from marketing and client delivery to content creation and crafting our offers…and so much more.

It’s pretty easy to get overwhelmed!

Can you relate?

The truth is being organized is a skill, a continual practice, and anyone can learn how to do it.
It’s not a one and done kind of task, as often circumstances and needs will change, your focus and tasks will change, and new opportunities will come in-so getting AND STAYING organized is a continued journey.

A KEY component to organization is prioritizing and planning.

SO THE QUESTION HERE IS: WHY DO MOST PEOPLE STAY STUCK WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING ORGANIZED?

First off, we typically aren’t taught to organize. Planning might be thought of as an afterthought, or even a waste of precious time when trying to get as much done as quickly as possible.

So, we often don’t organize. Or Plan.

We just keep adding MORE, trying to be more productive, and often we switch from task to task, which wastes precious time and energy.

Am I right??

The key here is before you “hustle,” get ORGANIZED!

Here’s 2 of my favorite organization hacks to get out of overwhelm:

1. Task Blocking

2. Batching

1. TASK BLOCKING

Task blocks involve setting a designated amount of time aside for specific, strategic tasks. These are blocks of time where you focus on the “big rocks” in your business, the activities that move things forward, not just the to-do list.  

I personally set 45 minute time blocks with a 15 minute break between blocks.  Though for large projects, like my website rebrand, I set aside 3 hour blocks of time. 

As you begin business building, you would create tasks blocks for things like creating content and your offer(s), marketing/networking, and setting up your business.

It’s important to get specific!

EXAMPLE: for your marketing/networking, the specific task could be reaching out to 3 chiropractors who serve your ideal client. Or it could be to create an email template for what you’ll send out to the people you want to reach out to.

It’s about identifying and PLANNING what’s most important RIGHT NOW, then breaking down those 2-5 goals into smaller action steps, and lastly, then scheduling those small action steps on to your to do list.

In my own business, I use customized templates that help me stay focused on my 3 top priorities: 

1. Revenue generation 

2. List building 

3. Personal self-care. 

Wanna get your hands on the FREE templates I use to rock my goals?  You can grab them for FREE below:

Bottom line is you may have to experiment with what task blocks work best for you and your business, but having specific time scheduled for the most important tasks is crucial to stay organized and out of overwhelm.

2. Batching

Another key organization hack is to batch similar tasks together.
Here’s what my work mornings looked like before I started batching:

I’d kickoff my day with my phone in my face checking email and any rings, dings, and pings I’d missed while sleeping. This often took an hour or more of my morning. 

Then I’d create a social media post, but inevitably an email would pop up that I’d respond to, then I’d hear a ding on my phone and go check it out, then check out social media, put in a load of laundry, check email again.

I was all over the place, bouncing from various tasks, but at the end of the day, felt like I got very little accomplished…because really I WASN’T getting much done…nothing that really helped me reach my goals and bring in clients.

While it’s a work in progress and a skill to continue to practice, now I complete my morning routine first which includes a workout (definitely helps me with focus and organization).

Then I:

1. Schedule a writing task block and focus on particular content creation or work on the Done For You Copywriting Services I provide my health coaching clients

2. Check email and set a timer for 15 minutes to be on social media

3. Complete another task block of writing/creating

4. Take a break and eat lunch, put in a load of laundry or another small chore, go outside for a short walk, then back to work. 

If it’s a day I have clients (I try to batch this too), then I would see clients.

My favorite task to batch is my content creation.

I love to write 3-4 blogs at a time, which can then be repurposed into social media posts, a video, or an e-book.

This way, I have created nearly 2 months of content and don’t have to worry about what I’m going to create each and every week!

I also try my best to only keep the tabs open of things I’m currently working on-so no email, social media, or other tempting sites are kept open while I work. 

And I do my best (notice there’s no perfection here) to get my top priority task done first thing.

I’d love to hear from you! What’s your favorite way to get organized and avoid overwhelm?