Time!! The one thing we wish we had more of, but the thing we still seem to waste the most of on the day to day.

With 24 hours in a day, it is amazing how much of our time is wasted from small tasks like scrolling social media. But that is okay, we are only human, these things happen.

The first step is to identify you need to be better with your time, so that's a good step!!

But how do we start? Well, to help you out, I have a productivity coach who joined me in the latest podcast to talk all things time!!

When it comes to business development, it is pretty common that business owners and entrepreneurs neglect the content side of their business. Even if not neglect, they do tend to be inconsistent, but that is fine! I wouldn't be in a job if that were the case.

But, of course, I want you to get a hold on your content to start creating because the world needs to hear from you!!

So I had Francesca come on to chat, and I think you will LOVE some of the takeaways!! For this piece, I am going to share her tips and tricks, and then I’m also going to share mine (bonus for my blog fans).

Track your time

If you know you need more time in your day, but you don’t know where all your time is wasted, track it for at least three days! As Francesca said, “if you spend 3 hours watching Netflix, add that in”. It is all about being honest, but seriously track your time, and you will notice where your time is lost.

That time = money! And the less you are producing online, the less chance you have of reaching the clients you want to work for! It is a no brainer.

Set time goals

Once you have tracked your schedule and looked at where you can be saving more time, it is now the moment you create your time/business goals for 2020. They can be tiny or large, whatever works for you.

What are mine?

• Be better at my transition between tasks

• Select three main priorities for the day 

• Have my content done a little further in advance (even I have some) 

• Track my time for each task better 

• Use more time management apps

These goals will help keep you focussed and on track. Plus when you have goals, it is easier to track how you measure up with the area of your life you want to focus on.

Batch in your creative state

One Francesca mentioned was the term “batching”. If you follow me on any social platform (if you don’t, you should), I have spoken about this countless times!

But the one thing Francesca mentioned was batch when you are at your ‘creative’ state! I love this concept! So once you get into the groove on content creating, keep going! Block out some time to just create the content for your business, rather than an hour here and there.

Content creation takes a lot of creativity, so you want to be in the right mindset. Batch your social media posts, blogs and podcasts as far in advance as you like! Also, you save time by transitioning from one task to the next, transitioning is a HUGE time killer!

What do I do?

Well, I batch the social posts for the week ahead and my podcast and blog! I have my content planned for the month, but I don’t write or record until the week prior that way I am close to my content! But everyone is different, some batch months in advance! Whatever works for you!

Have priorities

If you have a “to-do” list each day, make sure you have priorities for that list. What are the top 3 things you want to achieve from that list?

Your list might have 10+ things on it (which can be overwhelming), so choose three things you want to get done for the day, that way you feel focussed and less stressed, the other stuff can be actioned as “quick” wins when you have time to get those done. But if you don’t, it is FINE!! As long as you get the three things on your list done!

Francesca sets herself a goal to get one of her key action items done before 9am (or if you are side hustling before you start work). This makes her feel set up for the day and on track!

Have theme days

Another great one from Francesca, she has "theme" days during the week to keep her focussed on using her time to the best of her abilities.

So one day you might have a day dedicated to your content creating (for Francesca her's are on Monday's!) This is a great way to keep you focussed on the tasks you need to get done! So if you are in the middle of client work and think of a great content topic, write it down and action it on your day of content creating and planning!

Of course, you still engage on social media during the week, but most of your content has already been mapped out, the rest is just added extras when you have spare time!!

TIP: when I think of an idea I usually put it in my amazing "to-do" list app called Clickup, and I set a date in the future where I will look at that idea and action it! That way, I don't forget, AND I have been using my time in that moment to get my work done!

Reflect on your time

On a Sunday she rates her performance from the week based on her goals (which I mentioned above).

So if content creating was something you want to focus on, you can rate how you went during the week. But instead of saying “did I stick to my content calendar” yes or no, you give yourself a score out of 5. That way you aren’t being so hard on yourself! Then you can look at where you can improve.

Plan your content/have a strategy

One thing you will hear me say a lot is to PLAN YOUR CONTENT!! Known as the content strategy. One of the things Francesca does is she plans out what her content will look like for the whole month (videos, blogs etc.) then each week she creates the content to match these topics (on her theme day).

This is similar to what I do! I will have a topic for each week for my podcasts, and then my blog and social posts complement this topic!!

BONUS: Keep yourself accountable

What I do with my content is I keep myself accountable. Not only do I have accountability partner, but I also have a Google Calendar set up that keep me on track, see below.

That way I know when to post, AND it reminds me, so I don’t forget!! Also, use the review system Francesca mentioned above, this will keep you on track and creating that amazing content!

Another tip, tell your audience what will you be doing! That way you have to deliver, they will be your accountability partners!

BONUS: Use a timer

This one is probably my FAV!! What I do is set myself a 20 minute timer. That gives me 25 minutes to focus on my one task (maybe blog writing). Once that timer goes off, I allow myself a 10 minute break. Then I either return to that task or move on and come back to it.

The method is called Pomodoro and you can read more about it here.

BONUS: Do not disturb mode and music

One of my #1 distractions is my phone!! So when I need to get something done, I put my phone on “do not disturb”. That way I have NO idea someone has messaged me, sent me a Snapchat or anything in between! If you are concerned you will miss an urgent phone call, tell people to call you twice, that way you won’t miss the call AND will be in full concentration mode.

Also, I created a playlist to keep me focussed. I found I needed mostly calming songs, with a hint of energy!

BONUS: Of course, outsource

To save time you can outsource, there is NOTHING wrong with this. You could hire someone to look after your blog and repuposing, that way you can focus on showing up in video! Whatever works for you!!

Final thoughts

Tick, tick, the time is always ticking. Instead of fighting it, use it to your advantage!! With tools mentioned above and the podcast episode below, you will be in good shape to create content in MUCH less time!! What ones will you use to help your content creation journey?

Resources

How to get your content strategy on point!

How to never run out of content ideas again!

The guide you need to repurpose content for your business

What is the purpose of content creation and how does content marketing work?