Smoke & Mirrors

"Do you really do all that you do, or is it all smoke and mirrors?”

I get asked this a lot, and I can assure you that the only smoke that you’ll see around here is that from the occasional burnt dinner. It’s true!

Not only do I run a full-service award-winning home staging business and oversee a staff of 5, but I teach home staging professionals through my online programs at SLS Academy AND coach a select set of entrepreneurs through my coaching business. Of course, this is all in between my jet-setting speaking adventures across North America. Oh, and in my spare (ha ha) time, I act as the Ontario, Canada Provincial President for the Real Estate Staging Association and I chair the volunteer organizing committee for my local walk for Multiple Sclerosis. 

Now I know what you’re thinking - I must not have a personal life. 

Well, while I may not have a “traditional" family life (no spouse, no kids), my family is a priority for me, as are my friends. I workout 5 times a week, meet up with friends for tea, cocktails, musicals or game-night frequently, and I care for 4 very spunky and attention-seeking kitty cats. I maintain a balanced diet and overall care routine, and I get a solid 7 hours of sleep every single night.

So what’s my secret? I would love to say it’s simple, give you 5 easy steps to follow, and solve all of your time-management task-ridden day-to-day challenges in one simple blog post. The truth is that it’s not simple. I have spent years creating systems and processes, and implementing automations and delegation to be able to do all that I do. Without these in place, I wouldn’t be able to scale my business the way that I have. Now, when I say that I have spent years on this it’s not to say that it should take years. I had to re-invent the wheel a bit because no one out there was teaching HOW to structure my business in such a way that I could hire and train team members seamlessly, or how I could utilize freelancers to boost my brand, and how to manage the seemingly endless “to-do” list. For this reason, I have put together a list of some of my top tips for getting yourself out from under the overwhelming pile of to-dos, and allow you to take back control of your time, and scale your business. Do more - work less. Sound good? Start implementing the following and you will be on your way to a less stressful workday in no time!

Review your to-do list system and find one that will work for you - Ok, so this isn’t exactly revolutionary, but it amazes me how many clients I talk with that don’t have a solid system for their to-do list. From random post-it notes, to simply keeping things in their head, to numerous sheets of paper and file folders with thoughts on them. Everyone operates different, so I can’t tell you what will work best for you, but I do recommend todoist. This is an app that works on your desktop and mobile devices, and allows you to categorize your tasks into “projects”, add tags, add comments, set priorities, and (this is one of my favorite perks) it even allows for RECURRING tasks. For example, I need to do payroll every two weeks, so I created a recurring task for this that resets to the next due date each time I complete it. 

Don’t make yourself re-think things - document annual events with what worked and what didn’t work (Evernote is a great place to store these), create recurring tasks (Todoist) and time-block (any calendar app will help you to do this, it’s simply up to you to block it off). This is a great way to track what you’ve done, and what you want/plan to do. I don’t know about you, but I HATE starting over. For example, you get a booth at a trade show. You set up the booth, you bring marketing collateral, and perhaps you even run a mini show promotion. Since it’s an annual event, you decide to do it again 1 year later, but now you can’t remember what you did the last time, and you have to start from the beginning of thinking about what you should bring, what promo you should run, and how you want to set up your booth. Sounds tiring and tedious, doesn’t it? Instead, I have a note in Evernote that outlines all of this, plus how much I spent on the event, the ROI from the calls/leads that I received, and it even has some post-event notes that I added saying what worked, what didn’t, or simply thoughts about “next year you should do a draw for a free product/service that you offer”. Think of how much time you would save having this information already at your fingertips!

Plan ahead - I know that this sounds easier than it actually is, but once you have certain systems in place for this, it will be MUCH easier to navigate. Our minds have a finite amount of things that they can focus on at a time, so having systems in place to allow you to be pro-active instead of re-active will free up your mind from routine and menial thoughts. For example, instead of waiting until my hair is overgrown and the color is faded, I always have a hair appointment in the books. I don’t call in to make an appointment - I simply book the appointment at the same time that am settling my bill. It’s habit now, and it’s always on the books. 

Avoid Shiny Object Syndrome (SOS) - ok, now this one is HARD! With so much going on in a day, with our social apps, email, and other distractions, it is hard to stay on task. Again, this is where a solid to-do list will come in handy. Instead of reacting on every thought or idea that enters your head in a day (as a serial entrepreneur I know that this is an almost impossible side-effect to turn off), instead simply create a task in your to-do list to allocate some attention to this idea at a time that is more suitable. 

Time-block "busy tasks" - Separate busy tasks from productivity tasks and plan for “busy task” times. Your “busy tasks” are those things that need to get done, but don’t necessarily move anything forward. These might include responding to emails, organizing your office, filing, etc. Instead of letting these tasks get in the way of your productivity, allot a dedicated time to work through these. Depending on how many tasks you have, this may be daily, or weekly, or something in between. If you have a large project that you need to focus on, you might use your busy tasks to break up the day. For me, this is often what I do when I am creating design concepts for a new space - it takes several hours of focused attention to let an idea fully form and come together. I will spend a few hours designing, then take a “break” and do some busy tasks before returning to my concepts with fresh eyes. I do the same thing with blog posts (and in fact, with this very blog post). 

Write it down - This gets things out of your head, and into executable systems. From new client intake forms to standardized email response templates for all types of inquiries, to your marketing strategy and objectives, and of course, your financial goals. These can be built as you go (again, Evernote is a great place to store some of this). For example, when a client calls, ask your usual questions, and then write down the questions that you asked them. When the next client calls, think of any additional questions that you might have asked them that should be part of the intake. And so on. When you find yourself sending an email for what seems to be the second (or gazillionth) time, copy and paste that email and turn it into a template. Clearly outline your marketing strategy and objectives to help you to decide which opportunities to pursue, and which to pass on. The same for your financial goals - these should be concrete, not abstract. 

Let it go - Are you doing it all? Are you CEO and janitor? Are you receptionist and director of marketing? You might think that perhaps you’re not ready to bring on additional help, but I recommend outsourcing at least some tasks BEFORE you’re too busy to do them any more. By that time, you’re often also too busy to properly train a replacement. Look at the time-eating and dreadful tasks first. Some people hate marketing, others (namely me) despite bookkeeping and accounting. Consider hiring an independent contractor to manage aspects of these tasks for you. How do you know what to offload? Take a look at your daily tasks, and identify which ones you dread doing, and likely procrastinate doing. That procrastination may keep you from moving forward with more productive tasks as well. Delegate the tasks that you simply don’t enjoy doing (where possible) and concentrate on what you do best. Also look to the tasks that can be done for a lower cost than what you could be making yourself in revenue in that same amount of time. By freeing up your time, you will generate the business and therefore the revenue that you need to cover the investment for your staffing, and then some. 

Implement the above tips as needed, and gradually you will find yourself with more time than you know what to do with. How you choose to fill that time is up to you, but make it count. 

Want to take control of your business and life and find the balance that you deserve? As a special thanks for checking this out, I’d like to offer you a FREE Business Planning Session - we’ll discuss your biggest challenges and even lay out a personalized roadmap to help you to manage the stress and overwhelm of building your empire - click here to get on my calendar.