There’s so much to do, build your list, write articles, get your website up, write invoices, make sales, create new content…you get my drift. How is one supposed to get it all done in those meager 24 hours in one day???
And then when you have generated a lot of activity you have created even more work for yourself in servicing your clients. Sure your business grows but what about having a life?? I know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed by all the things that need to get done. I have been at that place a few times. These days its good
How do successful six figure income solopreneurs do it? Are they superhuman?

The answer is no, they are not superhuman. But they have a smart system in place that helps them to get everything done that really needs to get done. Let me share with you how I juggle all my projects and still have a life (while you are reading this I am in a beautiful beachside holiday house at the South Coast).

Let me share with you four insights that have helped me to manage my business growth and still have a great life.

1. It’s all about your priorities
As an entrepreneur your To-Do list is never empty. There are always more things to do then there are hours in the day to do them. That’s just a fact and the sooner you get comfortable with that the better. The key is to prioritise the things that will make you money. That’s making sales, marketing every day, servicing your clients, creating new programs and content. Do these things first and everything else after these things are done. That will mean you will make the money you need to make to outsource the rest.

2. Outsource everything someone else can do
That’s the goal. And if you do what I suggest in point one you will quickly get to a point where this is easily possible. How do you know whether it’s time? If your days are filled with income producing activities and you are not getting the bookwork, admin etc. done or your burning the midnight oil doing it, it’s time to hire an assistant.
I suggest you start by outsourcing the lowest value activities first, I started with my book keeping and then I got a cleaner. If you want to justify the expense, invest the extra hours you free up into smart marketing, eg. ring some past clients, get a speaking gig, be active in social media etc.

3. Hire experts
When I talk about hiring assistants I am talking about people that are experts in their field (yes that includes the cleaner ). Hire people you don’t need to train and that are eager to serve you rather than being a drag on your time. And of course, you don’t need to employ them. I work with virtual assistants who are great at what they do and work from their own home or office. Set your standards high and watch your life getting easier as they take on more of your work.

4. Learn to let go
This is a big one for most entrepreneurs. If you seriously want to build a six figure income business, you need to let go of needing to do everything yourself and thinking nobody else can do it as well as you can. That’s not true for most things (except your unique brilliance). Letting go of wanting to control everything is essential for your success. You need to take a leadership role and start to delegate, delegate and delegate some more.

Put these four things into action and watch your results soar. Every time you let go of more, your income will go up! Would love your take on this. What’s your biggest challenge with getting it all done? Please leave me a note!

Have you ever looked back at the end of the day wondering where the hours went and what you actually achieved? It can be frustrating when a day gets clogged up with unproductive tasks and you don’t get to the money making stuff that you really should attend to.

The number one thing you need in order to grow your business fast and successfully (apart from Passion) is FOCUS!

Focus on Income Producing Activities. What does that really mean? As Solo-Entrepreneurs there are three things that we should be focused on 95% of the time:

Marketing: Marketing takes most of the time, especially when starting out and realistically also when you are already up and running. The good news for all those of you saying you don’t like to market: The lines between Marketing and Working with Clients get blurred when using Attraction Marketing Principles. That means Marketing is actually fun because you educate and build relationships while you do it.

Work with Clients: No brainer. Of course you want to spend time servicing your clients really well. As a Solopreneur YOU and your Expertise are the the commodity so of course this is an important part, and usually the most fun part of your days.

Innovation: It’s critical that you constantly learn new things and innovate within your field. Your clients expect it, it is the lifeblood of your business. And it keeps things exciting for you as well.

You should be spending 95% of your time in any of these three areas. If you are not, you are wasting time. Let me share with you my top tips for ridding yourself of time wasters so you can be as focused and productive as possible to reach your big 2010 goals.

Tip 1: Have set working hours where you ONLY spend time on income producing activities.

During your working hours you should not be focusing on anything else. That means no lower value activities (eg admin), no distracting activities (eg a private email, a youtube video someone sent you etc) and no personal chores like shopping etc. Set your working hours so you can realistically achieve this and stick to it no matter what. You will need to find time for the excluded activities somehwere else. This is critical for you to stay focused.

Tip 2: Batch activities

This is so important as different tasks require a different mindset.  Changing it all the time is a waste. So have a standard diary for the week . Batch all our client work on certain days, your marketing on certain days etc, you get the idea. If  you are not already doing it, you will notice that this saves you heaps of time. It also makes it really easy to plan the week and estimate how long bigger projects will take you to complete.

Tip 3: Outsource all non-income producing activities

As soon as you can afford it, outsource your non-income producing activties. Most people wait too long before they do this. Remember, the more you outsource the more you are able to focus on income producing activities and make money. I know the more I outsource, the more money I make. It is an investment that definitely pays off. If you choose the right team members who are professionals who know their craft and have a service mentality, you will be better off because you have outsourced. Don’t wait too long, do it as soon as possible!

Focus is important not only to get more done but also so you have more time off to spend doing what you love. That’s really important so you replenish your energy and your creativity.

What do you think of these tips? HOw are they working for you? What are your top tips to avoid time wasters?

I would love to hear from you, please leave me a comment here on the blog!