Let’s be real: creating systems and processes in your business is hard work.
It takes dedication, drive, patience, time, focus… I could go on and on.
And when you’re creating systems and processes, your business (and life) might look and feel a little hectic. You might feel like you’re kind of all over the place – or sometimes, you might feel like you’re “forgetting something”.
That’s because – perhaps for the first time in a long time – you’re giving one single project your focus. Kudos!
So while it might feel a little hectic, and you might have that feeling from time to time like you’re forgetting something, stay the course.
Trust that you’ve put down a solid foundation to help support your business (and life) while you’re creating systems and processes – because on the other side of creating systems and processes are BIG things, like freedom, time, growth…
So what does putting down a solid foundation to help support your business (and life) look like? Let’s take a look…
Your foundation
Now that you have all the steps to create any system or process in your business (quick reminder: Step 1 is taking inventory, Step 2 is writing out the steps, and Step 3 is determining efficiencies), let’s talk about putting down a solid foundation to help support your business (and life).
That way, once we start putting these 3 Steps to work and creating systems and processes, we won’t have to worry about the “day-to-day” slipping through the cracks.
Step 1: The inventory thing
Luckily, we’ve already completed Step 1 – in our first Step 1!
Taking inventory is perhaps 1 of the most important things you can do in terms of setting yourself up for success. Having a single list of everything you’re working on in your business, and identifying which of those things actually help your business run, is integral to smart planning, setting goals, finding ways to be more productive and efficient – even growing your team.
So, since we already have our inventory list and we know everything we’re working on in our business, we can head to step 2…
Step 2: Prioritize
Once you have you list of everything you do in your business, it’s time to prioritize.
You could go a few different directions with this, but what I recommend in terms of putting down a solid foundation to help support your business (and life) while creating systems and processes is first, categorize everything based on frequency, and then prioritize.
Here’s what I mean
If I’m looking at my inventory list, and I have, say 40 things on it. In this step, I’m going to categorize those 40 things based on how frequently I do them – daily, weekly, monthly, or maybe they’re just 1-time projects.
This is going to help me discover the things that I may need to pay attention to while I’m creating systems and processes. For example, the daily things I do in my business can’t simply be ignored while I create systems and processes, so I’ll need to account for them in order to put a plan in place to still do them.
Once you have your categories, then you can actually start prioritizing within those categories. Ask yourself questions like:
- Are there tasks on my daily list that can happen weekly?
- Are there tasks on my weekly list that I don’t have to be doing RIGHT NOW?
- Are there tasks on my month list, or 1-time project list that can put off until I have at least 5 systems and processes in place?
Once you’re able to prioritize and show yourself what has to continue to be done in order to help your business run, you’ll feel a lot better about not “forgetting something” that’s important.
Step 3: Choose your systems and processes
Now that you have a clear picture of everything you’re working on in your business – including daily, weekly, monthly, and 1-time projects – you know how much time you’re going to have to commit to setting up systems and processes in your business.
But you can’t just start setting up EVERY system and process in your business at the same time, so in Step 3, we’re going to choose which system or process we’re going to set up first. Second. Third. Fourth. …and so on.
Remember, we chatted about this when we started writing out the steps for each of our processes: start with the systems and processes you know can make the biggest impact in your business, and work your way down the list – ONE at a time.
Bonus Step (for added calmness in life)
That feeling you get when you think you might have forgotten something… I hate that feeling.
Honestly, it makes my life feel very hectic, and since we covered 3 Steps here to help you put that foundation in place for your business, this bonus step is for your life.
Schedule time away & sticky it
Don’t let your personal time, your family time, your time to focus on health and wellness, slip through the cracks.
Just like the tasks and projects you work on in your business, set aside time for YOU.
Seriously – schedule it in your calendar so you don’t put it off.
I’ll wait…
Also, I live by my sticky notes (figuratively and literally).
If I ever think of something that I know I need to do, but I haven’t done it yet, (and I know I can’t get to it right now), I write it on a sticky and I put in on my list of “to-do’s”.
That way, at the end of the day when I’m wrapping up my work, I can quickly check to see what else I might need to do before checking out. If it’s not a “has to be done” item, then I leave it for the next day or time slot when I check that list again.
Yes, your business (and life) might seem a bit hectic when you’re creating systems and processes, but I can assure you that what’s on the other side of those systems and processes is well worth the push, the dedication, the focus, the time – all of it!
