If you’re like me, you struggle sometimes with finding time to do everything involved with running our businesses. This is why I recently created a simple 8-point business wellness plan to help me stay organized, make sure my business runs smoothly — and ultimately, save time in the process.
In today’s post I’ll share all 8 points of this straightforward framework to help you schedule, and stay consistent with, the essential tasks you need to do regularly in your business.
If you’re ready to spend less time “fighting fires” as a business owner so you can experience more “smooth sailing” toward success, this W.E.L.L.N.E.S.S. plan is designed to help you do exactly that. So, let’s dive in!
W: Website Maintenance
To Do: Monthly
On a monthly basis, it’s important to make basic updates to both the front-end and back-end of your site.
So, what does this look like? To start, make sure the content on your site is accurate and up-to-date. Refresh any information necessary on your home page and services pages so that they reflect your current offers – like price updates or new events happening.
Additionally, you need to update themes and plug-ins on the back-end. If you’re a WordPress user, this means logging in and making those orange little notification bubbles go away. This task can be done SO QUICKLY, and save you a ton of headache – and really help prevent you from being hacked.
E: Efficiency Evaluation
To Do: Quarterly
I’m a big believer in working smarter not harder — which is why I’m always searching for ways to increase efficiency in my business. This means looking at what I’m doing on a regular basis to discover what I can simplify to save time, and see better results.
For example, I recently simplified my onboarding process by switching to Honeybook (aff. link). This tool basically automates the steps involved with sending contracts and invoicing clients. I was previously using multiple tools for this process and doing each step manually — so switching to Honeybook was a no-brainer for me.
Whenever possible, see what tools you can consolidate and processes automate to save both money and time!
L: Log Processes
To Do: Monthly
Keep track of what you do and how you do it in your business. Think of this task as ‘creating and updating’ a manual for running your business – but this certainly doesn’t need to be complicated!
You can do this in a Google Doc, in a tool like Asana, or wherever works for you. Just start recording steps to simple things that need to get done in your business like, for example, deciding what to post on social media. Be sure to note tools or other resources required for each process you record, as well.
One of the things I logged was how I schedule pins on Pinterest with Tailwind. It outlines how often I do this, what boards I look through, what kind of pins I’m looking for, how I set the intervals, what I don’t want to pin, etc.
Logging processes and systems in your business wellness plan will keep you organized and reduce the amount you have to ‘think’ when you’re getting simple stuff done during the day — plus, it makes outsourcing a breeze.
L: Legal Check-In
To Do: Yearly
Once a year, do a legal check-in to make sure everything associated with your business is legally sound. Things to review might include contracts, terms, privacy policy, etc. I always want to make sure this is accurate, because it could cause major headaches (possibly even fees) if not.
When it comes to tackling this task in my own business, The Contract Shop (aff. link) has been a total lifesaver. It updates documents, and then automatically sends updates once they are made — a major timesaver! I loved them even moreso this spring with all the GDPR updates and restrictions.
N: New Templates
To Do: 1-2x Per Year
After a while, using the same social post templates can start to feel stale. But this doesn’t always mean you need to create completely new templates. You can save time by simply refreshing your existing templates using the hacks in this week’s video:
E: Education Day
To Do: Monthly
Learning new skills and strategies is essential if you want to remain relevant in your industry and continue growing your business. Still, it’s easy to push this step to the back burner when things get busy – which is why it’s in your business wellness plan.
Avoid growth plateaus (aka ‘getting into a rut’) by carving out a day in your monthly schedule to take (or finish) a course, read articles or watch videos on a particular topic you’ve been wanting to learn, etc.
For extra accountability, plan a day to do this with a business friend in person, via Skype — or just check in via text with one another throughout the day to note what you’ve learned.
S: Social Video
To Do: Weekly/Monthly
Whether it’s IG Stories, IGTV, FB Live or YouTube — these days it’s incredibly important to have some sort of online video presence. If you don’t want to be left behind, forgotten, or overlooked, add video into your routine and business wellness plan.
Ideally, you’d schedule time to connect with your audience via video on a weekly basis. But if monthly seems more do-able, start there. Simply share answers to FAQ’s, behind-the-scenes stuff, quick tips — anything your audience might find valuable or interesting.
S: Social Post Batching
To Do: Monthly
Creating a lot of social media images at once (aka batching) will save you a lot of time and stress when it comes to maintaining your social media presence. This is one of the easiest parts of your business wellness plan.
The idea here is to create multiple quote images, content promo graphics, behind-the-scene images, etc. so you always have something to share that fits cohesively with your brand aesthetic.
One way to save additional time while batching your social posts is to use templates you can edit in Canva.
