9 Time-Saving Tips for Stressed Out Solopreneurs

1. Canned Email Responses
Having to respond to the same email questions over and over can get pretty tiresome. But you can save yourself time and aggravation by creating some canned email responses to the most commonly asked questions. If you use Gmail, you’ll be happy to learn that you can easily create and save email templates that you can use whenever needed.

 
2. Use or Build Project Management Templates
If you use a project management tool like Asana or ClickUp then you can make use of their pre-built project templates or create your own. It’s the best way to organize your tasks, projects and business overall. By making use of project templates, you’ll save yourself loads of time in having your workflow already laid out for you for each new project.

Below are a couple of regular weekly tasks where a project template comes in really handy:

• Your weekly blog post – create a template for your subtasks
• Your weekly live video – build a template for your process from idea generation to go live with all the steps you take along the way

You can even create automations within these project management tools so that none of the steps get missed.

 
3. Batch Your Tasks
Like most solopreneurs, you probably have a lot of different tasks that you do each day to keep you business running and your clients happy. And batching your tasks will save you tons of time. Our brains have a difficult time with multi-tasking and it actually takes longer to complete each task if you’re switching back and forth between different tasks multiple times per day.

So, the best way to save yourself time is to batch all your same tasks into one block of time or even, one full day. If you’re a Pinterest Manager for example, you can dedicate the first half your day to pin design for all of your clients and the second half of your day to pin descriptions.

4. Dedicate Specific Days for Meetings
While a meeting in the middle of the day can be a welcome break, it might also feel like an interruption that slows down your workflow. If this is you, it might be beneficial to dedicate one or two days per week or one morning and one afternoon during the week for meetings so that you can focus and get sh*t done on the other days.

5. Set Up Automations
By setting up automations, you can save tons of time. Anything that is recurring is a candidate for automation. An example might be monthly client invoices. Using an invoicing tool such as Dubsado or Honeybook, you can set it up so that your clients invoices go out automatically each month. While this might only save you a few minutes each month for a client, add that up across multiple clients and it starts becoming a significant time savings.

6. Schedule Breaks Through the Day
Don’t forget to take breaks throughout the day. And, if you are like me and tend to get lost in your work and don’t feel the time passing, set alarms on your phone at regular intervals so that you are reminded to take a break. Walk around and stretch your legs or get outside for some fresh air. Working from home and sitting at a computer all day can, over time, cause discomfort or pain if you don’t have a proper workplace setup with a good ergonomic chair.

 
7. Minimize Distractions
Turn off any and all bell notifications for your social media and on your phone to minimize distractions so that you don’t get sucked into checking what your friends are up to. And, close any extra browser tabs that you don’t need. Also, if you are in the habit of checking your social media or email before you begin your work day, put those tasks off until mid-day so that you can get rolling with your work tasks. Otherwise, hours might go by before you get started with your work day. Instead, schedule one to two times per day to check those things.

8. Find Your Most Productive Time of the Day

You’ve probably found that you are most productive during a specific part of the day. That might be in the morning or the afternoon or during the evening hours. If you know when you are most productive, then you can schedule your most important tasks for that time.

Years ago, I read a book by Brian Tracy called, “Eat That Frog”. The whole premise was that you should tackle your most difficult task at the start of your day. Otherwise you will put it off and put it off and might never get to it. But if you do it first thing, you’ll have a sense of accomplishment that will help you wiz through the easier tasks in your day. So, find what works best for you.

9. Start Each Day by Nurturing Your Mind and Body

If you’re stressed out by all you have to do in a day, rather than jumping in head first into busy work as soon as you get up in the morning or, jumping on social media or the news websites, start your day with a relaxing activity to nurture your mind and body.

Go for a walk around the neighbourhood or do some yoga. Then, spend some time journaling, reviewing your goals or listening to some relaxing music. If you’re into affirmations, find a affirmation video on YouTube to listen to and provide motivation for your day.

 

Life as a solopreneur can be very rewarding but also stressful. These time-saving tips will help you focus and free up more time for other activities that you enjoy.