JENNY, ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNER

Jenny was working 6-day weeks and wanted to reclaim her weekends, but she wasn’t sure that there were any tasks that she could spend less time on.

Key action steps:

A strategy that allowed her to drastically reduce time spent on social media, which was her most time-intensive (but least lucrative) marketing task.

Streamlining her custom client proposal into something that took her one day to complete instead of two.

DANBEE, DESIGNER AND GLOBAL INCLUSION SPECIALIST

Instead of doing what she had wanted to do, Danbee was filling her work days with less important tasks and dragging out client work that she used to be able to complete in less time. This was getting in the way of her plan to work fewer hours.

Key actions:

Picking one offer to promote at a time, to free up space to work on business updates.

Potentially alternating promotional periods with content creation periods (YouTube).

Re-evaluating how her interest in diversity & inclusivity could fit into her work.

Creating space for thinking, courses and drawing.

LORIN, BRAND DESIGNER

Lorin had created lots of routines and systems around her business and family, but she didn’t have any for herself.

Key actions:

Examine what she wants her life to look like.

Created an evening routine that prepares her busy mornings to feel manageable.

Signed up for Barre classes (that she goes to twice a week.)

ANUSHA, SELF-CARE PRODUCT SHOP OWNER

Anusha was putting a lot of pressure on herself to contribute financially to the family, which led to working “24/7” and overwhelming stress.

Key action steps:

To redefine what it meant for her to contribute to her family.

To bring joy back into her business by experimenting with new products and doing marketing in a way that feels good to her.

To set a clear stop time for the day, to have more time for her family and to wind down for sleep.

JESSICA, PHOTOGRAPHER

Jess wanted to be able to spend her work hours more productively before her son comes home from school – while also making time for movement.

Key action steps:

“Warming up” with smaller tasks in the morning, so that she’s free to do deep work after lunch when it’s easier for her to focus.

Getting admin&misc work done side-by-side with her son while he does homework.

Incorporating some self-care into her time with her son (for example walking the dog together) to recharge.

CASSIE, COPYWRITER

After her first year in business, Cassie was booked out with clients. She felt like she was being pulled in 170 directions all day, which made it hard to do focused work.

Key action steps:

Cassie was already planning on setting up a CRM and getting a VA to free up time from the BTS stuff.

Restricting client onboarding and calls to certain days of the week.

Blocking off one week per month from calls to work ON her business, as well as restore energy and creativity.

MARYIA, PHOTOGRAPHER

Maryia was working (or thinking about work) all the time, which was tiring. She wanted to get out of her “constant work mode” and find time to slow down.

Incorporating calming and fun activities into her life, and taking Sundays off.

Setting (kind) boundaries towards friends and acquaintances who asker for her services for free.

Doing a few marketing tasks consistently (vs testing out new ones before old ones have time to have an effect), like continuing to stay active in a Fb group that has brought her lots of clients.

Raising her rates, so that she doesn’t need to overbook herself to reach her income goals.