January 16, 2025 • 11 mins
In this episode of Her Business Elevated, I’m diving into self-care and productivity for solopreneurs, sharing personal stories from my early days juggling homeschooling, business, and family life. I’ll walk you through practical strategies like prioritizing needle-moving tasks, creating a content calendar, using tools like Trello and Google Calendar, and protecting your energy through boundaries and rest. Productivity isn’t about doing more—it’s about focusing on what truly matters. Tune in for tips to help you stay organized, energized, and inspired, and don’t forget to check out my Content with Confidence course (link in show notes) and follow me on YouTube at Demetria Zinga: Solopreneur Lifestyle!
//Resources Mentioned//
Let’s elevate your business, together! Tune in now.
---
💻& Don't forget to Visit the Official Her Business Elevated Blog for more business advice and tips and pick up your free downloads! http://www.herbusinesselevated.com!
💻To Inquire About MARKETING services, please visit- https://herbusinesselevated.com/work-with-me/
📷My Solopreneur YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@demetriazinga/
//Resources Mentioned//
- 📚 Content with Confidence Course: Purchase Here
- Pick up your free copy of the Discover Your Passions Workbook
- View the full show notes and blog post here: https://herbusinesselevated.com/productive-solopreneur-tips/
- 🎥VIDEO: https://youtu.be/oH42LZC-JCw
- Join My Mailing list at HerBusinessElevated.com
Let’s elevate your business, together! Tune in now.
---
💻& Don't forget to Visit the Official Her Business Elevated Blog for more business advice and tips and pick up your free downloads! http://www.herbusinesselevated.com!
💻To Inquire About MARKETING services, please visit- https://herbusinesselevated.com/work-with-me/
📷My Solopreneur YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@demetriazinga/
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Hey, their friends, Welcome back to another episode of be
Her Business Elevator podcast. This is a podcast where we
inspire and equip purpose driven entrepreneurs like you to elevate
your business with strategy, heart and focus. And I'm your host,
Dmitria Zinga, and as always, I'm so grateful that you're
here spending time with me today. In my last episode,
(00:35):
I shared that I'm pouring a bit more energy into
my YouTube channel, so be sure to check out this
episode at YouTube and look for my name, Dmitria Zinga.
Solopreneur Lifestyle is the name of my channel, and that
way you won't miss anything. Now, let me ask you something.
Does it feel like there's never enough time in the day?
(00:55):
And are you wearing all the hats in your business
and just wondering how you're going to balance it all
without losing your mind? If so, let me tell you
are not alone. I know firsthand how overwhelming this solopreneur
journey can be, and that's why today I'm diving into
the topic of productivity as a solopreneur and I'll share
some practical tips to help you stay organized, protect your energy,
(01:18):
and make real progress in your business. And before we
jump in, I want to remind you that if you're
ready to take your content strategy to the next level,
I'd love for you to check out my course Content
with Confidence. It's designed specifically for entrepreneurs who want to
create purposeful, consistent content without the overwhelm, and I'll share
more about that in the show notes and maybe a
little bit later in the episode, so stay tuned. First,
(01:40):
I'm going to share a bit about my early days
as a solopreneur, and that way you can see how
I relate to this whole topic of productivity. Before we
dive into the strategies, I want to take you way
back when I first began my business journey. I've been
blogging and podcasting for over twenty years, and back then,
I was a young mom, homeschooling my daughters and running
my household and trying to grow a business all at
(02:02):
the same time. I was so passionate about helping other
women step into their potential. But I'll be honest, it
was chaotic. I remember those early days when I'd stay
up until two or three am working on blog posts,
building websites, and trying to figure out how to market
myself online. I was juggling it all, and there were
so many moments when I thought how am I going
(02:23):
to keep this up? But through trial and error, I
discovered some strategies that really helped me to streamline my
work and it helped me to focus on what mattered
and build a sustainable business. So fast forward to today,
I've had the privilege of working with some amazing brands
like Rosetta Stone and Bookshark. These are education brands that
(02:44):
I've been able to work with, and I've also launched
multiple successful podcasts. I've written books, I've helped other entrepreneurs
create content strategies that work for their businesses, and now
I want to share what I've learned with you, so
let's get into it. The first step to staying productive
(03:11):
as a solopreneur is prioritization. This was a game changer
for me when I realized I couldn't do it all
and I didn't have to do it all. So here's
how I approach prioritization. The first thing is I identified
my needle movers and these are the tasks that will
have the biggest impact on my goals. So for me,
(03:32):
that might look like creating content for my blog or
working on SEO strategies for clients, or even preparing podcast
episodes like I've been doing this week. If it's not
moving the needle, it's not getting my time today, which
is why I mentioned on my last episode how I'm
rearranging some things with the way I produce content so
(03:52):
that I'm putting more energy into my YouTube channel and
pushing more of my work there. And so I love
that I'm still podcast I think this is a great
medium and I'm all about it. In fact, I'm still
podcast coaching for those of you that might be interested
in learning how to get your podcast launched. However, I
do think that being on YouTube is a game changer,
(04:12):
and so I'm really pushing for that direction. So I
think knowing that my needle mover this year is YouTube
is helping me to gain momentum in that area and
really push for that goal. So really identify what you
believe is going to be the thing that moves the
needle in your business this year, and really put your
energy on that. The second thing I did was to
create a clear plan. I'm all about planning ahead. My
(04:34):
content calendar is my best friend. I plan my blog posts,
my podcast episodes, and social media content in advance. Usually
social media sometimes I need a little support with that,
and I don't always plan my socials in advance, but
my main content for my blogs and my podcasts are
planned in advance, so I'm never scrambling to figure out
what to post. And if planning feels overwhelming, that's exactly
(04:58):
what my course Content with Confidence is here to help with.
It's all about simplifying your creation process and getting past
those initial fears so you can focus on what truly matters. Again,
you can find that in the show notes and check
out the course. So there was a time when I
used to wing it just posting or podcasting whatever inspiration struck,
(05:18):
and that it's one way to do it. You can
do it that way, and while that can work for
a little while, it's not sustainable. So once I started
mapping out my content, I felt so much more in
control of my schedule and I started seeing real results
in my business. Another big piece of the productivity puzzle
is finding the tools and systems that work for you.
So a few of mine are Trello and Asana, but
(05:40):
more lately it's been Notion. These are great for organizing
your projects and tracking progress. I love my calendar where
I block out time for everything for content creation, client work,
and even taking breaks and then batching my tasks. And again,
this is a lifesaver. I've talked about this a lot
in previous episodes. Batching several podcast episodes in a day,
writing several blog posts in one sitting, It just saves
(06:03):
a lot of time. Next, you'll want to think about
protecting your energy because this is such an important part
of being a productive solopreneur. Without energy and focus, it's
hard to be creative or show up fully for your business.
And trust me, I have been there. When I first
started out, I had so many competing responsibilities, from homeschooling
my daughters to creating content and managing clients. And I
(06:23):
learned the hard way that burnout doesn't serve anyone, not me,
not my family, and certainly not my business and clients.
So a couple of strategies that you might want to
implement to protect your energy are to set boundaries. Let
me start with this, because boundaries are not selfish, they
are essential. As a solopreneur, it's easy to let work
seep into every corner of your life. Maybe you're answering
(06:45):
client emails at midnight or editing videos during family dinner.
But here's the thing. If you don't set boundaries, no
one else is going to set them for you. So
I've created my office hours for myself. I treat those
hours as sacred work time, and outside of those hours,
I'm off the clock. I've also set boundaries around my
weekends unless it's an emergency. I try not to work
on Saturdays and Sundays because that's family time and recharging time.
(07:09):
Setting boundaries might also mean saying no to opportunities that
just don't align with your goals. And saying no doesn't
mean you're letting anyone down. It just means you're saying
yes to the things that matter most to you. So
keep that in mind, and don't ever let guilt force
you into making choices that you don't want to make. Also,
give yourself permission to rest. This one took me a
few years to figure out. I used to think that
(07:29):
rest was almost the same as laziness, that if I
didn't work every second of the day, I wasn't being productive.
But let me tell you, rest is a critical part
of the process. And as I'm getting older, I'm not
only realizing that more and more. But I am all
about it now. Like that is my mantra that I
have a time to work and a huge gap in
my day where I'm going to rest. Think give yourself
(07:49):
as a phone battery. You can't run your business at
one percent and expect it to thrive. Resting allows you
to recharge so you can come back to your work
with fresh ideas and renewed creativity. For me, rest looks
like taking a walk. I love taking walks outside my house, hiking,
very very light hiking. I like journaling. I like reading
a good book. I'm on a goal for this year
(08:10):
to read fifty books. And I've even started blocking out
time in my calendar specifically for rest and self care,
doing my nails, really pampering my hair. Sometimes that means
taking an entire day off just to relax or do
something creative that's not business related, like baking. I've really
been tapping into my baking lately, and I love it
because I love chocolate. I also lean into my faith
(08:31):
during times when I'm feeling drained, So a quiet moment
of prayer or a reflection can really help me reset
and refocus. So the truth is your business is not
going to fall apart if you step away for a
little bit. In fact, stepping away can often lead to
breakthroughs because it gives you space to think clearly. And lastly,
I want to recommend that you celebrate every single win.
(08:53):
This is one of the most underrated ways to protect
your energies, celebrating your progress. As solopreneurs, we tend to
focus on what's next. It's next, right, the next goal,
the next project. But if you're constantly chasing the next
thing without acknowledging how far you've come, you'll feel like
you're running on a treadmill going nowhere fast. One thing
I've started doing is keeping a win journal. So at
the end of each week, I write down a couple
(09:14):
of things that I've accomplished, no matter how small they
might seem. Maybe I finish a blog post, maybe I
recorded a podcast episode, which does tend to happen frequently
for me nowadays. Or I even just respond to all
of my emails or clean out my space on my
Google Drive because I've just been running out of space,
and that to me was quite an accomplishment. Seeing those
(09:36):
wins written down and seeing them having been accomplished really
reminds me that I'm making progress, even on those tough days,
even on those tough weeks. When I launched my first podcast,
I remember being so focused on growing my audience that
I forgot to celebrate the fact that I'd already taken
a huge step just launching, just launching the book, And
(09:58):
looking back now, I wish I'd paused to appreciate that
moment even more so. My challenge to you is, at
the end of today, or maybe at the end of
this week, take a moment to celebrate one win. It
could be completing a task that you've been putting off,
or maybe you booked a client, or simply showing up
for yourself and your business in a different way. Celebrate
(10:19):
that win because that's going to fuel your motivation and
keep you energized for the road ahead. As we wrap
up today, I want to encourage you to take action.
Just implement one of the strategies I shared today, whether
it's creating a content calendar, or setting boundaries, or simply
celebrating a small win. I can't wait to hear from you.
Be sure to once again check out my YouTube channel,
(10:42):
subscribe here in Apple Podcasts, or if you're in Spotify,
but if you're in Apple podcast be sure to leave
a review there to help boost the ranking of this
particular show in Apple Podcasts, because they need to know
that this is a credible resource for solopreneurs and I
would love for you to share this content with the
or a colleague or a fellow entrepreneur that you know
(11:03):
needs this type of encouragement. Thank you so much for
tuning in to today's episode of the Her Business Elevated podcast,
And if this episode resonated with you, don't forget to
also follow me on Instagram at Dmitria Zinga for even
more tips and inspiration, and head over again to my
YouTube channel to view the full video version of this episode,
which is a separate video and goes into a bit
(11:25):
more detail about how I actually do my content strategies.
Remember you've got this, my friend, and I'm here cheering
you on every step of the way. Until next time,
keep dreaming big, stay focused, and elevate your business with
competence to your online business success
Hey, their friends, Welcome back to another episode of be
Her Business Elevator podcast. This is a podcast where we
inspire and equip purpose driven entrepreneurs like you to elevate
your business with strategy, heart and focus. And I'm your host,
Dmitria Zinga, and as always, I'm so grateful that you're
here spending time with me today. In my last episode,
(00:35):
I shared that I'm pouring a bit more energy into
my YouTube channel, so be sure to check out this
episode at YouTube and look for my name, Dmitria Zinga.
Solopreneur Lifestyle is the name of my channel, and that
way you won't miss anything. Now, let me ask you something.
Does it feel like there's never enough time in the day?
(00:55):
And are you wearing all the hats in your business
and just wondering how you're going to balance it all
without losing your mind? If so, let me tell you
are not alone. I know firsthand how overwhelming this solopreneur
journey can be, and that's why today I'm diving into
the topic of productivity as a solopreneur and I'll share
some practical tips to help you stay organized, protect your energy,
(01:18):
and make real progress in your business. And before we
jump in, I want to remind you that if you're
ready to take your content strategy to the next level,
I'd love for you to check out my course Content
with Confidence. It's designed specifically for entrepreneurs who want to
create purposeful, consistent content without the overwhelm, and I'll share
more about that in the show notes and maybe a
little bit later in the episode, so stay tuned. First,
(01:40):
I'm going to share a bit about my early days
as a solopreneur, and that way you can see how
I relate to this whole topic of productivity. Before we
dive into the strategies, I want to take you way
back when I first began my business journey. I've been
blogging and podcasting for over twenty years, and back then,
I was a young mom, homeschooling my daughters and running
my household and trying to grow a business all at
(02:02):
the same time. I was so passionate about helping other
women step into their potential. But I'll be honest, it
was chaotic. I remember those early days when I'd stay
up until two or three am working on blog posts,
building websites, and trying to figure out how to market
myself online. I was juggling it all, and there were
so many moments when I thought how am I going
(02:23):
to keep this up? But through trial and error, I
discovered some strategies that really helped me to streamline my
work and it helped me to focus on what mattered
and build a sustainable business. So fast forward to today,
I've had the privilege of working with some amazing brands
like Rosetta Stone and Bookshark. These are education brands that
(02:44):
I've been able to work with, and I've also launched
multiple successful podcasts. I've written books, I've helped other entrepreneurs
create content strategies that work for their businesses, and now
I want to share what I've learned with you, so
let's get into it. The first step to staying productive
(03:11):
as a solopreneur is prioritization. This was a game changer
for me when I realized I couldn't do it all
and I didn't have to do it all. So here's
how I approach prioritization. The first thing is I identified
my needle movers and these are the tasks that will
have the biggest impact on my goals. So for me,
(03:32):
that might look like creating content for my blog or
working on SEO strategies for clients, or even preparing podcast
episodes like I've been doing this week. If it's not
moving the needle, it's not getting my time today, which
is why I mentioned on my last episode how I'm
rearranging some things with the way I produce content so
(03:52):
that I'm putting more energy into my YouTube channel and
pushing more of my work there. And so I love
that I'm still podcast I think this is a great
medium and I'm all about it. In fact, I'm still
podcast coaching for those of you that might be interested
in learning how to get your podcast launched. However, I
do think that being on YouTube is a game changer,
(04:12):
and so I'm really pushing for that direction. So I
think knowing that my needle mover this year is YouTube
is helping me to gain momentum in that area and
really push for that goal. So really identify what you
believe is going to be the thing that moves the
needle in your business this year, and really put your
energy on that. The second thing I did was to
create a clear plan. I'm all about planning ahead. My
(04:34):
content calendar is my best friend. I plan my blog posts,
my podcast episodes, and social media content in advance. Usually
social media sometimes I need a little support with that,
and I don't always plan my socials in advance, but
my main content for my blogs and my podcasts are
planned in advance, so I'm never scrambling to figure out
what to post. And if planning feels overwhelming, that's exactly
(04:58):
what my course Content with Confidence is here to help with.
It's all about simplifying your creation process and getting past
those initial fears so you can focus on what truly matters. Again,
you can find that in the show notes and check
out the course. So there was a time when I
used to wing it just posting or podcasting whatever inspiration struck,
(05:18):
and that it's one way to do it. You can
do it that way, and while that can work for
a little while, it's not sustainable. So once I started
mapping out my content, I felt so much more in
control of my schedule and I started seeing real results
in my business. Another big piece of the productivity puzzle
is finding the tools and systems that work for you.
So a few of mine are Trello and Asana, but
(05:40):
more lately it's been Notion. These are great for organizing
your projects and tracking progress. I love my calendar where
I block out time for everything for content creation, client work,
and even taking breaks and then batching my tasks. And again,
this is a lifesaver. I've talked about this a lot
in previous episodes. Batching several podcast episodes in a day,
writing several blog posts in one sitting, It just saves
(06:03):
a lot of time. Next, you'll want to think about
protecting your energy because this is such an important part
of being a productive solopreneur. Without energy and focus, it's
hard to be creative or show up fully for your business.
And trust me, I have been there. When I first
started out, I had so many competing responsibilities, from homeschooling
my daughters to creating content and managing clients. And I
(06:23):
learned the hard way that burnout doesn't serve anyone, not me,
not my family, and certainly not my business and clients.
So a couple of strategies that you might want to
implement to protect your energy are to set boundaries. Let
me start with this, because boundaries are not selfish, they
are essential. As a solopreneur, it's easy to let work
seep into every corner of your life. Maybe you're answering
(06:45):
client emails at midnight or editing videos during family dinner.
But here's the thing. If you don't set boundaries, no
one else is going to set them for you. So
I've created my office hours for myself. I treat those
hours as sacred work time, and outside of those hours,
I'm off the clock. I've also set boundaries around my
weekends unless it's an emergency. I try not to work
on Saturdays and Sundays because that's family time and recharging time.
(07:09):
Setting boundaries might also mean saying no to opportunities that
just don't align with your goals. And saying no doesn't
mean you're letting anyone down. It just means you're saying
yes to the things that matter most to you. So
keep that in mind, and don't ever let guilt force
you into making choices that you don't want to make. Also,
give yourself permission to rest. This one took me a
few years to figure out. I used to think that
(07:29):
rest was almost the same as laziness, that if I
didn't work every second of the day, I wasn't being productive.
But let me tell you, rest is a critical part
of the process. And as I'm getting older, I'm not
only realizing that more and more. But I am all
about it now. Like that is my mantra that I
have a time to work and a huge gap in
my day where I'm going to rest. Think give yourself
(07:49):
as a phone battery. You can't run your business at
one percent and expect it to thrive. Resting allows you
to recharge so you can come back to your work
with fresh ideas and renewed creativity. For me, rest looks
like taking a walk. I love taking walks outside my house, hiking,
very very light hiking. I like journaling. I like reading
a good book. I'm on a goal for this year
(08:10):
to read fifty books. And I've even started blocking out
time in my calendar specifically for rest and self care,
doing my nails, really pampering my hair. Sometimes that means
taking an entire day off just to relax or do
something creative that's not business related, like baking. I've really
been tapping into my baking lately, and I love it
because I love chocolate. I also lean into my faith
(08:31):
during times when I'm feeling drained, So a quiet moment
of prayer or a reflection can really help me reset
and refocus. So the truth is your business is not
going to fall apart if you step away for a
little bit. In fact, stepping away can often lead to
breakthroughs because it gives you space to think clearly. And lastly,
I want to recommend that you celebrate every single win.
(08:53):
This is one of the most underrated ways to protect
your energies, celebrating your progress. As solopreneurs, we tend to
focus on what's next. It's next, right, the next goal,
the next project. But if you're constantly chasing the next
thing without acknowledging how far you've come, you'll feel like
you're running on a treadmill going nowhere fast. One thing
I've started doing is keeping a win journal. So at
the end of each week, I write down a couple
(09:14):
of things that I've accomplished, no matter how small they
might seem. Maybe I finish a blog post, maybe I
recorded a podcast episode, which does tend to happen frequently
for me nowadays. Or I even just respond to all
of my emails or clean out my space on my
Google Drive because I've just been running out of space,
and that to me was quite an accomplishment. Seeing those
(09:36):
wins written down and seeing them having been accomplished really
reminds me that I'm making progress, even on those tough days,
even on those tough weeks. When I launched my first podcast,
I remember being so focused on growing my audience that
I forgot to celebrate the fact that I'd already taken
a huge step just launching, just launching the book, And
(09:58):
looking back now, I wish I'd paused to appreciate that
moment even more so. My challenge to you is, at
the end of today, or maybe at the end of
this week, take a moment to celebrate one win. It
could be completing a task that you've been putting off,
or maybe you booked a client, or simply showing up
for yourself and your business in a different way. Celebrate
(10:19):
that win because that's going to fuel your motivation and
keep you energized for the road ahead. As we wrap
up today, I want to encourage you to take action.
Just implement one of the strategies I shared today, whether
it's creating a content calendar, or setting boundaries, or simply
celebrating a small win. I can't wait to hear from you.
Be sure to once again check out my YouTube channel,
(10:42):
subscribe here in Apple Podcasts, or if you're in Spotify,
but if you're in Apple podcast be sure to leave
a review there to help boost the ranking of this
particular show in Apple Podcasts, because they need to know
that this is a credible resource for solopreneurs and I
would love for you to share this content with the
or a colleague or a fellow entrepreneur that you know
(11:03):
needs this type of encouragement. Thank you so much for
tuning in to today's episode of the Her Business Elevated podcast,
And if this episode resonated with you, don't forget to
also follow me on Instagram at Dmitria Zinga for even
more tips and inspiration, and head over again to my
YouTube channel to view the full video version of this episode,
which is a separate video and goes into a bit
(11:25):
more detail about how I actually do my content strategies.
Remember you've got this, my friend, and I'm here cheering
you on every step of the way. Until next time,
keep dreaming big, stay focused, and elevate your business with
competence to your online business success
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