February 20, 2025 • 13 mins
If you’re drowning in emails, bouncing between tasks, and ending each day wondering where your time went, it’s time for a change. What if I told you time management isn’t the problem. It’s how you’re structuring your day that’s causing the problem.
In this episode, I’m sharing a powerful shift that will help you stop reacting and start running your business with intention. You’ll discover:
✔️ The key mindset shift that moves you from overwhelmed to in control
✔️ How to stop email and notifications from hijacking your productivity
✔️ A simple system to create routines that actually work
Whether you're just getting started or you’re a six-figure entrepreneur tired of spinning your wheels, the truth is working harder isn’t the answer. Building business systems is. Imagine finally having the time and freedom to focus on growth because your business runs smoothly behind the scenes.
Ready to make that happen?
Tune in now and let’s build a business that works for you, not the other way around!
0:00 - Why your workday feels out of control and what’s actually keeping you stuck in the cycle of constant reaction
3:59 - The secret to staying in control of your day starts before it even begins
6:17 - A no-excuses challenge to finally break free from your inbox and reclaim your focus
9:01 - How one client stopped spinning her wheels, took control of her time, and changed the way she runs her business
11:18 - The first step to building a business that works for you so you can stop running on empty
Resources Mentioned:
🤝 Join The MY-T Society for tools, templates, and expert support to simplify your business systems and take control of your time!
Let me know your thoughts! Click here to send me a text.
Tired of feeling stuck behind the scenes?
Book a POWER In Motion Jumpstart Session! A 60-minute call where we’ll pinpoint what’s holding you back and build a 30-day action plan you can use right away.
It’s the perfect first step before joining the Founders Circle. Book your session here.
Leave a Rating and Review: https://ratethispodcast.com/mindyourtime
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you're tired of being chained to your inbox and
your to-do list feels like it'snever ending, this episode is
for you, because today I'm goingto share one small but powerful
shift that will help you takeback control of your time
without adding more to yourplate.
And spoiler alert the problemisn't time management, so let's
get into it.
Welcome to the Mind your Timepodcast.
(00:22):
I'm Shannon Baker, yourcoffee-loving host and business
operations strategist.
If your business feels chaoticand you're tired of spinning
your wheels, you're in the rightplace.
Each episode contains boldstrategies and practical
insights rooted in my power andmotion framework to help you
streamline your operations,reclaim your time and grow
without burnout.
So, whether you're juststarting out or scaling to six
(00:43):
figures and beyond, I'll helpyou simplify, set boundaries and
build a business that works foryou.
So grab a cup of coffee or yourfavorite beverage and let's
dive in.
Okay, I want you to tell me ifthis sounds familiar.
You sit down at your desk readyto start your day.
You have a million things to do, but before you even open your
laptop, you already feel behind.
(01:04):
Your inbox is alreadyoverflowing, notifications are
coming in nonstop and you areknee deep in client requests
because most of them were leftfrom yesterday or last week.
You've got admin work to do,and things that weren't even on
your radar five minutes ago haveput you in panic mode.
So by noon, you have been busyall morning, but you actually
(01:29):
have not accomplished anythingyou wanted to do.
You've bounced back and forthbetween emails, text messages,
unplanned phone calls, socialmedia notifications and your
plan for the day.
Well, that went out of thewindow quickly.
You know what?
I see this all the time,especially with women
(01:50):
entrepreneurs who are runningsuccessful businesses, but they
feel stuck because they'reconstantly in reaction mode.
So, instead of leading theirbusinesses to success, they are
spending their days putting outfires.
Is that you?
Well, why does this happen?
Well, let's be real.
(02:13):
It's not about time management.
It's really about how you setyourself up for success before
the day even starts.
If you're starting your dayfeeling scattered, then it's no
surprise that your day actuallystays scattered.
But the good news is you canend this cycle.
(02:36):
This is fixable, and today I'mgoing to share one small but
powerful shift that cancompletely transform the way you
work so you can get more done.
Now.
I know exactly how this feels,because I've been there.
I remember a few years ago, whenmy mornings were a total mess.
I would wake up and, before Ieven had my coffee, I would
(03:01):
check my email, scroll throughnotifications and I was
knee-deep in everyone else'spriorities instead of my own.
It didn't matter what goal Iwas trying to reach, because by
the time I had handledeverything else, I was drained
mentally, emotionally andphysically.
I spent way too much timemanaging everyone else's
(03:24):
requests and responding towhatever felt most urgent to
everyone else.
At that time, and after all wassaid and done, I literally had
nothing in the gas tank left forstrategic growth.
Then, when I got tired of it, Imade one big shift that changed
everything.
I started preparing fortomorrow today.
(03:48):
So, instead of waking up inreactive mode, I started
deciding my priorities before Ilogged off for the day.
And that's when everythingchanged.
Because here's the thing.
Everything changed, becausehere's the thing.
When you don't decide whatmatters most to you, your inbox,
(04:14):
your clients and yournotifications are going to
decide for you.
So let's talk about how you canmake this shift for yourself.
Well, the first thing you haveto do is decide tomorrow's
priorities today.
So what does that mean?
Well, before you close yourlaptop, I want you to take five
minutes to write down your topthree priorities for tomorrow.
That's it.
You don't need a fancy planner.
(04:36):
You don't need complicatedsoftware.
You just need a simple list ofwhat actually needs your
attention.
This will eliminate decisionfatigue and help you start the
day with clarity instead ofscrambling, because if you don't
take control of your schedule,everything and everyone else
(04:58):
will continue to control yourtime.
And I want you to do this today, before you shut your laptop
down.
So write down your top threepriorities for tomorrow.
That's step one.
Step two you need to batch yourdistractions.
Yes, I said distractions,because that's exactly what
(05:22):
administrative tasks, socialmedia emails, unplanned phone
calls that's exactly what theyare, because right now, they're
taking over your entire day.
I mean, think about it.
How many times do you checkyour inbox through the day?
Is it constantly open in thebackground?
Are you refreshing it whileyour own calls or between calls?
(05:44):
Are you answering emails assoon as they pop into your inbox
?
If you are chained to yourinbox and letting it run your
day, you're losing about 10hours every week.
And listen, I get it.
You don't want to miss animportant message.
You want to give the bestcustomer experience.
(06:07):
You possibly can, butconstantly checking your email
isn't managing your business orproviding good customer service.
It's making your businessmanage you.
So this is something I want youto do for a quick win.
I want you to decide how manytimes you're going to check your
email every day and no, all dayis not an option.
So pick between two or threeset times, and then I want you
(06:31):
to stick with them.
For most business owners,checking your email morning,
midday and afternoon is enough,and if you're brave, twice a day
is even better.
Here's a bonus step I want youto unsubscribe from at least
three email lists today.
You know the ones that you'regetting from someone that you
(06:53):
never actually read, even thoughyou keep saying you're going to
.
And if you're at your laptopright now, I want you to go
ahead and do that while you'relistening to this episode.
And the third and final step Iwant you to set up an inbox
management system that actuallyworks for you.
If your inbox is your to-dolist, you have set yourself up
(07:17):
for failure every single day, sothis is what I want you to do
Create a folder in your inboxcalled file.
Later Put it in all caps.
Then, tomorrow when you checkyour email for the first time
for the day, set a five minutetimer and move anything that
(07:39):
doesn't need your immediateattention into that folder.
This prevents your inbox fromturning into a bottomless to-do
list.
And listen, if email is a majorsource of stress for you, I have
got something that can help youInside of the Mighty Society
membership.
I created the Beyond Inbox Zeroworkbook and that walks you
(08:03):
through setting up an inbox thatworks for you, not against you.
It's designed to help you takecontrol of your email habits so
you're not constantly drowningin messages, and that's just one
of the resources inside of theMighty Society that will help
you take back control of yourtime, because, let's be real,
(08:24):
reinventing the wheel everysingle day is a time waster, and
none of us are immune to thistrap.
I can't say that enough.
So, whether it's how youonboard clients, how you follow
up on leads, how you manage yourteam, whatever it is,
structured processes mean lessstress, fewer missteps and more
(08:46):
time for the things that willactually grow your business, and
that's exactly why I createdthe Mighty Society membership.
It gives you access to thetools and support that you need
to implement these types ofshifts with ease.
I worked with a business ownerrecently who was spending half
of her day responding to emails,text messages, and must not
(09:11):
even talk about the unscheduledphone calls.
So this was preventing her fromworking on the things that
would actually move her businessforward, and she felt like she
was always busy but never makingreal progress.
And it was a real problembecause she was busy but it
wasn't doing the things sheneeded to be doing, including
giving me the information that Ineeded to assist her.
(09:32):
So we made a few simple shifts.
We set the three email check-intimes per day that she would
work on her inbox instead ofconstantly checking her emails.
We also created email templatesfor her most common responses
so she wasn't rewriting the samemessages over and over again,
(09:52):
and she started batching heradmin work instead of letting it
take over her day.
Within a week, she gained backhours in her schedule and within
a month, she was finally ableto work on her growth strategy
instead of just trying to keepup with everything.
(10:14):
Why am I telling you this?
Because you can do the samething.
That's what I want for you.
So let's recap what we'vetalked about today.
The one shift that will changeeverything is preparing for
tomorrow today, so take fiveminutes at the end of your
workday to set up your toppriorities for tomorrow, and I
(10:35):
want you to batch distractionslike email, social media and
stop reacting to them all daylong.
Then I want you to createrepeatable processes so you're
not wasting your time recreatingthem every time you have to do
them.
And if you're serious aboutshifting from chaos to clarity,
(10:56):
please join us inside of themighty society membership,
because you'll get access to thebeyond inbox zero workbook, the
process mapping and five stepsguide.
There are also messagetemplates in there that will cut
down the time that you spendresponding to emails and, most
importantly, you get directsupport from me.
(11:17):
So you've got two choices youcan keep spending your days
chained to your inbox puttingout fires, or you can take
control of your time once andfor all lighting out fires, or
you can take control of yourtime once and for all.
So go to theshannonbakercomforward, slash membership and
take the first step towardscreating a business that works
for you and not the other wayaround.
(11:38):
And before you go, pick oneemail cleanup step that you're
going to do right now, likeunsubscribing.
Even that small action movesyou closer to a business that
runs on your terms, and if thisepisode helped you, send it to a
fellow entrepreneur who needsto hear this, and I can't wait
(11:59):
to see you inside of the MightySociety membership.
Thanks for hanging out with methis week.
If you've made it this far,it's clear you're ready to shake
things up and take control ofyour business, and I'm here for
it.
But remember, just listening tothis episode won't get you
better results.
I challenge you to break themold and take action today.
Your next move let's connectHead to the show notes and book
(12:22):
a call with me to learn how theMighty Society membership can
help you streamline your backoffice and reclaim your time.
If you're not ready for thatstep yet, no worries.
Connect with me on Instagram,at the underscore Shannon Baker,
and tell me what resonated mostfrom today's episode.
And if you're loving thepodcast, leaving a review is a
quick way to show your supportand help more entrepreneurs like
(12:45):
you break free from the chaos.
Listening is great, but actioncreates transformation.
Go, make it happen and untilnext time, keep calm and
streamline.
If you're tired of being chained to your inbox and
your to-do list feels like it'snever ending, this episode is
for you, because today I'm goingto share one small but powerful
shift that will help you takeback control of your time
without adding more to yourplate.
And spoiler alert the problemisn't time management, so let's
get into it.
Welcome to the Mind your Timepodcast.
(00:22):
I'm Shannon Baker, yourcoffee-loving host and business
operations strategist.
If your business feels chaoticand you're tired of spinning
your wheels, you're in the rightplace.
Each episode contains boldstrategies and practical
insights rooted in my power andmotion framework to help you
streamline your operations,reclaim your time and grow
without burnout.
So, whether you're juststarting out or scaling to six
(00:43):
figures and beyond, I'll helpyou simplify, set boundaries and
build a business that works foryou.
So grab a cup of coffee or yourfavorite beverage and let's
dive in.
Okay, I want you to tell me ifthis sounds familiar.
You sit down at your desk readyto start your day.
You have a million things to do, but before you even open your
laptop, you already feel behind.
(01:04):
Your inbox is alreadyoverflowing, notifications are
coming in nonstop and you areknee deep in client requests
because most of them were leftfrom yesterday or last week.
You've got admin work to do,and things that weren't even on
your radar five minutes ago haveput you in panic mode.
So by noon, you have been busyall morning, but you actually
(01:29):
have not accomplished anythingyou wanted to do.
You've bounced back and forthbetween emails, text messages,
unplanned phone calls, socialmedia notifications and your
plan for the day.
Well, that went out of thewindow quickly.
You know what?
I see this all the time,especially with women
(01:50):
entrepreneurs who are runningsuccessful businesses, but they
feel stuck because they'reconstantly in reaction mode.
So, instead of leading theirbusinesses to success, they are
spending their days putting outfires.
Is that you?
Well, why does this happen?
Well, let's be real.
(02:13):
It's not about time management.
It's really about how you setyourself up for success before
the day even starts.
If you're starting your dayfeeling scattered, then it's no
surprise that your day actuallystays scattered.
But the good news is you canend this cycle.
(02:36):
This is fixable, and today I'mgoing to share one small but
powerful shift that cancompletely transform the way you
work so you can get more done.
Now.
I know exactly how this feels,because I've been there.
I remember a few years ago, whenmy mornings were a total mess.
I would wake up and, before Ieven had my coffee, I would
(03:01):
check my email, scroll throughnotifications and I was
knee-deep in everyone else'spriorities instead of my own.
It didn't matter what goal Iwas trying to reach, because by
the time I had handledeverything else, I was drained
mentally, emotionally andphysically.
I spent way too much timemanaging everyone else's
(03:24):
requests and responding towhatever felt most urgent to
everyone else.
At that time, and after all wassaid and done, I literally had
nothing in the gas tank left forstrategic growth.
Then, when I got tired of it, Imade one big shift that changed
everything.
I started preparing fortomorrow today.
(03:48):
So, instead of waking up inreactive mode, I started
deciding my priorities before Ilogged off for the day.
And that's when everythingchanged.
Because here's the thing.
Everything changed, becausehere's the thing.
When you don't decide whatmatters most to you, your inbox,
(04:14):
your clients and yournotifications are going to
decide for you.
So let's talk about how you canmake this shift for yourself.
Well, the first thing you haveto do is decide tomorrow's
priorities today.
So what does that mean?
Well, before you close yourlaptop, I want you to take five
minutes to write down your topthree priorities for tomorrow.
That's it.
You don't need a fancy planner.
(04:36):
You don't need complicatedsoftware.
You just need a simple list ofwhat actually needs your
attention.
This will eliminate decisionfatigue and help you start the
day with clarity instead ofscrambling, because if you don't
take control of your schedule,everything and everyone else
(04:58):
will continue to control yourtime.
And I want you to do this today, before you shut your laptop
down.
So write down your top threepriorities for tomorrow.
That's step one.
Step two you need to batch yourdistractions.
Yes, I said distractions,because that's exactly what
(05:22):
administrative tasks, socialmedia emails, unplanned phone
calls that's exactly what theyare, because right now, they're
taking over your entire day.
I mean, think about it.
How many times do you checkyour inbox through the day?
Is it constantly open in thebackground?
Are you refreshing it whileyour own calls or between calls?
(05:44):
Are you answering emails assoon as they pop into your inbox
?
If you are chained to yourinbox and letting it run your
day, you're losing about 10hours every week.
And listen, I get it.
You don't want to miss animportant message.
You want to give the bestcustomer experience.
(06:07):
You possibly can, butconstantly checking your email
isn't managing your business orproviding good customer service.
It's making your businessmanage you.
So this is something I want youto do for a quick win.
I want you to decide how manytimes you're going to check your
email every day and no, all dayis not an option.
So pick between two or threeset times, and then I want you
(06:31):
to stick with them.
For most business owners,checking your email morning,
midday and afternoon is enough,and if you're brave, twice a day
is even better.
Here's a bonus step I want youto unsubscribe from at least
three email lists today.
You know the ones that you'regetting from someone that you
(06:53):
never actually read, even thoughyou keep saying you're going to
.
And if you're at your laptopright now, I want you to go
ahead and do that while you'relistening to this episode.
And the third and final step Iwant you to set up an inbox
management system that actuallyworks for you.
If your inbox is your to-dolist, you have set yourself up
(07:17):
for failure every single day, sothis is what I want you to do
Create a folder in your inboxcalled file.
Later Put it in all caps.
Then, tomorrow when you checkyour email for the first time
for the day, set a five minutetimer and move anything that
(07:39):
doesn't need your immediateattention into that folder.
This prevents your inbox fromturning into a bottomless to-do
list.
And listen, if email is a majorsource of stress for you, I have
got something that can help youInside of the Mighty Society
membership.
I created the Beyond Inbox Zeroworkbook and that walks you
(08:03):
through setting up an inbox thatworks for you, not against you.
It's designed to help you takecontrol of your email habits so
you're not constantly drowningin messages, and that's just one
of the resources inside of theMighty Society that will help
you take back control of yourtime, because, let's be real,
(08:24):
reinventing the wheel everysingle day is a time waster, and
none of us are immune to thistrap.
I can't say that enough.
So, whether it's how youonboard clients, how you follow
up on leads, how you manage yourteam, whatever it is,
structured processes mean lessstress, fewer missteps and more
(08:46):
time for the things that willactually grow your business, and
that's exactly why I createdthe Mighty Society membership.
It gives you access to thetools and support that you need
to implement these types ofshifts with ease.
I worked with a business ownerrecently who was spending half
of her day responding to emails,text messages, and must not
(09:11):
even talk about the unscheduledphone calls.
So this was preventing her fromworking on the things that
would actually move her businessforward, and she felt like she
was always busy but never makingreal progress.
And it was a real problembecause she was busy but it
wasn't doing the things sheneeded to be doing, including
giving me the information that Ineeded to assist her.
(09:32):
So we made a few simple shifts.
We set the three email check-intimes per day that she would
work on her inbox instead ofconstantly checking her emails.
We also created email templatesfor her most common responses
so she wasn't rewriting the samemessages over and over again,
(09:52):
and she started batching heradmin work instead of letting it
take over her day.
Within a week, she gained backhours in her schedule and within
a month, she was finally ableto work on her growth strategy
instead of just trying to keepup with everything.
(10:14):
Why am I telling you this?
Because you can do the samething.
That's what I want for you.
So let's recap what we'vetalked about today.
The one shift that will changeeverything is preparing for
tomorrow today, so take fiveminutes at the end of your
workday to set up your toppriorities for tomorrow, and I
(10:35):
want you to batch distractionslike email, social media and
stop reacting to them all daylong.
Then I want you to createrepeatable processes so you're
not wasting your time recreatingthem every time you have to do
them.
And if you're serious aboutshifting from chaos to clarity,
(10:56):
please join us inside of themighty society membership,
because you'll get access to thebeyond inbox zero workbook, the
process mapping and five stepsguide.
There are also messagetemplates in there that will cut
down the time that you spendresponding to emails and, most
importantly, you get directsupport from me.
(11:17):
So you've got two choices youcan keep spending your days
chained to your inbox puttingout fires, or you can take
control of your time once andfor all lighting out fires, or
you can take control of yourtime once and for all.
So go to theshannonbakercomforward, slash membership and
take the first step towardscreating a business that works
for you and not the other wayaround.
(11:38):
And before you go, pick oneemail cleanup step that you're
going to do right now, likeunsubscribing.
Even that small action movesyou closer to a business that
runs on your terms, and if thisepisode helped you, send it to a
fellow entrepreneur who needsto hear this, and I can't wait
(11:59):
to see you inside of the MightySociety membership.
Thanks for hanging out with methis week.
If you've made it this far,it's clear you're ready to shake
things up and take control ofyour business, and I'm here for
it.
But remember, just listening tothis episode won't get you
better results.
I challenge you to break themold and take action today.
Your next move let's connectHead to the show notes and book
(12:22):
a call with me to learn how theMighty Society membership can
help you streamline your backoffice and reclaim your time.
If you're not ready for thatstep yet, no worries.
Connect with me on Instagram,at the underscore Shannon Baker,
and tell me what resonated mostfrom today's episode.
And if you're loving thepodcast, leaving a review is a
quick way to show your supportand help more entrepreneurs like
(12:45):
you break free from the chaos.
Listening is great, but actioncreates transformation.
Go, make it happen and untilnext time, keep calm and
streamline.
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