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August 1, 2024 17 mins

How do you strike the perfect balance between relaxing summer vibes and productive work habits? 

Tune in as we share actionable productivity strategies to leverage the slower summer months while still hitting your business milestones. In this episode, we’ll explore the benefits of setting up summer hours and switching up your work environment to places like coffee shops or poolside. You'll also learn about exclusive resources from The MY-T Society that help you break down big goals into manageable steps, prioritize effectively, stay flexible, and maintain high motivation.

This topic is essential for entrepreneurs and business owners looking to enjoy the summer while making significant progress in their business. By implementing these strategies, you can streamline your operations, enhance customer experiences, and ensure sustainable growth. Whether you're a startup or looking to optimize your current processes, these insights are timeless and beneficial for any stage of business growth.

So, if you’re ready to take control of your business goals and achieve measurable results, press play. Let’s make this summer your most productive one yet!

1:43 How to boost productivity by implementing summer hours

4:26 Prioritizing tasks for maximum impact and work smarter

7:38 How goal-setting worksheets helped me replace my day job income and stay motivated

9:57 Why you need systems in place before hiring a virtual assistant to avoid frustration and inefficiency

References Mentioned In This Episode:

Episode 172 - The Hidden Pitfalls of Hiring a VA Without Business Systems

Episode 173 - Is Your Business Growth Stuck? Implement These Six Core Systems


Let me know your thoughts! Click here to send me a text.

Leave a Rating and Review: https://ratethispodcast.com/mindyourtime

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

Check Out The MY-T Society Membership

Listen to My Free Audio Masterclass

Schedule a 20 Minute Chat with Me

Let’s connect online:

Follow Me On Instagram: @the_shannonbaker







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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you're looking to make the most of your summer
while still achieving yourbusiness goals, then this
episode is for you.
Today, we're going to talkabout how you can stay
productive during the summerslowdown and the importance of
having efficient businesssystems in place to save you
time and energy.
I'm also going to introduce avaluable resource that can help

(00:22):
you not only streamline youroperations but really set
yourself up for success in thefuture.
So stay tuned to discover howyou can maximize your summer
productivity.
Welcome to the Mind your Timepodcast.
I'm Shannon Baker, yourcoffee-loving host and business
strategist.
Each week, I will sharepractical insights and bold

(00:43):
strategies for six-figureentrepreneurs looking to clean
up their back office and createstreamlined systems.
The weekly episodes will helpyou take control of your time,
scale your business and createsuccess on your own terms.
So grab your cup of coffee oryour favorite beverage and let's
dive into today's topic.
So if you're listening to thisepisode when it goes live, it is

(01:05):
the first Thursday in Augustand summer is definitely in full
effect Now.
I know many of you moms arecounting down the days for the
kids to go back to school.
Some of you have already takenyour vacations and if you
haven't already done so, I hopeit's because you've got one
coming soon.
Whatever the case is, duringthe summer weather, personally I

(01:31):
try to spend as much time as Ican out of the office.
I've really become fond ofworking in local coffee shops,
working out on my decor day orjust relaxing by the pool, but
one of the smartest things thatI started doing years ago was I
implement summer hours.
I maintain my four-day workweek all year, but during the

(01:53):
summer, I shorten my businesshours for two or sometimes three
months by one, two or threehours a day, and this is the
best time of the year to do this, and it's because of the summer
slowdown.
I mean, think about it yourclients are taking vacations, so
this opens up time in yourschedule because you tend to

(02:15):
have fewer meetings.
That being the case, there areseveral things that you can do
to enjoy this slower pace of thesummer and still get things
accomplished in your businessNow.
One of the key resources thatcan help you maximize this
slower period of time and reallyset yourself up for success in

(02:36):
your business in the future arethe 90-day goal-setting
worksheets that are availableexclusively inside the Mighty
Society membership.
Now I'm going to talk a bitabout how these worksheets can
help you not only planeffectively and make the most of
your summer, but provide valuefor you and your business all

(02:58):
year long.
When I designed theseworksheets, it was really to
help you be able to break downthose big goals into manageable,
actionable steps.
So here's how they cantransform the way that you
approach your business goals.
The biggest thing is they helpyou get clarity and focus.

(03:20):
The worksheets are designed toguide you to define what you
want to achieve in the next 90days, so you narrow the scope.
By having this clear focus, youcan align your daily tasks with
your long-term vision and makesure that every action you take

(03:40):
is purposeful, intentional andproductive.
For example, there's a sectionthat you can clearly write out
your SMART goals, and SMART inmy world is a bit different.
It's specific mind yourbusiness, appropriate to the
season of your life, realisticbased on that season, and then T

(04:03):
is for treat yourself.
This framework not only helpsyou set clear and realistic
goals, but it also helps youstay motivated and positive.
These worksheets are alsodesigned to help you to
prioritize.
It's really easy to getoverwhelmed if you have a long

(04:24):
to-do list, but with theseworksheets, you can prioritize
the tasks that are going to havethe most significant impact on
your business, which allow youto work smarter, not harder.
There's a dedicated section forlisting not only your business

(04:44):
goals but also your personalgoals, and you can list out the
tasks that support each, becauseyou have to look at both.
This helps you focus on whattruly matters.
So, whether it's increasingyour savings for vacation or
launching a new product orservice in your business, this

(05:11):
is the area where you look atwhat you have in both worlds so
that you can get your goalsaccomplished.
And then there's accountability.
One of the biggest challengeswhen it comes to achieving your
goals is staying accountable andfocused.
The worksheets include sectionsfor tracking your progress and
reflecting on your achievementsand setbacks, and this helps you

(05:31):
stay on course so that you canalso make adjustments as needed.
But you can't do that if you'renot tracking what you're doing
can't do that if you're nottracking what you're doing.
So the daily and weekly plansthat are included in the
worksheets allow you to scheduleand time block your tasks to
make sure you stay on track, andthere's a weekly review section

(05:52):
so that you can reflect on whatwent well, what can be improved
and how you're making progressin your 90-day plan.
And the best part is, you canfind an accountability partner
right inside of the MightySociety membership.
And guess what?
I will gladly be one of them.

(06:13):
These worksheets will also helpyou with flexibility when it
comes to achieving your goals.
Why?
Because life happens andsometimes plans need to change.
The beauty of the 90-day goalsetting worksheets is that they
are flexible enough to adapt toyour changing needs and
circumstances so that you canstay busy but take care of what

(06:36):
becomes the priority.
Here's an example.
There's a section to help youidentify potential challenges so
that you can overcome them.
This proactive approach willenable you to pivot and stay on
track, even when an unexpectedevent occurs, because you've
already got a game plan kind oflaid out, and then we know, when

(07:00):
it comes to achieving goals,sometimes it's hard to stay
motivated.
But the best thing about theseworksheets is they help you
break your goals down intosmaller achievable milestones
and it helps you celebrate yoursuccess along the way, because
you can see it.
This will help you staymotivated and energized so that

(07:21):
you can continue to push forward.
Also inside of the worksheetsare some prompts for listing
ways to celebrate your progress.
That's whether you're treatingyourself to a nice lunch or
dinner or just taking a day offto relax.
So now here is how theworksheets really helped me.

(07:41):
Last year, my goal was toincrease the revenue in my
business to replace the incomethat I made at my day job so
that I could quit, and Iachieved that goal.
Last December, I used theworksheets to break my goal down
into weekly targets and trackmy progress.
I stayed motivated, I stayedfocused and ultimately I

(08:04):
achieved my goal.
And let me tell you, it was noteasy, because I really had to
hustle for a few months to makeit happen, but because I had a
clear and simple plan, I didn'tget overwhelmed.
Every week I reviewed whatworked, what didn't work, and I
made adjustments when needed.
I also made it a point tonotice and celebrate small wins

(08:30):
I made along the way.
This kept my spirits high, evenwhen things didn't go plan, so
that I didn't lose focus ormomentum.
And I cannot tell you howinvaluable my cheer squad was.
They helped me stay focused onmy goal, because a few times I

(08:50):
really just wanted to give up.
I want you to find this type ofsupport inside of the Mighty
Society membership.
I mean, think about it.
We all need people in ourcircle that we can laugh with,
cry with, brainstorm with, justdo all the things related to our
business with, and that's thetype of support we need, and I

(09:11):
want you to find that inside ofthis community.
Now let's talk about anothercritical aspect of managing your
business effectively Systems.
You know I wasn't going to gothrough this whole episode and
not talk about another criticalaspect of managing your business
effectively Systems.
Now, you know I wasn't going togo through this whole episode
and not talk about systems,because you have to have systems
in place, because they save youtime and energy.
Systems are definitely the keyto working efficiently and this

(09:33):
saves you time.
They complete routine tasks foryou.
And remember, when I say system, I'm talking about a documented
, step-by-step process, the techtools that you can integrate
for automation, and then youidentify what still has to be
manually done by a person andwho that person is, and it

(09:55):
doesn't have to be you.
But before you try to delegateto a virtual assistant or anyone
else, you have to have somesystems in place.
And what I'm about to say iscontrary to popular opinion and,
honestly, I don't care.
You should not try to hire avirtual assistant just because

(10:16):
you're overwhelmed by yourbusiness.
If you do this and you don'thave some systems in place, both
of you are going to befrustrated and you're going to
spend more time putting outfires during the summer instead
of being able to enjoy theweather.
I did an entire episode on thepitfalls of hiring a virtual

(10:38):
assistant without businesssystems, so I'm gonna put a link
in the show notes to that foryou.
Make sure you listen to thatepisode.
If you think bringing a personinto your chaos is going to
solve your problem, it'sactually gonna magnify the
problem, so don't inflict yourpain on someone else Now.
While you should not have totrain your VA to complete the

(11:01):
work they're hired to do, you dohave to invest the time to help
them get familiar with how youoperate your businesses.
That means you have to createthe systems before you hire them
, and then you can easilyintegrate them into your
existing systems.
Now, if you have little to nosystems in place right now, the

(11:22):
summer is a great time to givethis some attention, and if you
have some systems in place, thisis a great time to audit those
systems to make sure they'reefficient.
Another valuable resourcethat's available to members of
the Mighty Society membership isthe BizOps checklist.
This can help you do a quickaudit of your back office to

(11:43):
make sure you have the neededprocesses in place so that your
business is running smoothly andefficiently, and there are six
core systems that you need tohave in place.
Last week's episode gives youan overview of each.
I'll drop a link to that in theshow notes.
But one of the main systems thatfall under the communication

(12:04):
umbrella in your core systems isa customer care system, and
this starts the moment a personreaches out to you online
through a website or inquiresabout your services.
However they come to you, thefirst impression you make is a
lasting impression and there areno do-overs.
You can take care of all yourpotential customers without

(12:25):
living your entire life in yourinbox or constantly wasting time
on the phone following up ondead leads.
And I'm talking about this nowbecause during the summer is a
great time to really evaluatethis system.
So when things pick back up,it's already in place, but you
have to have a documentedprocess, templates and a

(12:47):
scheduling system.
Why?
Because research shows that 35%of customers out there prefer
scheduling appointments duringnon-business hours, and 40% of
online bookings actually happenafter working hours, and I can
tell you this is true.

(13:07):
This is when I schedule all myappointments after I'm done
working, and I've noticed thatmost of my bookings come in in
the evenings or on weekends,when I'm not working.
The bottom line people want tobook their appointments with you
when it's most convenient forthem, not you and in the busy
and fast paced world that welive in, that often means

(13:30):
they're doing it outside of yourbusiness hours, and I hope you
have set business hours, butthat's an entirely different
topic that I've covered in someother episodes, but I might need
to revisit that.
But anyhow, since you don'twant to sit by the phone 24-7,
an online scheduler allows youto attract customers even when

(13:52):
you're not available, andexisting clients have the same
access to your calendar as well.
But the great part about havingan online scheduler is you can
use intake forms to vet peopleand gather data before you get
on a call with them.
That's a wonderful screeningprocess to help you gauge

(14:14):
whether or not a person is agood fit for you.
How cool is that?
Okay, so let's recap what we'vecovered today.
We started by talking about thebenefits of implementing summer
hours to enjoy the slower paceof the season while making
progress in your business, butgetting to enjoy time with your
family.
Then I shared some informationabout the 90 day goal setting

(14:38):
worksheets with you that areavailable inside of the Mighty
Society membership andhighlighted how they can help
you get clarity, prioritize, beaccountable, be flexible and
stay motivated to achieve yourgoals.
Be flexible and stay motivatedto achieve your goals.
Then I talked about theimportance of having systems in

(14:59):
place to save you time andenergy, because they're vital
and you have to establish thesesystems before you start
outsourcing.
Last thing I shared with you isthe BizOps checklist, which is
another valuable resource insideof the Mighty Society
membership to help you do aquick audit of your back office.
So if you're ready to takecontrol of your business and

(15:21):
achieve your goals, then, yes, Iinvite you to join me inside
the Mighty Society membership.
Not only will you get access tothose 90-day goal-setting
worksheets, but there are a tonof other resources in there to
support you and help youstreamline your back office
operations so that you can growyour business without overwhelm.

(15:44):
So make sure you check out thelinks in the show notes to learn
more about the episodes Imentioned today, as well as the
Mighty Society membership.
Let's make this summer a seasonof intentional growth and
success, not just now, but wellon into the year and beyond.

(16:05):
So until next time, keep calmand streamline.
Thank you for tuning in thisweek.
Remember, just listening tothis episode will not get you
better results, so I challengeyou to break the mold and take

(16:27):
action today.
If you're unsure where to start, book a call with me to get
your questions answered aboutthe Mighty Society membership or
anything else that I mentioned.
A link to my calendar is in theshow notes.
Not ready to take that step yet?
No problem, be sure to connectwith me on Instagram at the
underscore Shannon Baker.

(16:48):
You can ask me your questionsthere or let me know that you
enjoyed the episode by taking ascreenshot, sharing it and
tagging me Now.
If you haven't already grabbedmy free audio masterclass, why
don't you just start there?
It's a great first step toassess your back office on your

(17:09):
own, and this masterclassprovides valuable insights and
practical steps to help youorganize your processes, reduce
chaos and improve efficiency.
Go to theshannonbakercomforward slash audio masterclass
Now.
If you haven't left a reviewfor the podcast yet please do so

(17:29):
.
I would love to hear from you,and it's an easy way to show
some love to the podcast andhelp me reach more small
business owners who are ready todefy the status quo.
I can't wait to hear from you.
So until next time, keep calmand streamline.
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