4 Ways to Maintain Productivity this Summer

Summer summer summer time...time to sit back and unwind.

The weather gets warm and our minds and bodies are ready to relax and enjoy fun times and the outdoors. So naturally, productivity drops by 20% in the summer. Depending on how you’ve strategized your business and what systems you have in place, you don’t have time to lose any percentage in productivity.

Here are 4 ways to maintain productivity this summer:

1. Take a vacation day every week

Summer is for fun times, being social, and enjoying the life you are building. Everyday if you ask me, but primarily vacations. Average day...you’re working, the sun is shining and your mind is thinking about everything BUT work. Spare me, I love work, and I can work all day every day.

No you want fun and sun.

So to ramp up your productivity, schedule one vacation day. Yes, schedule it, so that you really take it. Now if your current work week is 4 days, then you are going down to 3.

Schedule this day during the week, so you will treat it as a vacation day and not just a weekend day with everyone else. You may be thinking that reducing days will harm your productivity. However, its the exact opposite, you will PUSH to get more done in less time. You want this vacay day!

2. Digital detox

Being online ALL the time is draining. You’re connected to your computer, tablet and phone. You are always available. If your mind is constantly processing notifications and alerts, it can’t run efficiently. I love apple as they have really revolutionized technology products, but if I open every app or program and add multiple images and songs...if my device isn’t FULL. It will run soooooooo slow. Your mind is no different.

Pick one day out the week, a weekend day or the weekend works too, to completely detox from digital. So that’s no internet, social media, email, or Netflix. Okay, well maybe Netflix, but on the TV. The computer or phone is tricky and the other apps may draw you in. After the detox, you return refreshed and ready to tackle all the missed notifications and emails. You’re no longer subconsciously thinking about those menial tasks.

3. Get enough sleep

With the sun setting later, it just persuades us to stay up later. In order to maximize your productivity, you need a minimum of 8 hours of sleep every night. Now you determine how those 8 hours play out. 5 am may be optimal for that #girlboss on Instagram, but your productivity optimal time may not be until 11 am. 

4. Remix routines

All the tasks and routines that you have during the rest of the year, may not work in the summer. You want to learn to adjust your business and routines, so that they make sense to your life.

Writing blogs and producing tons of free content may be a big part of your business model during the fall and winter months. And that’s amazing, because your target audience is there to sup it up like warm soup on a winter day. It hits the spot and they want more. The weather warms up and soup and chili just aren’t main courses anymore. Your ideal consumer is out enjoying herself. So you may reduce the content that you are producing.

Don’t worry about anyone forgetting about you, you aren’t putting up the gone for the summer sign. You are shifting to working smarter vs. harder.

Bring out relevant post from your archives and cycle those into your social media scheduler. Play with Snapchat or Facebook Live and talk with your peeps.

REMIX what you normally do.

You may want to work outside on days it’s nice or take walking meetings [wear headphones and use a tool like Uberconference to record the meeting]. Send the recording to your assistant, if there’s anything she needs to take action on.

Working for yourself and working online can be difficult at times, but you’re the BOSS! You call the shots and you are able to strategize to make sure you get everything done and still have time for the sun!

xo, 

Kimber 

Luxe Business Planning

Planners make me happy. They do. They are right up there next to sparkly unicorns and new shoes. Seriously.

On June 1st Erin Condren introduces her new line of life planners. I was sucked into the glam planning world in 2015. Previously I just went to target and picked up a plain Jane planner. The traditional planners were a bit too profesh for me. One day some goddess introduced me to Erin Condren...thank you who ever you may be.

I do know you offered me $10 off my first purchase and for that I say thank you. No worries, I have that same code for your first purchase...just click here and create an account. Check your email that you used then boom...$10 savings.

Erin Condren peeps were gracious enough to send me some goodies before the launch to show my lady friends. I opted for the luxe planner because I'm fancy. The cover is a vegan faux leather. It's not removable, but why would you want to take off such lusciousness. To touch it's very soft and thick. The color is a deep plum purple which in person is just gorgeous. The coil is rose gold [matches the foil lettering perfectly] and very easy to move the paper through. 

The updated paper is thick and has a nice feel. Paper quality is important, when you have important things to do! I opted for the neutral theme (black and white) and its simplicity is everything! It adds an extra bit of sophistication.

I have a business planner, a personal planner, a social media planner, a project planner, fitness planner and a ^i know I'm forgetting one^ planner. So I was just going to wait until January.

This planner starts in July. Only $5 more for the 18 month option [July start] . I've never started a calendar in July before and initially told myself I would just wait until January. That was until the Luxe Life Planner came.

18 month planning nice to meet you...I'm Kimber!

Previously I thought of 18 month calendars as something for the super [borderline obsessive] productive and "that" mom no one ever wants to admit to being. I digress...

I typically plan for business in quarters.

Q1 Jan 1-March 31st

Q2 April 1- June 30th

Q3 July 1 - September 30th

Q4 Oct 1 - December 31st

One big goal per quarter.

That means I have three months to break that goal down and make it attainable. Really pimp my productivity.

BIG Goals require BIG plans!

18 month calendars give you the opportunity to tackle Q3, Q4, Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 all in one book.

Doesn't sound like much until you are staring at the possibilities of your growth and success straight ahead. Growing to 6 and 7 figures does not happen by simply winging it. There has to be strategy and planning involved. In 5 minutes I can break down a business...5 minutes yo! That's my zone of excellence, but that alone didn't make me successful...strategy and planning did.

And if you enjoy life and being social as much as you enjoy work...planning makes it all possible.

At this point in my life my friends are marrying, having babies on purpose, turning 30, renewing vows, turning 40, divorcing, having more babies and just throwing amazing parties all over the world. Not to mention the social and school calendar of my babes.

This means I need to be able to take a real good look at my various work projects and these social events far in advance to make it work.

I usually don't start planning for the next year until October/November. Now I have broken the planner up into quarters, separated by these beautiful book marks.

I know how many clients I can work with individually per month and quarter. Depending on the other things going on in the quarter these numbers are adjusted. Quarterly planning helps me to know when I can release products and run groups. Planning is for bosses.

The month at a glance is the big picture for the month. A clear picture of everything that is going down and what objectives need to be met by what date in addition to the day to day work and life activities. You cannot negate the life. Seriously, it will pass you by, if all you do is work.

In the beginning of the life planner there is a section that says: "your greatest success is believing in yourself" with coordinating boxes. 12 success goals and a spot to break them down right in the front of your planner.

Save the best for last, my favorite accessory, which was updated is the insertable sticky note dashboard. I write quick notes to myself and ideas. It's incredibly easy to forget a million dollar idea...not with these babies. 

 Check out the video below to flip through the new EC Luxe Planner.

xo,

Kimber

4 Business Lessons I Learned From Shopping at Ikea

Last month I put together a desk from Ikea. I'm strong, independent and at the very least... I can read. I sipped coffee, ate a roll of Girl Scout cookies (seriously can anyone just eat one?) and mapped out how I would get the desk up.

90 minutes later...I was annoyed and I vowed to never shop at ikea.

This cute desk that I've been swooning over via Pinterest and Instagram was finally here and up; and instead of being happy and fulfilled...I was annoyed.  And this instantly made me think of business.

Here are the 4 things I learned about business from my Ikea experience:

1. Outsource

I realized that I would have been more satisfied if 1.) the desk was already assembled  or 2.) someone else assembled it. It has nothing to do with the quality of the desk, because a month later I'm so in love. The annoyance stemmed from the time that I wasted.

If there was an Ikea handy man or lady I could have paid to outsource this task, I could have saved myself the 90 minutes that I slaved over matching pieces and bolts and googling in depth directions that didn’t exist. I could have been doing something more fulfilling.

In business, there are tasks that you may not like to do and they may take you forever. While it could take someone else literally seconds and they looooove to do it. These tasks should be outsourced. Your time and happiness is definitely more important than money.

So often, people penny pinch and hold on to doing things themselves, just so they don’t have to pay someone else. But you have to weigh the options. How much time and money are you wasting in completing these activities? How much joy are these activities or tasks bringing you? And then look at what could you be doing within your zone of excellence during this time.

2. Don’t believe the hype

Pinterest and Instagram hyped me up for this Ikea desk. It’s in everyone’s office and pinned all over Pinterest. All that hype made me want this desk. Not a similar desk, but the EXACT desk that I’ve seen for months.

There are hype artists EVERYWHERE online.

Hype artists are people who are loud and boisterous and always talking, but they aren’t really saying anything. There’s no substance to their message. Their whole objective is to HYPE you up and get you excited and motivated...and that’s where their purpose ends. The usually can’t do much else for you. There’s no true plan or strategy to help you move forward with this motivation developed through hype.

You definitely have to learn to determine what is hype and what is information that you can use. Look through the glitter and pretty websites, squarespace is $10 a month...anyone can look official. Is the information fluff delivered by a hype artists or is it information that you can put to use in your business today and benefit from?

3.There are no directions

Ikea furniture comes with instructions, but they aren’t true directions. It’s a series of pictures. Yet there isn’t any clarity on what to do within the pictures. Truly, a waste of paper.

There are no directions in business either. People will give you blueprints that they used or even what they think may work for your business. But, that doesn’t mean it will work. Business is a series of experiments and you are the chemist. You will determine what works together and what doesn’t. You business chemistry will only work when you are in action working. So just reading and researching will not give you direction...you have to take action to see if it works for you.

If I would have followed the Ikea “directions,” I would not be sitting at my desk now writing this post. I had to take things into my own hands and figure it out.

4. Shipping is high

I don’t live near an Ikea, so I ordered the desk online, and the shipping was HIGH. I didn’t mind because I wanted this desk.

Seth Godin introduced the term SHIP to the business and self development word. And by ship he doesn’t mean transporting, but rather producing and getting your ideas and products out to the world...instead of being held back by fear.

The price of holding yourself back by fear is high. The price of shipping is high because everyday you will have to FIGHT through the fear and the lizard brain telling you negative things to keep you from shipping.

In your business look for areas or holes where you aren't meeting your clients major needs. Do you have a DIY Option and a done for you option?

This could look like a product or course and a VIP done for you service.

I offer agency services which are done for you services where the client meets with me once or twice to express their needs and my team completes ALL the work. Then there's a service where I teach women how to automate their businesses and what steps THEY need to take...but ultimately they do the work.

IKEA left all the work up to me...they easily can hire a team to put together the products and increase the price on products that are pre-assembled. There's a market for that. Just as they're a market for both your DIY and done for you services.

XO, Kimber

Social Media Like a Boss

Are you ready to boss up & social media like a BOSS?!?  

Anytime you say "like a BOSS" it just sounds so much more official.

These tips my friend will up-level your social media marketing game.

First thing first. There are so many social media platforms out here. So be clear on your three. 

Anything over three will be counterproductive.

Social media can be a MAJOR time suck. Even for the most disciplined lady. Willpower is a strength. Pick three platforms that work best for you. Factor in your personality, attention span, and overall enjoyment. Look, don't be on a social media platform just because you see everyone else on there. Likes, follows,and hearts don't pay for Chipotle, hydrafacials, or even Facebook ads.

Simple social media best practice: 

Follow others and engage genuinely. If the celebs can follow back and comment, so can you. Lurkers are lame! 

Facebook

Facebook is for friends and people we don't really remember from high school and maybe elementary school if their profile pic is cute. Yes, the algorithms change, but the thing that remains: Facebook is for friends. Position your content as helpful [educational/informative], funny & encouraging [inspirational]. And it doesn't hurt if you package all that up beautifully.

Facebook is also for ads. Forget those that complain about paying to play, because ads can grow your business and Paypal substantially. I have a biz bestie who has a $12 per month Facebook ad budget and doing big things with a little spare change. Research has shown time after time, that majority of Facebook users are online consumers. So many people opt-in to majority of their online profiles using Facebook, which provides even more information about their buying habits and lifestyle...things that you would never know on your own. In addition to marketing companies selling your information to Facebook for marketing experts to enjoy. Pinterest and Twitter ads can't compare to Facebook ads. 

Twitter

Twitter is the place to share timeless content over and over. Remember show and tell? Twitter is the adult version of show and tell, only your teacher isn't making your class pay attention to you. When the quiet girl who never spoke up brought in the new baby alive, you paid attention. Unless she was your friend, you would pay attention to her anyway. Twitter is all about connections and sharing.

Find dope people and create lists so you can keep up with them and share their content. Just don't be spammy and stalkerish.

That will get you noticed, just not in the she’s super awesome let me tell all my biz besties about her kind of way.  

BEING spammy will get you....BLOCKED!

The best part of twitter is Kanye's rants. Everyone loves a good Kanye West twitter rant to take away the stress of the day. In between the randomness, he leaves a business gem, for us to reflect on.    

Instagram

Instagram. I love Instagram. Beautiful pictures, inspiring views and quotes. The trick to Instagram for business is to share your behind the scenes, personal shenanigans, breakfast lunch and dinner. I kid, but have you seen the lady that eats grapes every day and nothing else?

Pique your audience’s interest and make a true emotional connection. If you’re only posting that you sent a newsletter...no one cares. Don't post the same things you post one your other platforms here and vice versa. Switch it up!

I actually wrote this post, months ago and my new favorite is snapchat. I’m using it in the same fashion as I would Instagram. Behind the scenes, personal shenanigans and random biz tips on the go. More shenanigans than anything else. 

Periscope. Pinterest. Meerkat.Google +. YouTube. LinkedIn. Am I missing a platform?

Content sharing tips: 

TA McMann recommends the 5-3-2 rule

• Five posts should be content from others that’s relevant to your audience.
• Three posts should be your own content, again relevant to your peeps, but isn’t a direct pitch.
• Two should be non work related...things to humanize your brand. Hello funny viral videos on Facebook [increases reach too - I share them twice a week]

What’s the 411? Mary J tried to tell you…

The 4-1-1 on twitter is sharing 4 relevant pieces of content [not your own], and retweeting others for every 1 piece of self- promoting content.

Curating and finding content to share:

Content curation is when you share someone else’s content [note share & not steal]  that you receive value from. You are doing the hard work for your peeps. You are saving them time from having to find the information.

Curate like a boss:

Share your takeaway for an added gem.

Share a quote from the article.

Give credit where it’s due, tag the business the first time you share.

Save time curating:

Sign up for Pocket and get the Pocket Chrome Extension : on a website and see something you want to share with your peeps that you aren’t ready to schedule yet, save it to pocket. Get fancy and link your Evernote to Pocket, so the article will be sitting in Evernote waiting for you. Or you can you use the Evernote Web Clipper. 

Ready to share: 

Use Buffer or  Buffer Chrome Extension to either share the article immediately or schedule it out.

If you are signed up for Edgar [amazing tool to manage your social media with a FULL library of stored content] you can use the Edgar Extension.

Wordpress users can use Coschedule.

Stop searching multiple websites on the trending topics: Check out Buzzsumo they have a variety of topics covered from 24 hours up to 2 hours.

Or you could go old school and use Feedly [an RSS reader where you can have your favorite blogs go] and save it to pocket or evernote for later access.

Instagram Tools

Check your Instagram Stats with Iconosquare it will help you with the times that your followers are most engaged [to help guide you when to post], your most liked and engaged posts, and your most engaged followers. 

When you know the perfect times to post to your peeps, use latergramme to schedule the post. It will PUSH to your phone and then you will push the post through. Instagram wants to keep the platform mobile so most tools won’t post it through for you. Be clear of those that do, your account can be flagged to be deleted.

Instagram + Twitter Tools

Crowdfire manages your relationships on Twitter and Instagram - see who is following you and who unfollowed. Another Instagram and Twitter goodie is Hashtagify to determine which hashtags are popular and relevant.

IFTTT has a recipe to post your Instagram picture to twitter as a native picture [so no link & the actual picture populates].

Pinterest Tools

BoardBooster was created for bloggers to schedule their pins at optimal times.
Tailwind is another pin scheduler.

Erin Condren for Business

To be successful in business you have to have a strategy. Strategy is your roadmap to success.

Particularly with online business, things change so often, and you have to plan for that.

Business planning usually can be dull, dry and just plain ole boring. Yet, when done correctly, you are truly working towards building an empire.

A few months ago I shared with you a post on The Best Planners for Women in 2016  and shared with you my love of planning on paper. There’s truly something magical when pen and paper meet.

It featured the Erin Condren Life Planner which is currently the bloodline of my business. [more about that in a bit] 

The lovely peeps at Erin Condren reached out and sent over some luscious goodies for us to add to our business organization and development. 

I immediately gravitated to their jot your thought journals to manage business planning. The paper quality is perfect and there is minimal to no bleed through, if that type of thing bothers your creative process. The journal trio comes in graph paper, lined paper and blank paper.

Here is a breakdown of how those three notebooks are being utilized:

House of Chanel:

The creative hub of the empire which houses product development and potential timelines. To include - 

• workshop planning

• webinar ideas

• current projects

• collaboration ideas

• service ideas and upgrades w/ development timeline

• product ideas and upgrades w/ development

The Biz Bible:

The heart of the business, which includes -  

• Mission and vision [outlines company culture]

• Trilogy [what 3 things are we focusing on/positioned as an expert on]

• Quarterly goals

• Big dates across other biz/life

Running TDL :

To do's that you come across throughout the day/week that isn't on your or your teams radar.

• Write it down in this Running TDL.
• Add to your calendar to add this to your business hub at the end of each week. [Even if you just take a picture and upload it but delegate to your team to add it to the business hub online.]

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Last year I used the life planner as a LIFE planner, but this year I wanted to focus on just content creation. The set up is amazing and very practical for getting your content done! Click here to save $10 on your first Erin Condren order. 

Planning means nothing if you don’t put the ideas into action.

On the note pages before each month, I outline ideas for blog posts, podcasts, periscopes and YouTube videos.  

Then break each task down into the smallest subtask for completion on the weekly pages. 

The Erin Condren Life Planner vertical layout is perfect for business planning. On the left there's lines for to-do's which are synced in our Asana, but it helps to see it in the planner to know exactly what to conquer and the time available to knock it out.

Strategy baby! 

The individual boxes are used for: content creation tasks, social media tasks, and client work tasks. Underneath the last box is four lines which I use to write down the top three people I need to contact or respond to on that day. 

The snap in dashboards [laminated paper that snaps in the planner] are perfect for jotting down TDL's and random ideas that come to you throughout the day. I keep one on the current monthly spread, one on the current week and one on the next monthly spread. Use wet erase markers to write and wipe off with rubbing alcohol and a paper towel. 

The sticky note [post-its not created by post-its]  dashboard is my bestie. I have an insane addiction to sticky notes. I write quotes I see on Instagram and Twitter and make notes to myself all day long. The dashboard makes it convenient for when I'm away from my desk. 

I added additional folders into the life planner to add marketing inspirations, I may get in the mail or pretty postcards that spark creativity. And on a bad day, because let's face it the biz rollercoaster can be rough, I may throw in a nice card from a client. 

Speaking of cards, I love writing out cards to my current and past clients...just because, for their birthdays or when they make big accomplishments . So when, I saw this box full of cards, I was excited to send some love around the world. 

The cards are thick and colorful. The picture doesn't show the true beauty of these. The wording is in rose gold, silver and gold foil with coordinating stickers to enclose the envelopes. 

I’m a doodler (is that even a word?) I doodle when I’m bored, busy and just because. So when I saw the Creative Color coloring book and sketch pad my heart jumped a few beats. Coloring is so therapeutic, so on those days when you can’t get your biz bestie on the phone or Skype...pull out an adult color book and calm your nerves. Or when your ADHD is flowing with energy doodle away. I just leave it on my desk and finish where I left off from the days before when I need a break. I love that paper is thick and can actually be framed around your office for positive vibes with the various inspirational sayings.

Thank you to the Erin Condren team for sending me these wonderful products to review and share. 

Strategy is how you SLAY in business [Beyonce case study]

Strategy is how you slay in your business

On December 13,2013 do you think Beyonce woke up thinking, “...tonight I'm going to release an entire album minutes before midnight.”

No way!

Her team and her came up with a plan as to how they would change the music industry forever.

The change in case you were stuck under a rock until a few moments ago, was without any advance PR, a single to promote the album or any leaked music on the internets. Beyonce released a self titled album on itunes with 14 songs and 17 videos. And unlike most digital records, you weren’t able to pick and choose which songs could be purchased for 99 cents...you had to purchase the entire album for $14.99.

Strategy is how you slay in your business.

To slay is to be nothing short of AMAZING. 

828,773 copies were sold in the first three days becoming THE fastest selling album on itunes.

Strategy is how you slay in your business.

In 2013 Beyonce performed during the Super Bowl halftime show. She performed for free, with only the production costs totaling $600,000 being covered by the sponsor [Pepsi]. Immediately following her incredible performance with her biz besties and former Destiny’s Child members...there was a commercial announcing her world tour: Mrs. Carter.

2013 is when Super Bowl commercials hit the record high of $4 million dollars for a 30 second spot.

Strategy is how you slay in your business.

In business you should always be thinking about what's next...and begin to prep for that next step. Connect the dots that you have already established. Your content and actions are related to services that you want to sell. Services and products make sense with where you currently are in your business.

This requires you to take the time to create the systems and strategy that will make your business profitable.

Strategy is how you slay in your business.

A few weeks ago it was confirmed that ColdPlay was headlining the halftime Super Bowl show. There were rumors circulating that Beyonce would perform. The beyhive (Beyonce ‘s following) had difficulties confirming this for weeks. Saturday before the Super Bowl Beyonce released a jaw dropping and controversial video...formation.

Beyonce gave her fans hours to learn the words and enjoy her creativity + greatness while celebrating womanhood. Amazing efforts right before a traditional male dominated event. Then as expected it was Super Bowl time, ColdPlay, Beyonce and Bruno Mars left America astonished with an amazing show. All of the entertainers performed for FREE. However, if paid we're talking $6 million dollars. Seconds after this performance flashed the shortest super bowl commercial...Beyonce's world tour formation. 2016 Super Bowl commercial rates started at $4 million dollars for a thirty second slot.

Strategy is how you slay in your business.

Conversations across social media and America shifted from an intense football game to how could they purchase Beyonce’ concert tickets.

Strategy is how you slay in your business.

You don't have to be Beyonce to create buzz and slay with your business, but you do need to be unapologetically you, understand your audience and have a defined strategy. Spend money on things and services that will advance your business.

Beyonce has used her strategy over and over and each time it breeds miraculous results.

You don’t need a big budget to make big bucks...you need strategy.

You don’t need 14.2 Million followers on twitter to have a substantial business, you need strategy to grow a following that adores and supports your work. [Side Note: Beyonce hasn’t tweeted since August 2013]

You, my friend, won't know what works until you do the work and implement strategy.

Has your business experienced the big O?

Some ladies will never experience the big O. Despite all the deep intense talks they have with their biz besties...none of those techniques will help them get that O that they crave, desire and know they've worked hard for.

Outsourcing doesn't just happen.

What big O were you thinking of?!?

via 

Don't answer that and let's focus on the big O!

Outsourcing is more than just hiring another business owner to complete work for you. << click here to tweet this >>

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Much of the information out here goes a little like this:

You're busy...you need help. Hire someone to help you. Boom! Everyone gets a unicorn!

via

Or like this...

You're a girl boss...you don't have to do the things you hate to do...hire someone else to do it.

And here's my favorite...

You can't afford to NOT hire an assistant to help move your business forward.

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Well guess what happens to 85% of chic + savvy solos who shoot their shot with the big O the first and second time?!?

They don't see sparkly unicorns or the light or anything that looks like relief.

They experience more work...frustration and chaos.

Hiring before you are ready is an amateur move. Yeah...I said it.

You HAVE to be ready! [and not just financially]

Here's three things you need to do today before going after the big O!

1. Get your business out of your head.

Stop storing your business ideas, plan and procedures in your mind. Create a standards of operations that outlines how your business runs.   The more detailed the better.

2. Make a list of the tasks that you do in your business. Then classify which tasks are:

• Money generating
• Administrative low
• Administrative high
• Zone of Genius (only you can do)
• Time suck but necessary

Things outside of your zone of genius that are money generating should be outsourced first.

You already got your business out of your head in step one, so you should be very clear on what parts of your business generate money.

3. Determine a budget for the tasks that you need/want outsourced.

A. If you can't afford to hire help, you can't afford it. Stop trying to be like the Joneses because the Joneses are broke!

Create a strategy of how you can hustle to make the money necessary to pay the contracted person got their work at minimum of 90 days.

B. You've looked over your expenses and you know you can afford to outsource tasks to on a regular basis starting with at least 90 days.  

Pop the champagne or water bottle (if you’re counting calories) and start preparing for the big O!

Batch Like a Productive + Profitable Girl Boss

Content creation usually isn't the favorite part of any content creators business. Like much of life...there's so many moving parts.

When you see a beautifully written blog article, you rarely think about how long it took for that article to be produced.

Rarely as in NEVER!

However when you are the creator, you might think what in the hell am I going to produce. An easy way to rid yourself of those thoughts: create an editorial calendar.

What's that?!?

A fancy or not so fancy plan for your upcoming content.

An easy way to develop an editorial calendar is to think of 3 categories that you address in your services and(or) products. You want these to be general categories because you'll get specific as you move on.

For example:  Productivity, business tips and systems.

Then brainstorm topics underneath each. Assign a date and how you'll distribute this content. Boom!

There's some marketers that will tell you blogging is dead.

Content is king and you're the queen.

You need each other.

Content creation goes so much deeper than blogging. Whatever your poison [blogging, video,podcast, etc], make sure you have a beautiful castle for this content king to reside [your website].

So we've established that you're the queen! But to become a true boss, you'll need to batch!

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Batching is what makes producing content manageable and easy.

Batching is when you do a lot of one thing for a set period of time.

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Let's say you set a schedule where you blog weekly.

That's 4 blog posts a month. I know my math skills are remarkable...stay with me.

Did you know it's easier to push out all four articles than each one individually?

Yep. Science and psychology back me up on this.

Switching tasks or multitasking reduces your productivity by 40%.

When multitasking, we typically switch tasks every 3 minutes and 5 seconds.

When work is interrupted it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back on task.

Batching decreases the time lost between switching tasks.

Ultimately batching allows you to increase concentration and decrease distraction.

Cookies are made in batches because it's easier and it saves time. Besides who eats just one cookie?

via

Batching your content is the same. Well, it might not be as sweet and gratifying instantly like a cookie, but it saves time with your processes. 

Here are some things in your business and life that you can start batching this week:

Email: set up a time and system so you can check your emails and respond to them within an hour or two [an hour would be awesome]. Tim Ferris says he checks his once a day and responds all at once. Such will power that guy has. I’m on a twice a day schedule, that works pretty well.

Phone calls: have a running list of who you need to call on a sheet/in notebook on your desk. Set aside a day or two throughout the week and a time for you to make/return all the calls.

Content creation: Pick one day a month and block off 4 [or more] hours of your most productive time to create content.  Add additional days if you have multiple streams of content to create.

Editing content: Pick one day a month/week and block off a set amount of time during your most alert time of day to edit your amazing content.

Curating content for social media shares: Once a week pick a light day to peruse your favorite websites for content to share with your peeps. Doing this on one day at one time, saves oh so much time. Versus taking a few minutes here and there, because the whole act of switching is time consuming. Once complete, schedule your social media for the week.

Client work or projects: complete client work or similar projects all at once until complete. So when you’re done...you’re done. No need to keep your mind boggled down with uncompleted work.

Expenses: weekly or monthly set aside time to review your personal and business expenses. Have a plan on what you’re documenting and reviewing. What actions need to be taken as well as what milestones/rewards you should set for meeting your expense goals each month.

Productivity to profits is the goal around here.

Cooking: schedule in time to plan what you’ll eat for the week, even the days and nights you plan to eat out. On Sundays, set aside time to meal prep and have a cooking party preparing for the week.

Cleaning: schedule in time to tidy up. Cluttered spaces really deter productivity and creativity.

Planning: each week you should have time scheduled in to plan for your next week. Include time to brain dump and sort out new ideas.

Often times people think that when you plan and essentially control your time, that it stifles creativity. Batching is quite the opposite. You are ensuring that you set aside time to go deep within your creative space without being interrupted and produce a greater value of work

Batching provides you with freedom to have fun or take a nap when all the work is complete. What more could a girlboss ask for? 

7 Brilliant Tips for Brain Dumping

Back in October I started working with this amazing chic biz owner, Raine. I wish my mom was dope enough to name me Raine, but as I was saying... Raine came to me because she was having a hard time getting work done in her business.

Raine described herself as an "idea person," meaning she was full of ideas and always had a new idea for a project, product or business.

These ideas weren't helping her at all. She would start working on one and then would get stuck. She wasn't getting stuck because the ideas were bad or not well thought out. 

The problem is the new ideas were flowing in and stopping the workflow of the previous idea(s). Raine and I developed a brain dumping system to help her move these ideas into action...one at a time.

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Brain dumping is bae! [the love of your productive life. Before Anything Else]

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Brain dumping is when you physically eject your mental trash.  No lobotomies needed. Only a pen + paper. Oh and a timer.

Here's the brain dumping system I created for Raine:

1. Set one day per week for brain dumping.

Think about how you plan your workflow:

What day and time do you usually plan your work for the next week?

Raine found that brain dumping closer to the end of the week at the end of the day was best.

You may be tired at the end of the week and your brain needs recharging. Consider brain dumping in the beginning of the week or day.

2. Set your timer for 10-15 minutes.

Raine used her phone timer and started with 15 minutes for a few weeks then moved to 10 minutes.

Don't be intimidated by the time or think you won't have anything to write.  Just embrace the process and let the thoughts flow.

3. Fold your paper in quarters or draw quadrants. 

Raine started off with a full piece of paper and was overwhelmed with the full page and found it easier to have the quadrants smaller to help the ideas to flow naturally.

You can label the quadrants if that will help your process. Example quads:

Personal

Business/Work

House

Family

4. Write freely (no editing...just write) about whatever comes to mind until your timer goes off.

Raine initially would tell me that she would just sit there and couldn't think of anything. There's never a time when our brain isn't working. That was just resistance that Raine was experiencing. I encouraged her to doodle pictures until thoughts surfaced or the timer was up.

[doodling reduces anxiety and is therapeutic]

5. When the timer is up do a little dance! Brain dumping relieves your body of stress and anxiety.

How often you brain dump is going to depend on how often you're feeling overwhelmed and unproductive.

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Organization beats overwhelm!

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6. Now it’s time to organize the clutter.

Raine wrote random words that came to mind, several uncompleted tasks, projects she wanted to complete and appointments to schedule. Immediately she started feeling relieved, but she was just getting started.

Brain dumping is the beginning of an organizational planning system. 7. Action Jackson Time! 

You want to:

• Group the similar tasks together.
• Prioritize task groups:
  • [complete today, tomorrow, this week, next week, near future, etc.]
• what needs to be done now
• what needs to be done this week
• what needs to be done this month
• what needs to be done sometime in the near future
• what doesn’t need to be done at all
• what can be outsourced

Break down big tasks into bite sized tasks with due dates.

Store your brain dumps in Evernote with a simple snap of your camera phone and upload it on the mobile app. Add the new TDL (to do list) to Asana, so you can complete the tasks and get one step closer to your productivity goals.

Once you get the hang of brain dumping you can create a master list.

xo,

Kimber 

Never Launch On Your Birthday

Launching is stressful and birthdays are wonderful. I celebrate born days like no one else in America. A party ain't a party until its ran all through. 

Case in point: I've been celebrating my birthday since October and my birthday is today. 

Evernote Mastery was supposed to launch this month. [No sob story or excuses to follow, but pay close attention, because I want you to get the gems out this post.] 

Tuesday November 23rd to be exact. Monday's aren't really good for much but Monday Night Football and even then I don't watch football. So launching on a Monday wouldn't work. People are just trying to get through their day and they don't care what you or I have to say.

Truth hurts but it is what it is.

Then Thanksgiving is just a few days away. Competing with national holidays can be tough for micro businesses. Especially with all the Black Friday Sales. Perfect time for a birthday and all the gift cards at your disposable. Pretty bad for a launch. 

So I re-evaluated my strategy and release date.

Your business is a pathway for you to live an amazing life...however you define. You should never spend your birthday launching...never! There's 364 other days where you can launch your brilliance into the world. Your birthday is your personal new year, a fresh start, and a time for you and everyone that loves you to celebrate you.

I knew early on not to launch on my birthday but what I didn't plan for is the actual launch being so close to my birthday and how it would impact celebrations. I know launches are stressful despite the glitz and glam most filter over theirs. A recent $24,000 launch made me want to take a nap for the rest of the quarter, but it was my Huni's birthday and time to celebrate. 

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Birthdays are great for presents, discount codes, and not so discreet passwords. But not for launching.

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Work life balance isn't a myth or a secret cult that you have to pledge into. Balance exists with systems and strategy, so you don't have to work 24-7 and be captive to your business. 

Let’s be real everyday won't be a vacation, nor will you only work four hours a week. The balance comes when you plan in days for those you love and the things that you love to do...beyond work. Give yourself permission to change important dates you have set for your business and [or] how you run your business. Rid yourself of any guilt surrounded around these changes. You're the boss! 

3 chic tips to mastery:

1. Never launch on your birthday!

2. Write out three reasons why what you're creating is needed in the world. [Why should she hit purchase? How will it truly benefit her?]

3. Set up a notebook in Evernote to track your launch- create a note for your goals, desires, and tools you will need to execute the launch effectively.

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