Running a 7-figure business as a Mum of 3: my top productivity tips and tricks
I can get just as easily distracted as the next person. I’m also an excellent procrastinator, especially when I have tasks on my to-do list that I don’t particularly want to do.
So to combat all of this I have lots of daily rituals and systems in place that help me stay on top of things.
Also - unless I’ve got a major project I’m working on (e.g. creating a new course), I typically only like to work a few hours a day.
Generally the bulk of that work happens between 4-7am when I get my main project and core tasks done for the day (e.g. I’m writing this blog post at 4.23am, just as an example). That means that once those core tasks are completed and ticked off my list the rest of the day becomes a bit of a ‘bonus’.
I can work on things if I feel like it (often I do, as I love what I do). But I can also go and watch something on Netflix if I feel like it as well.
But to stay on top of it all and give myself that freedom to choose how to spend my days, I have quite a few productivity tips and hacks that I use throughout my days. So in this post I’m sharing a brain dump of these. Hopefully there’s a few new ideas in here for you :)
MY BRAIN DUMP OF PRODUCTIVITY TIPS AND TRICKS:
I plan my week on a Sunday. This takes me about 10-20 minutes and in that session I:
review my goals
review the week gone
clean up and tidy my physical and digital workspaces
plan for the week ahead (e.g. set my projects and tasks)
I live by my ‘ideal week’ calendar as much as I can. You can find out more about that HERE. It currently looks like this:
As you can see in the image above, I start with project work first thing in the morning (i.e. I do the hardest work task first thing in the morning while my brain is working well)
I make things I don’t enjoy doing (but need to do) a habit - e.g. I commit to doing them every day until they become part of my routine
I plan my day in Notion
In fact, I plan my entire life in Notion (you can see my full system in this video).
I create a list of daily ‘non-negotiable’ tasks that I do every day, no matter what.
Here’s an example of what that looks like as of writing this post (and you can get my template HERE if you would like)
I keep major projects to 1-2 at a time. Once I’ve completed what’s on my plate, I will add others. That looks like this (e.g. screen grab from Notion of my projects for today):
I regularly apply Parkinson’s Law to what I’m doing
Parkinson’s Law = work will expand to fill the time allotted for its completion
What this means is - give yourself a set deadline for a task and complete the task in that timeframe.
Example: I’m currently completing the first task on the list above (writing my blog post for this week). I have a timer set for 1 hour to get this written, edited and posted.
That makes me write the post until it is as good as I can get it during that period - not allow me to spend the entire day creating it.
I reduce decision making as much as possible - especially on daily, small stuff. Examples:
I have exactly the same morning routine (see below). This routine is completely on autopilot.
I workout at the same time/day every week - non-negotiable about whether I go, just part of my routine. It’s never a question “should I go to training today or not?” - it’s just part of my routine and I go and do it.
I walk the exact same 5.5km route every single day - no decision making on which direction to go or how far to walk
I eat the same thing for lunch most days
I wear active wear most days (saves deciding what to wear)
I never drink alcohol (for me the blanket “I’m a non-drinker'“ saves me the decision making about whether or not I’ll drink at certain events or days of the week).
For me, self management is more important than time management
I’m very clear on my goals and priorities. My daily choices and actions are tied to those and I make constant decisions based on those goals.
Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day - I try to practice self-discipline around how I spend my time
I self-identify as a person who does the things I say I’m going to do.
There are plenty of choices of things I COULD be doing with my time. I make sure the tasks I choose to do are tied back to my goals and priorities.
I don’t task switch (or try and avoid it as much as possible) instead I:
choose a task (normally pre-set during planning periods like my Sunday planning)
set an analogue timer (see below for what mine looks like)
work on that task (and only that task) for the set period. No checking email or looking at other tabs open on browser etc.
I use ‘do not disturb’ mode on my devices when I’m trying to get concentrated work done
I close my browser tabs while I’m trying to work on other tasks.
These days I also have a system of book marked ‘favourite’ tabs for different tasks I want to work on. For example I have book mark folders for:
Checking email (I have 5 email accounts I need to check each day)
Completing my daily non-negotiables tasks from my to-do list above
Regular links I use often (e.g. to my website, shop, course pages etc.)
Links I have open all day (e.g. Notion, diary)
Links I come across while working on something else but don’t want to leave open as a distraction (these go in ‘to do’)
Here’s a few screen grabs of how that system works:
I found using my phone as a timer encouraged me to get distracted so I use an analogue timer and work in 60 minute sprints when I want to work on focused projects. This is what mine looks like (I got this from a special needs store but you can also get them on Amazon I think).
I do have a morning routine but I’m a Mum of 3 and need to get on with work in the mornings - not spend the time reading, washing my face and deep breathing. So my routine is pretty simple:
wake up at 4am (including weekends - in fact Sunday is my favourite day to get a solid block of work done as nothing else is happening that day and everyone else in my family tends to sleep late. I can often get about 4-5 hours of solid work done on Sunday mornings)
meditate for 10 minutes using Headspace
go to the toilet :)
make a cup of tea
start working on a project task (not checking email/social etc).
I have templates in my email for regularly asked questions (cuts my response time down significantly).
I use Low-Fi music to get myself in a work zone quickly
While I’m working on projects is the ONLY time I listen to Low-Fi music so my brain is conditioned to get into a ‘work zone’ very quickly when the music starts playing
I try not to multi-task
I make the most of ‘in between’ times. As a busy mother there are lots of times in the day when I am waiting around and can get something useful done. This was particularly helpful when my kids were younger, but I still do some of these things. Some examples:
quick check of emails or social while kids having afternoon tea
work while they have afternoon activities - e.g. swimming lessons I would take my laptop and do some work while I watched them in their lesson
run the vacuum around while they do their homework
I used to clean the bathroom while my boys were in the bath (no longer have to supervise them with this now they are older!)
fold the washing while waiting for the boys to finish getting ready for school (instead of yelling at them and getting infuriated about how slow they are haha)
Side note on being a Mum and juggling everything.
I’m a Mum of 3 kids in case you are new here, so I know what it’s like to have a lot going on.
Lots of mothers in my community tell me they don’t have time to build a business or do the things they want. But for me it’s always been about juggling both priorities and doing the best I can at both. BOTH of these things are important to me. I want to be a good mother but I also want to do something for myself as well (build my business). But when I write this stuff some mothers write and say “I like to be present and watch my kids during their swimming lessons”. That’s completely fine and everyone should do what works for them. For me, I feel that my kids are lucky to have me around for them every afternoon after school. I didn’t have that - my Mum was a single mother and had to work so I had to go to after school care or with babysitters. So I think my kids are lucky to have me at their swimming lessons, even if I decide to do some work while I’m there. I also like to set an example to my family of boys that women and mothers can juggle a lot of things and build big businesses on their own!
OK back to the brain dump :)
I go out for a walk every day. As mentioned above, I go on the exact same 5.5km route every day. People ask me if that’s boring but it never is as I always listen to something new on the walk - e.g. a podcast or audiobook - and that keeps it interesting and different
I work on my most high value tasks first thing in the morning
I try to get enough sleep.
Because I’m up at 4am I tend to go to bed at the same time as my youngest son, which is about 8.30-9pm.
I exercise a lot - good for the body and the brain :)
I try to eat healthy food + prioritise protein as much as possible. For me, poor nutrition leads to low energy levels and poor concentration so I see this as one of my productivity hacks.
I batch work where this makes sense - e.g. scheduling social media posts
I have created heaps of templates and SOPs for things I do more than once. This takes more time upfront but saves me time later. Examples:
a call to action database for my social media posts
YouTube blurbs already written out
checklists for writing my email newsletter
full system in Notion around how I create content
meal planning system in Notion
templates for my weekly email newsletters
For things that take less than 2 minutes, I do them straight away
I only check email once or twice a day only.
When I’m ready to check it I open the accounts from my book mark tabs. Then I close it down the remainder of the time.
Email normally only has other peoples’ priorities in it. I try and focus on my priorities as much as I can.
I review my business + life on the 1st of each month. You can find all of my monthly reviews publicly available on my blog if you’re interested. This review allows me to be regularly checking that I’m making progress and assess what can be improved.
Overall I just try and take ownership of my life and be accountable to myself. Because I work for myself, nobody really cares if I get stuff done or not. It’s completely up to me what happens with my life and the effort I put in.
And when I’m 90 years old I want to look back and be happy with the effort I’ve put in, the people I’ve helped and the things I’ve done. So potential disappointment from my future self is what drives me to push myself on the days when I don’t feel like it (which do happen).
OK that’s my brain dump! I hope there’s something helpful there for you.
Thanks for reading and catch you in my next post :)
Clare x
Dr Clare Le Roy
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