59: Time Management Magic: How to Boost Productivity as a Content Creator
In this episode of Think Inside The Square, you'll learn about some of my favorite time management techniques as a content creator. You'll learn about the productivity pyramid, batching and the post-it note method to manage time effectively, avoid burnout, and maintain a healthy work-life balance. These are the techniques that helped me cut my hours in half while doubling my productivity!
-
[00:00:00] I'm starting this episode with a bold statement. To be a successful online business, you need to be a content creator. You could be a life coach, or sell homemade soaps, you could breed crickets in your garage, or maybe you're the world's leading expert on marketing funnels. Whatever you do, you have to create content to demonstrate your expertise and inform your audience.
[00:00:27] Now, if you're passionate about what you do, this content creation can be really easy at first. Your excitement will inspire you, but very quickly you'll inevitably face the overwhelming feeling of having way too much to do and not enough hours of the day. I'm Becca Harpain, creator of InsideTheSquare. co, and not long ago, I was working 80 hour weeks, feeling like I was always playing catch up and suffering from the daily dread of never being able to take time off.
[00:00:55] But it doesn't have to be that way. These days, I'm producing twice the content in [00:01:00] half the time. And in this episode, I'm going to talk about how I distribute my time, my favorite productivity techniques, how to overcome some time management challenges, and then I'll wrap it up with some action steps.
[00:01:11] that you can take today to create your own sustainable time management system. For a transcript of this episode along with the links to any resources mentioned, visit
[00:01:20] insidethesquare.co/podcast
[00:01:23] First things first, we have got to talk about the online business priority pyramid. This is a concept that I had not heard of three years ago when I was doing my 80 hour work weeks.
[00:01:34] And this is the foundational game changer for me. So let me break this concept down for you. There are three layers to this priority pyramid, and each one is incredibly important when it comes to running and growing an online business. But each layer needs a different amount of time. Using this as a guide for your schedule can help you structure your tasks and time for maximum efficiency and business growth.
[00:01:59] First up, we have the [00:02:00] base of the pyramid, the foundational tasks. These are the essential must do tasks that keep your business running day to day. Some examples here are the creating and publishing of regular content, like my blog post or this podcast episode. This is a foundational task for me. This also includes engaging with your audience, responding to comments and messages and emails.
[00:02:22] If you offer services or work one on one with people, your client work is a foundational task. This is also good for administrative tasks like invoicing and bookkeeping, all of that fun stuff. These foundational tasks should take up a majority of your time, about 60 or 70 percent of your working hours.
[00:02:41] They're crucial because they maintain your current level of success and keep your audience engaged. Now after that, we have the second layer of this pyramid. These are the growth layers. Growth tasks will help you expand and improve your business over time. These include things like learning a new [00:03:00] skill, strategizing and planning for the future, networking and building relationships in your industry, analyzing your metrics and adjusting your strategy accordingly, and then improving the existing content or system.
[00:03:13] Now, you should aim to dedicate about 20 to 30 percent of your time to these tasks. They're important because they prevent stagnation and they help you level up your business, but they're not the core of your business. They're not the foundational tasks. Now we have one last layer to this pyramid, the very top, and those are the experimental tasks.
[00:03:33] These are when you try new things and push boundaries, and they are very important for any business that wants to grow. An example of an experimental task would be trying out new tools or technologies, developing a new product or a new service idea, Or even testing out new content formats or different platforms.
[00:03:53] The experimental tasks should take up about 10 to 20 percent of your time. They're exciting and they're full of potential, [00:04:00] but they're also the riskiest, which is why they sit at the top of the pyramid. Now with this pyramid in mind, it's important to be flexible. Some weeks might require more focus on foundational tasks, while others might allow for some more time to experiment, and that's okay.
[00:04:15] The key here is to maintain a general balance over time. Right now, I am working on a very big project here inside the square. I'm going to be sharing that with the world October of this year, 2024. But what that means is that I'm spending more time on growth and experimental tasks than I normally would.
[00:04:33] But being aware of that is so important for me. I could easily get distracted and skip over my foundational tasks and spend all day on the exciting and fun new stuff. But sticking to this pyramid system is helping me prioritize a few hours a day to stay on top of those foundational tasks. Now this priority pyramid, it's a flexible framework that can help you direct your energy more effectively.
[00:04:58] It's about making sure that you're not just [00:05:00] working in your business, just those foundational tasks. But you're working on your business, the growth and the experimental. So let me just recap that before we move on. At the base, we've got the foundational tasks. These are your client work, content creation, audience engagement.
[00:05:16] These tasks keep your business running day to day. You should aim to spend about 60 to 70 percent of your time on those tasks. In the middle, we've got growth tasks. That's where you learn new skills, strategize for the future, you network with your community. These growth tasks help you level up your game.
[00:05:34] And you should dedicate about 20 to 30 percent of your time for those tasks. If you think about looking at an entire five day work week, Spending one day allocated to growth tasks could be a great way to organize your schedule. Then at the very top of this pyramid, we have the experimental tasks. This is where you try new programs, you test different content types.
[00:05:53] This is the what if section of your work, and it's important to dream as a business owner. If you want to grow, you [00:06:00] need to spend some time in these experimental tasks, but you can't let that take away from the time that should be prioritized for foundational and growth tasks. Now, if you're new to this concept, I want you to start by identifying just one task for each level of the pyramid each week.
[00:06:15] See if you can set aside time to spend three full days on foundational tasks, then a day on growth tasks, and maybe a half day or a day on experimental. As you get more comfortable, you can expand from there and start combining different types of tasks on different days. Personally, I use a color coded Google Calendar that syncs with my iPhone.
[00:06:34] I make an appointment for important projects, and then I assign a different color for each level of the pyramid. This gives me a visual representation of how I'm balancing my time, and when I see an open spot in my schedule, I can quickly figure out what type of task I should be spending my time focusing on.
[00:06:50] But don't forget, You can shift these around. It is very important to be flexible. And right now, about half of my time is focused on growth and experimental tasks. But I still have time [00:07:00] set aside for foundational tasks. All right, now that you get that concept, let's talk about how to actually get this stuff done.
[00:07:08] There are two techniques that I regularly use in my business, batching and my post it note technique. Now, batching is all about grouping similar tasks together. For example, I might batch all of my tutorial screen share recording in one session or all my email responses in another. The podcast outline I'm looking at right now is literally one of three that I'm recording today.
[00:07:30] This helps me stay focused and reduces the mental energy required to switch between different types of tasks and different programs. At the time of recording this, I am looking at three tabs open on my computer screen right now. Three years ago, when I was putting in my 80 hour work weeks, anything less than 10 tabs at the time was a dream.
[00:07:50] All right, so with batching in mind, let me share my favorite productivity hack. What I've been using consistently for about a year now, the post it note [00:08:00] technique. To use the post it note technique, you're going to want to have a stack of post it notes and a pen. Now, I like to do this at the start of every week, but sometimes during the week I'll need to hop in there and do it again.
[00:08:10] Anytime you feel overwhelmed with a lot of ideas and a lot of things that you need to do and you just don't know where to start, that's the perfect time to try this technique. So how does this work? What I like to do is set a timer on my phone for 10 minutes. And for a solid 10 minute period, I will write down every single thought or idea that I have on a different post it note.
[00:08:33] Every single task that I have to do gets its own unique post it note. And I'm not just talking business either, business and personal. Any thought that could distract me from doing my work, any task, any idea, I'd write it on a separate post it note for each thing that pops up into my head. Now, to be honest, by the time I hit about minute seven or a minute eight, I usually think that I'm out of ideas, but the truth is, you're not.
[00:08:59] You can [00:09:00] fool yourself there very easily, so trust me, push yourself to keep going for ten minutes until every to do, every idea, every distracting thought is written out on a post it note. Then, I want you to reset your timer for five minutes, and you're going to sort these post it notes into three piles.
[00:09:19] Do today, do soon, and do someday. Now, this might not take the full five minutes. But if it does, that five minute timer will stop you from getting too distracted. You need the to do today pile, do soon pile, and the do someday pile. The next thing you need to do is crucial here. I want you to pick the top three tasks from the do today pile, and I want you to stick those three post it notes to your computer, and do absolutely nothing else until they are done.
[00:09:50] The goal here is to focus on those three specific tasks. And again, don't do anything else until those three tasks are completed. Now, if those three [00:10:00] tasks are big tasks that will take you all day, I want you to schedule breaks throughout your day. Personally, I use a walking desk treadmill as a timer. It stops at every hour.
[00:10:10] So when it stops, I take a break. I stretch, I take the dog outside, I check on the chickens, and then I go back to work. But the idea is that I'm not going to pick up another post it note of stuff to do until those three post it notes are done. Prioritizing three tasks at a time has been a game changer for my own time management system.
[00:10:31] Now again, it's very important to not get burnt out on those three tasks. If they're going to take you a lot of time, I want you to schedule breaks throughout your day. I myself have the benefit of that one hour timer that's built right into my treadmill, so it's really easy for me to keep track. But don't be afraid to set a timer on your phone, or even pull open a new tab that's a 20 minute timer from Google.
[00:10:52] Just make sure that you don't pick up any of those new ideas until you've completed those three tasks on your Do Today [00:11:00] pile. Now, you might notice that a lot of the due to day tasks are those foundational tasks that we talked about. So make sure you set aside time either in the day or one day a week to work on the due soon and due someday pile.
[00:11:13] Using this post it note technique over the last year has really helped increase my own productivity so I had to share this time management technique with you and I hope you're excited to try it. So at this point, you might be realizing I use a significant amount of timers every single day. This is part of my own time management technique that has helped me overcome the challenge of constant distractions.
[00:11:38] Distractions are everywhere, especially when you work from home like I do. We've got social media, we've got emails coming into your inbox at all hours of the day, I'll get alerts from Target that something I wanted is on sale, and right now I can see a pile of laundry out of the corner of my eye. And that is something that I'm not going to focus on right now, because it is not on the post it note [00:12:00] that's in front of me.
[00:12:00] By focusing on just three tasks at a time, it is so much easier to tune out the noise. But another thing that these timers help me out with is burnout. It took me a long time to realize that taking breaks isn't slacking off. They are essential for long term productivity. I'm going to say that one more time for the people in the back.
[00:12:21] Taking breaks is not slacking off. It is essential for your productivity. Now taking breaks does not come easily to everyone, especially ambitious entrepreneurs. So I really want to encourage you to work on flexing that self control muscle. Set specific time boundaries and prioritize your own mental health breaks so you can keep working hard.
[00:12:44] Now speaking of breaks, taking an actual day off used to be very difficult for me. I am guilty of bringing my laptop with me on vacation more than once. Because there's always something to do, there's always a reason to work. And I can tell you from [00:13:00] personal experience, that is not healthy and it is not sustainable.
[00:13:05] When you focus on prioritizing the time that you spend working, you can also focus on prioritizing your time off. Once I finally grasped that concept, I gave myself the freedom to pause work when I wanted to, not just when I needed to. Yes, running an online business is incredibly challenging and time consuming, But it's also incredibly rewarding.
[00:13:28] And being able to reward myself for successfully managing my time, that is quite a perk. So how do I make this magic happen consistently? What changed from my first few years in business to now? Here are some of my top tips. I always make sure to build some buffer time into my schedule. Trust me, things often take way longer than we think they will, so giving yourself a little bit of wiggle room can be a real time saver.
[00:13:55] And speaking of little surprises, be ready to shuffle that to do list on the fly. [00:14:00] Some days unexpected things pop up, and that's okay. Being flexible with your priorities can help you stay on track without stressing out. And here's something that has been crucial for me. Staying ahead of the game. I always try to be at least one week ahead in my content creation.
[00:14:18] I used to pull late nights and be that person frantically working through emails on a road trip. Been there, done that, and trust me, it is not fun. Using the priority pyramid and holding myself accountable to be one week ahead in my content is a priority for me. This has been monumentally beneficial for my time management, my stress management, and my overall happiness outside of work.
[00:14:44] Speaking of time, I do love to keep these episodes quick and actionable, so let's do a recap. First up, I want you to use the priority pyramid to balance your tasks. A majority of your time should be spent on the foundational work. We're talking client projects, [00:15:00] content creation, audience engagement. These are the tasks that keep your business running day to day.
[00:15:06] Then you've got your growth tasks. Think learning new skills, strategizing for the future, and networking. These are the tasks that help you level up your game, and they should be about 20 to 30 percent of your time. And at the top of the priority pyramid, we have the experimental tasks. This is where you try new programs, you test different content types, you explore collaborations with your community.
[00:15:29] This is the what if section of your work. Your second actionable item from today's episode is to give the post it note technique a try. Set a timer for 10 minutes and make a different post it note for every to do and idea that pops into your head. Sort those into three piles. Do today, do soon, and do someday.
[00:15:48] And then take three post it notes from the do today pile and stick them on your computer. Don't work on anything else until those three tasks are done. I also want you to prioritize those [00:16:00] foundational tasks that can help you be prepared. If you're a content creator like I am, Make your number one goal today, your priority to do post it note to be one week ahead in your content creation.
[00:16:12] Just a little bit of a buffer to help you stay creative with the rest of your business. Now, the number one takeaway that I want you to have from today's episode is that it's going to take a while until you have a time management system that works for you. You're going to need to recalibrate to see what's working and what's not, and to make adjustments as needed.
[00:16:31] Maybe my post it note system isn't ideal for you, but the only way you'll know is to try. I want you to be patient with yourself and to stay flexible. And remember, The goal is to not be productive every single minute. It's about making the most of your working hours so you can enjoy life outside of content creation too.
[00:16:51] Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Think Inside the Square. I truly hope you found this valuable. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend. [00:17:00] And if you give the Post it Note technique a try, Send me a picture of the three tasks you completed today or tag me on Instagram at think inside the square.
[00:17:08] You've got this friend and I'm rooting for you every step of the way. Now go show that to do list who's boss.
-
Google drive share settings: https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2494822
Episode 58 Secure Content Sharing: Unlock the Power of Google Drive and Vimeo: insidethesquare.co/podcast/58
Notion is the program I use to keep track of everything! Here is my affiliate link if you want to give it a try: affiliate.notion.so/insidethesquare
