3 Powerful Hacks to Help You Get It All Done

Have you ever wanted to get more done in less time? It’s a silly question, right? Of course, you do! Tons of books and articles have been written on this very topic, and yet you still struggle to fit everything in.

When others seem to get it all done so flawlessly, it can leave you staring in awe.

How do they do it?

How do they still have a life?

And how do they make it look so effortless?

As an alternative healthcare practitioner, sometimes it can feel like you don’t have a life. It doesn’t take long before self-care goes out the window, you’re working crazy hours, and you’ve lost any sense of balance you once had.

One key lesson I’ve learned is that when you start to feel this way, pay attention to it. That feeling is an important indicator. It tells you that if your life feels out of balance, then you’re probably doing something you shouldn’t be doing.

So, what do you do when that happens? Here are three tips I lean on to help me get it all done while saving my sanity and maintaining balance.

Stay in Your Lane

When you go to school to become a practitioner, your instructors teach you all this amazing information to help your patients. But they probably didn’t teach you how to successfully run a business. And doing both is tough! There’s so much to do and learn and try.

Instead of running your practice, it can easily feel like your practice is running you.

This is where staying in your lane can help. It can encourage you to focus on doing what you love and know. This takes some of that pressure off you and enables you to concentrate on doing even more of what you’re naturally good at.

But if you’re a solopreneur, how can you possibly stay in your lane when you’re the one who runs the whole show? Rest easy. While the buck still stops with you, there are ways to focus on doing what you do well and doing what you love. Spoiler alert – it doesn’t involve hiring someone full-time.

Let’s say you love seeing patients but the thought of invoicing or inventory management fills you with dread. Could you hire a virtual assistant? Hiring a VA for even just five hours a week to take those pesky tasks off your plate can make all the difference. It can lighten your load enough so you can focus on doing more of what you love.

Time Block Your Work

You’ve probably heard about the benefits of time blocking. It’s a topic that’s talked about over and over again and is touted as the solution to help you “work smarter, not harder.”

At its simplest, time blocking is when you carve out a portion of your day and use that uninterrupted time to work on a certain set of tasks. What makes time blocking powerful is that it enables you to focus entirely on a task and take back control of your workday.

Here’s an example of how it works:

Every Tuesday afternoon, you set aside two hours to work on your social media marketing. During those two hours, you get rid of any and all distractions. You:

  • Close your inbox
  • Shut down all your open internet browsers
  • Silence your phone

For this entire time, you do nothing but focus on social media marketing. By the end of the two hours, you have all your posts planned and scheduled for the next week or maybe even the next month.

If the thought of disconnecting from the world for two hours sends you into a panic, it’s OK! Try it for only 30 minutes. Even a small amount of fully undivided focus can be much more productive than several hours spent switching back and forth between tasks.1

You might be wondering, “C’mon. Are distractions really that bad?” Research says, “YES!” They’re a huge waste of your time and your brain’s mental energy. Once you’re distracted, it takes about 23 minutes to return to your original focus levels!2

Remember: You have the power to keep your attention span from getting hijacked. So, use it.

Delegate

Have you ever found yourself saying, “If I’m going to get something done, I might as well just do it myself”? For those of us who are micromanagers, “delegate” can definitely feel like a dirty word.

But this belief doesn’t help you at all. In fact, it can drag you down in your business and keep you buried under a never-ending stack of to-do’s.

Learning to let go of control takes time, but it’s worth it. It may involve some extra training. And you might not be sure what to turn over versus what you should do yourself. Here are a few tips to help you out:

  • List out tasks that anyone could do. When it comes to running your practice, you’re the only one who can do the clinical stuff. That’s all in your brain. But what about invoicing, placing product orders, or collecting money from patients? Could a VA take some of this off your plate?
  • Be very clear about your expectations. Provide clear, direct processes and training. Make sure your VA understands each step – and then let them soar!
  • Empower them to be responsible for the outcome. This helps your VA to be accountable and allows them to take ownership of their tasks.

I know delegating can be scary, so start with something small and work your way up to delegating larger responsibilities. I promise you won’t regret it!

You Can Do This!

With all your amazing dreams and goals, it’s understandable why there’s so much to do! But you’re only given 24 hours in a day. Make sure you take care of yourself by setting yourself up for sustainable success. That success allows you to do what you love, minimizes unhelpful distractions, and lets you lean on others.

Give one of these ideas a try this week and see how it can be a game-changer for your life and your practice!

If you’d like more tips on how to get it all done, check out my recent podcast on this very topic.

Sources

1. (2019, December 16). Get Extraordinary Results Through The Art Of Block … – Forbes. Retrieved October 14, 2020, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2019/12/16/get-extraordinary-results-through-the-art-of-block-time/

2. (2018, June 14). Distractions Are Hurting You More Than You Realize: Here’s …. Retrieved October 14, 2020, from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/314677

Ronda Nelson Smiling

Hi, I’m Ronda Nelson and I help wellness practitioners grow thriving, profitable practices that allow them to work with ease, live a life they love and make an income they can be proud of.

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