August 19, 2020-I recently saw a post on Facebook that talked about how society has normalized working excessively, and the poster asked to hear people’s opinions and experiences. She asked if we work more than 45 hours per week, and what impact does working all the time have on us? She also asked, does loving what you do make it acceptable to work 10-12 hours a day? Here’s my answer:
This is a tough subject for every entrepreneur. I personally work 4 hours a day, but only because I finally put systems in place that automate things and do the work for me while I’m doing something else. I outsource menial tasks as much as possible. I used to work 18 hour days on my business until I figured out the most important use of my time. Now my business is more successful (funnily enough) than when I was working 18 hour days.
Let’s talk about the systems that I use that make my life easier:
- Hootsuite– I love this app because it allows me to preschedule my social media posts. It allows me to schedule things a month in advance and connects to three social networks for FREE.
- WordPress-My blog and store are hosted by WordPress. It’s an extremely user-friendly platform that allows scheduling of blog posts, podcasts, videos, and more. I do a whole bunch of posts in advance and schedule them to come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It saves me a ton of time and ensures that I’m always creating and uploading new content.
- Speech to Text-I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been driving somewhere when suddenly a great idea for a book or a marketing campaign pops into my head. My phone connects directly to my truck, so I’ll tell Siri to add a note.
- Podbean-This is an excellent app for podcasting. It’s super simple to use, and you can record live or in advance. I create podcasts in advance and schedule them to come out on Tuesdays. It saves me a ton of time and allows me to consistently think of good discussion topics.
The point is, if you can preschedule things, it will make your life easier. It may take you a day or two to bang-out 15 blog posts for the month or a few podcasts, but that’s a better alternative to sitting and staring at a blank screen trying to think of what to write/say, or worse, not creating consistent content at all. Plus, the time you’ll save during the month by not having to scramble to post will allow you to do other things with your time.
