878: Want More Time Back In Your Day? This Is How I Did It

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2:01Even looking at systems from a non-robust, non, you know, big team state, having a place where you are tracking your work and being able to break up those big projects that you want to take on into small little tasks that you can complete each day can really just change your mindset around work, but can also keep you on task. I'm Jenna Kutcher, your host of the Gold Digger podcast. I escaped the corporate world at the age of 23 with nothing more than a$300 camera from Craigslist and a dream. Now I'm running a seven figure online business that feels even better than it looks all from my house in small town, Minnesota with my family.

2:40Here we value time as our currency. We mix the woo and the work and we are in the pursuit of building businesses that give us the freedom to live lives that we love. I've always loved turning big goals into reality, and I'm here to help you do the same. This isn't just a peek behind the curtain. Come along with me and my guests as we tear the whole curtain down. Every week we tackle practical, no-fluff marketing strategies and host honest discussions on what works and what doesn't. Join me and my expert guests for actionable insights to help you grow your dream business with confidence. Pull up a seat and get ready to be challenged, inspired, and empowered.

3:19This is the Gold Digger Podcast. If you've ever found yourself buried in to-do lists, overwhelmed by inbox chaos, or feeling like you are constantly in catch-up mode, this episode is your permission slip to find a better way. And let me be honest, who hasn't felt all of those things? Inside of this episode, you are getting a behind the scenes look at how workflows have changed everything for me, my business, my peace of mind, even my creativity. Whether you're a solopreneur just starting out, or you've been building a business for years, workflows are one of the most powerful tools you can use to work smarter and not harder.

3:57And let me tell you, summer is right around the corner and now is the time to build in those systems to free up your time so you can do the things you love with the people you love. Now here's the good news. You do not need a big team. You do not need fancy systems. You don't need a ton of software. You also don't even need a lot of time to implement and get started on what I'm sharing with you today. I wanted to bring this one back from the archives because it is packed with actionable tips, personal insights, and real life strategies that can help you reclaim your time and fall back in love with the process again.

4:29Now, real quick, before you dive in, you know, I am all about celebrating wins, both big and small. And this month, we're turning the mic around to you. I have been blown away listening to your voicemails about the shifts you've made and the results you've seen. So let's give a little love to one of our very own in this small business spotlight moment. Hi, Jenna. This is Keri Schnitz. I'm a mom of four and I have a doctorate in occupational therapy. I live and work in Denver, Colorado. I walk alongside parents and help them operate as the expert on their child. Together, we support their child's development, building confidence through curiosity with the goal of thriving and joy.

5:13I also publish research and create content on sensory processing for occupational therapists, teachers, mental health providers, and parents. You have helped me in so many meaningful ways. One is prioritizing list building. Through your mentorship, I have slowly and deliberately built an audience and a robust email list. Second, you have taught me to multiply the effect of my content. I create one piece of content and with your help and inspiration, I repurpose and promote it on multiple platforms. Thank you, Jenna, for the way you show up and encourage and empower small business owners and women in particular.

5:55Keri, you are the sweetest. I hope you all connect with her at keri Schmidt.com, which will be linked in today's show notes. All right, let's dive on into one of my favorite episodes to help you streamline your day and get more done so that you can get back to the things you love in your life. Let's dive in. All right, we are back. And today we are talking all about systems and workflows. Welcome to the Gold Digger podcast, Kylie. Hello, Jenna. I can't wait to talk about our love language. Oh, I know, right? If there was an extra love language, it would be this. Yes, absolutely. Here's your question of the day.

6:33If you could outsource one home task that you just hate doing, what would it be?

6:44I feel like I'm going to put my husband on blast when I say this. Please do it. Hi, Chris. Hi. I would hire someone to follow him around and pick up all the articles of clothing that he just leaves draped over various pieces of furniture. Because at the end of the day, it's like the sweatshirt on the railing and the vest on the couch and the socks on top of the thing in the bathroom. I'm like, just put it in the hamper. In. Watch. In. I swear I would hire someone to do that. Yeah. Sorry, honey. What about you? hire someone to food prep because I love like when food is prepped. Like I love reaching for like things where you're like, Oh, all the vegetables are already cut up.

7:32I should just have that for a snack or like, Oh, there's little egg cups that I could heat up and eat because I am the kind of person that like when food is prepped, I'll eat it, but I hate doing the prepping, which is why it never really gets done. And Drew, I'll give Drew credit. He does do it every once in a while, but we used to be super consistent with that and I kind of miss it. That's a really good one. That's also like a day changer. If anyone is listening to this episode and they need a business idea, I'm going to give you one. One of my friends, Allison, who lived on Maui had the best business ever and I would pay her countless dollars to do this.

8:11But basically, whenever we would go to the island, what she would do is she would go grocery shopping for you and she would prep food for you. And it was all paleo, super healthy. And we would come and we'd have a stocked fridge with little instructions of like bake this for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. And everything was there. And then she would leave you the receipt for your groceries. And then you just pay her an hourly rate of how long it took her to prep the food. And she just did it in your house. And then she cleaned all the dishes and cleaned your kitchen. It was literally life-changing.

8:44So if anyone needs a good business, you should do that if you can. My goodness. That is incredible. She is a saint. Really? And it was so cool because we saved a lot of money because we didn't eat out all the time. So I know it sounds like it's bougie and it is totally, but it saved us a lot of money because every time we would go out to eat, it'd be like a quick hundred dollars. And so we were just paying her her hourly rate for the shopping and the prepping. And it was amazing. That's brilliant. Now on to the topic. On to systems and workflows. Oh, I just I get like tingly talking about systems and workflows.

9:23It was like one of my first tasks when I joined Team Jenna Kutcher was to analyze the systems that were in place for the podcast and then mold them into even bigger and better systems. And I think everything we do has a system. So I am excited to talk to you about this today. I'm also just curious, have you always been a systems person or did it take you a while to figure out how to fit everything into a nice linear process? I think I always have been one. And it's funny because I don't think I looked at things as systems. I think a lot of us are quick to discount our methods and we don't necessarily want to appoint them the title of systems.

10:05But I think at the beginning, my love for systems was a necessity because when I was working at Target and starting to try to book enough weddings to leave Target, I had to have systems because I only had a few hours a day to get stuff done. So I remember early on creating things like email templates and like making a pricing guide inside of Microsoft I actually just shared one of my old pricing guides, Insiders Team Slack. We all had a very good chuckle. Oh my gosh. I learned how to use Photoshop to make that. And I like had these like stamps and these little like arrows that I loved. And it was so funny because my mom sent it to me to remind me of how far I've come.

10:47God bless her. And she was like, remember, like you charged$150 for two hours of shooting and you thought you were a millionaire. And I felt like one. So I think at the beginning, I was creating just these processes to like make things faster and to make things more thorough because I had such a limited amount of time. But then the obsession has grown as the business has grown and gotten more robust in the different channels. I love to be able to like have a pulse on what's going on without having to be in the know of every single little bit of minutiae. Absolutely. And one of the things our team's many systems allow us to do, and one of the things I think we're kind of known for is our ability to produce content and prepare really far in advance.

11:37And I think it's something we were just talking about, because as we're recording this episode, we are working on getting super far ahead so we can have some of that more low-key time at the beginning of this year, 2021. But why do we have that drive and desire to get ahead, do you think? I think it's because I recognized so early on, stressed work is never our best work. And if I'm feeling frantic or frenetic or urgent around something, I'm probably not going to produce at the right output or something that I'm really proud of. And it's kind of funny because years ago, I'd hired this business coach to teach me how to launch.

12:22And it was the most stressful thing I've ever encountered. And it was beautiful because I learned so much in the process. And I think that when you're learning, you can either learn the things you want to learn, or you can learn exactly what you don't want to do. and that process to me drained me so much that it had me wondering like is this all worth it like I don't think it's worth it and ever since that experience where I remember just like being so exhausted my phone was ringing off the hook at day and night in the middle of the night like things were breaking we didn't know where the next email was coming from like I just remember being like I will never do this again.

13:01And so I think there's so much joy in our desire for presence and our desire to like actually live life so that when we're ahead, we can almost take that deep breath and like pause in the way that we want to, at least for me. No, I agree. When we are able to create a head on our team, whether it's like the podcast or preparing for a launch or whatever, it then allows us when the thing is happening, when the launch is happening, to actually be in the trenches and then serving our people to an even greater extent because we're not worried about like the technical details or the content that's going to be released.

13:40And so it's really freeing even if beforehand there's a lot more work that goes into it. Yeah. It's almost like that old infomercial of like set it and forget it. I love that idea of like setting it and forgetting But then while the thing is happening, you're so much more present and you're so much more aware and you have the creative energy necessary to yield even better results, not just for yourself, but for the people you're serving. And I think that our heart of service shines through the way that we work because it's like, let's take care of all the things that need to get done so that we can be like ready when people need us.

14:16Totally. One unique thing, though, that when you get so far ahead, there's also some things to keep in mind. I think we learned that last year when getting ahead meant probably likely being irrelevant by the time we got to the content earring. So what are some things that you keep in mind and that we've continued to kind of keep in mind when we're getting so far ahead of ourselves as far as content creation and preparation for a launch and all that? Yeah. You know, 2020 taught us a lot of lessons, right? But one of them was like, okay, working ahead is good to a point, but there still has to be a level of flexibility.

14:57Yes, exactly. Oh, man. We all thought we were flexible until during our EQ trainings, we learned that we weren't as flexible as we thought. I remember Tico being like, you girls think you're flexible when you're in control of what the flexibility requires. And I remember thinking, wow, she nailed it. Called right out in that one. So I think that working ahead, especially in this new year and in this new season, and we're all kind of still trying to figure out like what this new normal is going to look like and what's realistic for the next year is trying to not be as linear. I recently had a phone call with someone who was kind of talking through some business things with me.

15:40And she's like, you're only getting frustrated because you're trying to fit everything that you want your life to be filled with on this grid as in the calendar. And, you know, she's like, life is 3D and it's meant to be lived. And like, you can use your calendar as a guide, but it can't be like the end all be all you've got to allow for flexibility and change. And I thought, wow, 2020 really has taught us that. And so I think that one of the things that we really keep in mind as we create is this level of evergreen. And I think that we've done a really good job of that in the form of creating not such time sensitive content that it's not going to make sense by the time it's released and being really, really aware of the way that we're creating so that the content lives on.

16:25One of the greatest things about the podcast is that it's literally like this library with over 400 books in it, teaching you different things that if you find something from even a few years ago, it's likely still relevant. And so a lot of people create and they churn out and they publish and then they're on to the next thing without really thinking, could I reuse this? Could I repurpose this? Could this still serve people a month, a year from now? I mean, I think that's one of our greatest gifts is that we're constantly thinking in a way that is evergreen, meaning things can live on. This podcast is brought to you by Mercury, money.

17:06Okay. I remember in the early days of my entrepreneurship journey, clients would literally mail me checks and then I would have to drive all the way to the bank to deposit them. It took me literal years to make things go digital. And I am ashamed to admit, I still have a filing cabinet with paper contracts because I'm way too afraid to throw them away. But that's the beauty of growth, right? Like you learn what systems serve you and which ones hold you back. Mercury is one of those systems that just works. Where traditional banking websites and apps are clunky and hard to use, Mercury is meticulously designed to make doing just about anything with your money feel effortless.

17:43And the best part is it flexes to fit all types of businesses. Ready to see what powerful banking can do for your business? Visit mercury.com to apply in minutes. Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. For important details, check the show notes. when we were young we dreamed of castles and fairy tales and as we grow up those dreams might shift into building something real like starting a business you need a website payment systems a logo and a way to reach customers it can all be overwhelming and confusing but thankfully that's where today's sponsor shopify comes in shopify powers millions of businesses around the world and 10 % of all US e-commerce, from big brands to folks just getting started.

18:29They offer beautiful, ready-to-go website templates so you don't need design skills to look professional. Their AI tools help with product images, descriptions, discount codes, and more. Shopify also makes it simple to run email and social campaigns so people can find you. And if you ever feel stuck, their award-winning 24-7 support is always available. Turn those dreams into... and give them the best shot at success with Shopify. Sign up for your$1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com slash gold digger. Go to shopify.com slash gold digger. Shopify.com slash gold digger. One of the clues that we aren't very flexible was last year when we had to kind of shift, modify and adapt and start rolling out episodes, like recording one week and releasing the next week.

19:25And that was such a test, I think, of how I work and how you work. And we really had to fall back on this concept of honoring our flow state. And I think that is kind of the degree of flexibility that our team is most comfortable with. So can you talk to me a little bit about this term flow state? Because we say it all the time, like we're always honoring our flow state. And I think it can sound a little bit woo woo if no one knows what we're saying. You know, it's funny because I really struggled with a flow state this last year. And so basically a flow state is like when you are so into the work that you're doing that like you don't even realize time is passing.

20:05Like, you know, you're so just like fully engaged with the task at hand that you, you know, the rest of the world is like hazy around you. And it's funny because I think that I often struggle with focus. And a lot of times, and Kylie, you can attest to this, like I have 8 million tabs open and I'm bouncing around and I have documents and I'm starting one thing and then jumping into another. And I am like the queen of like trying to prove that multitasking is a thing, even though I know that it's not. And so with our team's quote flow states, a lot of times I like to really think about like, what time of day are you most creative?

20:51When do you like get those ideas or those bursts? And it's honestly very different for each person. Like there's one person on our team who like works and loves working at like two in the morning and like I'll wake up and be like, wait, what was she doing at that time? time. But like, that's when she gets that burst, which I don't recommend. I love sleep way too much. That's not my thing. No, but then there's also like people where it's super interesting to being in different time zones where there's someone on our team who's in the Pacific standard time zone. And she loves to work like around what is my dinner time.

21:24And that's like her flow state. And so it's really interesting to kind of figure out, like, ask yourself, like, when do I feel most like fresh and energized and excited? And like, when is like my brain firing on all cylinders? And how can I make sure that the most important creative work that I'm doing happens in that state? What does it look like for you? Well, one thing I've noticed recently is that my flow state moves around depending on what season it is, what time of the month it is, like what phase I am in my own cycle. And I used to fight against that. I used to think, no, I am most productive in the morning before noon.

22:03And so I'm just going to hammer out all this stuff. And then I would get to a week where I was so distracted or I was hopping around and piecemealing projects and not feeling productive in the way that I was the week before. And then I would get down on myself. Like, what do you mean you can't focus? Why aren't you performing at the same level that you usually do. But I think flow state for me is recognizing that the times I'm going to be most productive might move a little bit depending on any number of outside influences. But mostly it's in the morning for me and knowing that that might move around.

22:40And so I can build my day out depending on where my flow state is going to be or where it has been. And then I'll put stuff that doesn't require a lot of focused attention in the times of days where I'm not the most focused. So I might do more, quote, mindless work. I might be going through and approving Facebook posts or something, something that I don't have to put a lot of critical thought into, but I have to read and click a button. And that feels better in the afternoon. But if I have to write something, if I have to really be creative, it's in the morning, usually before 7am is when I'm really firing on all cylinders.

23:18So I've just tried to be kind to myself when figuring out when my flow status. I love that. And I think too, our team is really good at communicating. So it'll be like, we'll touch base and then we'll let each other do the work. And then we'll touch base again once it's done. So it's like, let's just make sure you've got what you need to do, what you're about to do. And then just like check in and let me know where you're at before you log off. And I think that that's cool because it's less notifications. And I think for me, sometimes my focus gets frazzled when I like get the ding of Slack and then I'm like in the inbox waiting for a response and things like that.

23:53And so I've really tried to like focus on narrowing things down, having one tab open at a time. Yeah, right. One. Okay. Right now I have one, two, three, four, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. That's pretty good for me. Does anyone else relate? Yeah, that's the equivalent of one for you. That's the minimum I've ever heard. Our team's really good at when we shoot off a Slack message, recognizing that we're meeting someone in a completely different phase of their day than where we are. And so I usually preface my messages that aren't urgent with... Well, nothing's urgent on our team. So I'll say Not urgent, but when you're thinking about it or if when you're in the headspace for this, that's how I like to operate because I think it's the most respect.

24:41That's what I would want in return from a teammate. And I always get it. So yes, I love that. So I think also some people listening might be craving a structure to maybe implement in their own days of working when they can't figure out when they're going to be most productive or how to inspire productivity. So how are you structuring your days these days? And how does that look different from earlier in the business? Oh, man. Earlier in the business, I worked all the time. I mean, I literally would be the person responding to emails at 10pm and sleeping with my laptop on my nightstand only to open it before I even got out of bed.

25:23So it's really interesting to look at just how different I operate and how much more alive I feel. So it's been really unique. And obviously, this comes from a very privileged place because I'm so grateful that Drew gets to stay home and be a stay-at-home dad and really is so helpful with things like running errands and cooking and that kind of stuff. So I'm so lucky. But really, I start my days a lot slower. So I used to be you know, up at seven workout in by eight, and that kind of thing. And lately, we have really slow mornings. And I've learned to just really embrace and love that. So some mornings, I'll get up and try to get on the Peloton before Coco wakes up.