Behind the scenes of my business - a look at my weekly schedule
Ever since taking my business full time last November, I’ve found myself becoming increasingly fascinated by the schedules of other business owners. I love seeing how people plan their time, what work/life boundaries they put in place, and how they manage to get everything done without the structure of a typical 9-5 office job.
It’s taken me a little while to find my own groove with planning my time, but I’ve now got a pretty solid weekly schedule that works for me and my business. It helps me to prioritise the growth of my business while also freeing up enough time for all of the other things that are important to me, and as someone who used to spend 40 hours a week working, with a hell of a lot of travel time thrown in on top, it feels refreshing to finally have a good balance.
And so today, I thought I’d take you behind the scenes of my business and give you a look at my weekly schedule. Hopefully it will be interesting for some of you, and perhaps it might even encourage you to see how you can add a bit more balance and joy to your own routine…
Monday
When I took the leap to full time self employment, I knew that one thing I wanted to prioritise was a slow start to the week. In my corporate life Mondays were always busy and stressful, and I knew I didn’t want that for my business, so now I tend to take the first day of the week off. My husband also has Mondays off, so it means we can make the most of weekend trips, visit family, or simply start the week with a little date day.
Sometimes I’ll catch up with some work later on in the day to get me set up for the week ahead, and at the moment I’m running my group coaching programme each Monday evening which means I spend a couple of hours working (usually from 6.30pm - 8.30pm), but knowing I have that flexibility during the day means my weeks get off to a much more joyful start!
Tuesday
Tuesdays always start the same way for me - spending 3-4 hours volunteering at the office for our local food bank network. I help with general admin along with a couple of other volunteers, and I feel very grateful that my business gives me the flexibility to support my local community in this way. Plus, spending a couple of hours in an office each work has really helped my transition to self employment - it provides a valuable anchor point in my schedule each week, as well as a bit of a social network.
I usually get home from the food bank at around 1.30ish, and spend the rest of the day getting stuck into creating content for my business. This might include recording an episode of my podcast, writing a blog post, or creating materials for any course or group programmes I might be running. I also try to catch up on any household chores, like laundry or hoovering too - having a tidy home space has become really important to me now I spend so much time here!
Wednesday
Wednesdays are the busiest day of the week for my business, and I usually end up working a slightly longer day than the rest of the week, but it’s also my main day of coaching, so I don’t mind that one bit! Coaching really is my favourite part of my job, and I love spending Wednesdays at my desk catching up with clients. I usually have 4 or 5 calls each Wednesday, which can take place any time between 8am and 8pm - I like to offer as much flexibility as possible.
In between coaching calls I might catch up on any content tasks or admin (things like keeping my finances up to date, setting my availability, and I try to break up my day with some exercise too. That might look like a walk along the canal, a HIIT workout, or some gentle yoga - just something to get me away from my screen for an hour or so.
Thursday
Thursdays are my other main coaching day, and so they follow a similar pattern to Wednesdays, although I tend to wrap up my day a little earlier (usually at around 5 or 6pm). As well as catching up with my clients, I usually spend Thursday writing my newsletter and scheduling it for Sunday morning, as well as making sure my podcast is edited and scheduled for the following week.
Knowing I’m ahead on these tasks means I can properly switch off at the weekend, and it removes any unnecessary panic and stress from my business. As someone who works best with a deadline, it can be tempting to leave everything to the last minute, but I’m realising that being as prepared as possible makes working for myself a lot more joyful.
Friday
Every Friday in my business is different, but ideally I like to leave them free of coaching calls so that I can spend the day thinking big picture. That might include planning content for the months ahead, working on any new projects, or spending some time improving my skills as a coach (this is something I like to continually invest time and money into so that I can offer my clients the best possible service).
I also make sure I spend Friday afternoon updating my achievement log, which is basically a record of everything I’ve achieved that week. I keep mine in a Google doc, and it really helps me to keep imposter syndrome at bay. Then finally, before I wrap up for the week, I write my to do list for the following week and make sure my Google calendar is up to date - this means I’m not worrying about forgetting anything over the weekend.
Saturday & Sunday
Every other Saturday morning I open up a couple of coaching call slots for clients who work full time or can’t make a Wednesday or Thursday slot work, but other than that, I don’t usually tend to do any work at the weekend. I try to keep this time free to focus on all of the other things in my life that are important to me - seeing friends and family, spending time outdoors, pottering around at home and exploring new places.
Taking this time for myself makes me more effective and productive when I get back to my desk the following week, and it also makes me a more patient and understanding coach for my clients. Plus, I believe in practicing what I preach, and life is for living!
I hope this post has been interesting to you in some way! I’d love to know - do you run your own business? What does your schedule look like?
