Running a business is hard work – you need systems.
You’re following your dream, and you’re building something that you are passionate about, but things seem to take more effort than they should. Your inbox is overflowing with requests from clients and you can’t remember the last time that you took a day off. That sounds like systems are needed! In this blog post, we will discuss systems for your business in order to make it easier and happier!
Client Intake System:
The first step in creating systems is to develop a Client Intake System. This will help you to organize all of the information you need about each client in one place. This could include contact information, project details, payment information, and any other important notes. Having this system in place will help you to be more efficient when working with clients and ensure that no important detail is missed.
My favourite tool for this is Dubsado. It’s an online CRM (customer relationship management) system that helps you to keep track of all your client data in one place.
Project Management System:
A Project Management System is essential for keeping track of all the tasks associated with a project. Also, having a clear list of what needs to be done by whom will help you avoid miscommunication with your team members and ensure that deadlines are met on time.
A great tool for this is Notion or ClickUp. It’s an online task management application that allows you to assign tasks to different employees (or yourself) as well as set due dates and track the progress of each task.
Including a project management system also means that you will have a record of your projects to refer back to.
Content Management System:
A Content Management System is essential for keeping track of which articles are being published and when especially if multiple people write blog posts for your business. This will help you to avoid publishing duplicate content, wasting time on social media, and ensuring that deadlines are met!
Although I keep all my content in a Workspace in Notion, a favourite tool of mine is Google Sheets. It’s an excellent spreadsheet application that you can share with your team members (or even clients!) in order to keep track of deadlines and publish dates.
Email Organization System:
Email can be a huge time suck when done incorrectly! It is important to establish an Email Organization System to help you keep your inbox clean and organized. This could include rules for sorting emails, folders for organizing messages, and automated systems for responding to common inquiries.
My favourite tool for this is just setting up folders, rules, and labels inside Gmail. I also use Unroll Me to unsubscribe from newsletters that I no longer want coming to my inbox. One of the great features of Unroll Me is that you can still get the information, just not into your inbox.
Time Management System:
This system will help you to track where your time is being spent and identify areas where more or less attention is needed. Having this information will help you to be more productive and ensure that your business is running as efficiently as possible.
A great tool for this is RescueTime. It’s an automated time management system that runs in the background on your computer and automatically tracks how much time you spend using different websites or applications, allowing you to identify where more or less attention needs to be paid!
By implementing these systems, you will find that your work becomes easier and less stressful. You will have more time to focus on what you’re passionate about and less time to feel overwhelmed by all of the tasks at hand.