How to Crush Your Business Goals and Still Enjoy Summer
May 30, 2024
Summer is often seen as a time for relaxation, vacations, and fun in the sun, but for entrepreneurs and business owners, it can also be a challenging period to maintain productivity. How do you balance the fun of pool parties and beach trips with the need to stay on top of your business goals? This question has been on my mind a lot, and in this blog post, I’m going to share a tried-and-true project management method that has helped me and many others achieve laser-focused productivity during the summer months: sprints.
My Corporate Career Secret: Sprints
In my corporate career, especially when our teams were falling behind, I often turned to a project management technique called "sprints." It might sound a bit corporate-y, but trust me, it works wonders for staying productive. Back then, my job was to clean up messy projects and help overwhelmed teams make progress. My title was "Organizer Extraordinaire," and there were two crucial strategies I always implemented on day one that you can apply to your business right now.
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Co-Locate the Team: In a corporate setting, this meant making the team sit next to each other to enhance collaboration. As a solopreneur or someone with a virtual team, this translates to batching and theme days. For more on this, check out my CEO Week resources here. The goal is to simplify and focus your tasks.
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Business Sprints: This involves looking at your calendar and upcoming work, then determining the best you can achieve in a short period. For instance, you might focus intensely on a project for two weeks or achieve a quick win by outsourcing or knocking a few tasks off your list.
Why Business Sprints Work
Business sprints are all about short bursts of intense, focused work designed to achieve a specific goal within a defined timeframe. Here’s why they’re especially effective:
- Increased Focus: Sprints force you to eliminate distractions and prioritize tasks, resulting in a laser-like focus on your goals.
- Enhanced Motivation: The time-bound nature of sprints creates a sense of urgency, keeping you motivated and pushing you to achieve more in a shorter timeframe.
- Faster Completion: By dedicating a block of focused time, you avoid the constant context switching that can slow you down.
Planning Your Summer Sprint
Now, let's get tactical about planning your summer sprint. Follow these steps to ensure you stay productive while still enjoying the season:
- Identify Your Summer Goals: Decide what you want to achieve before switching to vacation mode.
- Choose a Manageable Timeframe: Aim for a sprint of 1-4 weeks, depending on your project’s scope.
- Break Down Your Goals: Create actionable steps for each sprint day, providing a clear roadmap.
- Schedule Your Sprint: Block out specific times in your calendar dedicated solely to sprint activities.
- Communicate Your Sprint: Inform your team, clients, and family about your focused period to avoid interruptions.
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Examples of Summer Sprints
To give you some concrete ideas, here are a few examples of how you can implement summer sprints:
- Launch Planning: Plan a launch in early June so you can take July off.
- Focused Projects: Set aside a week to update a significant project, like creating a podcast, finishing a lead magnet, or updating email sequences. Instead of spreading the work over several weeks, concentrate your efforts into a short, intense period.
Recently, I did this for our planner update. I dedicated a week to review all new updates, finalize the cover, and send it to the printer. This was a massive task, but by focusing solely on it for a week, we got it done efficiently. Our current sprint is launching our mastermind and our new summer planners, allowing us to slow down later and focus on behind-the-scenes work and some well-deserved time off.
Managing Your Summer Schedule
Planning your sprint is one thing, but managing your overall summer schedule is equally important. Here are some tips to help you stay on track:
- Embrace Batching: Group similar tasks to avoid context switching and increase efficiency.
- Utilize Early Mornings: Use the quiet hours before the day heats up for focused work.
- Delegate and Outsource: Assign errands or administrative tasks to others to free up your time for high-priority projects.
- Schedule "Off Time": Balance your sprints with relaxation periods to recharge.
Pro Tip: Summer Fridays
Consider adopting a "Summer Fridays" policy. Dedicate Fridays to lighter tasks like checking emails or brainstorming new ideas, allowing for a relaxed end to the week while maintaining momentum.
By strategically using business sprints and managing your schedule effectively, you can have a productive and successful summer season. A little planning goes a long way, so grab your calendar, map out your sprints, and get ready to crush your goals with the summer sunshine fueling your journey!
Looking for more tips? Check out our Crush the Rush Club!
About the author
Holly Haynes is a business strategist who loves a good plan and flow chart. She is crazy passionate about teaching women like you how to build your dream job and scale to 6-figures without sacrificing your weekends or priorities.
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