A 3-Step Guide to Work-Life Balance and Embracing the Changing Seasons
10 Minute Read
Let’s talk about an easy, 3-step process you can do to achieve work-life balance and embrace the changing seasons. I know autumn can be bittersweet. The colors are always nice and the nostalgia of Halloween sits in the back of our minds. But, just like Christmas inventory at Home Depot waiting to break down the door on August 31st, the looming shadow of busy season, slammed schedules, and broken hearts of families on Christmas Eve, waits to show its face. It’s coming—but we’re going to be prepared. How? We have this process, and if we go through it together, I’m sure you’ll walk away feeling more confident in handling your business and—dare I say it—enjoying your personal life this upcoming fall and winter.
Table of Contents:
1. Create a Road Map
It hurts to say it, but this is the beginning of the holidays, so we need to start preparing with step one: creating a seasonal work plan. This will be the overall road map you refer to from now until the beginning of next year. If you follow these steps and take your time, you’ll likely save 1-2 hours per week by avoiding disorganized scheduling, emergency adjustments, and running around with your head cut off.
Analyze Historical Data
Look back into this time last year and see how it changed. You might see peak sale times, buying patterns, and fluctuating traffic trends. Use this information to determine and write down when to increase inventory, launch a campaign, or remind yourself when your schedule will get busier.
Analyze things like:
✅ Sales trends with (POS) systems, E-commerce tools, and accounting software
✅ Buying patterns with CRM systems and E-commerce analytics
✅ Traffic trends with website analytic tools, heatmap tools, and POS data
✅ Campaign performance with email marketing platforms like Mailchimp, social media analytics, and advertising platforms like Google or Facebook Ads.
✅ Inventory levels with inventory management software and POS systems
Survey Your Clients
Client surveys can reveal what products, services, or experiences they are most interested in during different seasons. Sending out simple questions will give you a first-hand perspective into what your clients want from you as the seasons change. This is optional, but doing it will add the cherry on top of your strategy plan.
Ex.
Which of our products/services do you use most frequently?
What additional products or services would you like us to offer during the holiday season?
What is your primary reason for using our services?
What type of holiday promotions do you prefer?
What’s your favorite thing about the holidays?
Define Clear Goals
Identify what you want to achieve this season by choosing 1-2 professional goals and 1-2 personal goals. These could include attending a family outing, going on a vacation, or doing something you love. Professionally, consider high-level goals like increasing website visitors by 50%, reducing bounce rate by 10%, or something similar. Make sure to be detailed with a realistic timeline to keep yourself motivated and on track.
Example: Instead of aiming to "increase brand awareness," set a specific target like "increase website visitors by 50% by January 2025."
Before moving on to the next step, outline actionable steps you can take to reach these goals.
Example: “To increase website visitors by 50% by January 2025, I’ll want to post a blog article once a week.”
After Step One You Should Have:
A high-level road map consisting of:
Data points that tell you what to expect in the coming weeks.
Client preferences and how to quickly bridge the gap between want and offer.
2 - 4 clear, high-level goals that are both realistic and achievable.
2. Prioritize and Streamline Tasks
Now that you’ve created your road map, we’re going to prioritize tasks and find ways to make your daily workload lighter and more manageable. Ideally, you’ll take this step seriously and end up with healthier habits and an improved overall quality of life - but that’s easier said than done, isn’t it?
For now, set aside the assets you created in the previous step. Start fresh by writing down all of your responsibilities. Don’t overthink it — just write down everything that comes to mind.
If you struggle with prioritization or find yourself staring at a long list of tasks, start by listing the top 3-5 that come to mind. It’s perfectly fine to start small; you can build on this list as needs arise and you identify more priorities.
Rank Your Tasks by Importance
Once you feel good about your list — and realistically, this could take hours or even days if you've never done this before — we’ll move to the next step; however, it’s important to take your time and be thorough. Remember, the one person who benefits the most from this step is future you.
When you're ready, start identifying which tasks are most important. Rank each one on a scale of 1-3, based on its priority level.
Delegate or Outsource Where Possible
Once you’ve categorized all your tasks — and if more than 50% of them are ranked as #1, you need to reassess — it’s time to consider outsourcing or delegating, especially if it can apply to your business.
Start by splitting your #2’s and #3’s into categories like customer support, graphic design, content writing, campaign management, etc., and a catch-all "other" category. From there, evaluate where you can offload that workload minus the “other” category.
When outsourcing these tasks, I'd love to be your marketing girl. However, if you're looking for help in other areas, here are some platforms I recommend:
Upwork
Toptal
Indeed
LinkedIn
If you don’t have the means or budget to outsource, consider using these free or low-cost platforms to help streamline some of these tasks.
Task Management Tools
Trello/Asana/ClickUp: Organize and track tasks efficiently, reducing the need for external project managers. Set up boards and lists to visualize and prioritize work.
Todoist: Create and manage to-do lists to stay on top of tasks without extra help. Use labels and due dates to streamline your workflow.
Automation Software
Zapier/Make/IFTTT: Automate repetitive tasks like data entry and notifications, reducing manual work. Set up workflows to connect apps and automate tasks.
Automate.io: Create automated workflows to handle routine tasks between apps, saving time on manual processes.
Scheduling Tools
Google Calendar/Outlook Calendar: Schedule and manage appointments and meetings, reducing the need for a personal assistant. Share your calendar to streamline scheduling.
Calendly/Acuity Scheduling: Allow clients to book time with you based on your availability, automating appointment scheduling and reducing back-and-forth emails.
Email Management Tools
Boomerang/SaneBox: Manage and organize emails with features like scheduling and filtering, reducing email overload. Set reminders for follow-ups and prioritize important messages.
Mailtrack: Track email opens to follow up effectively and manage communications without extra support.
Social Media Automation Tools
Buffer/Hootsuite/Later: Schedule and automate social media posts, manage multiple accounts from one place, and track engagement. Plan and queue posts in advance to maintain a consistent presence.
SocialBee: Create content calendars and automate posting, reducing the need for a social media manager. Manage content and track performance easily.
Automate and Time Block
Now, we consider the remaining responsibilities you categorized into “other” or realized you can’t outsource for some reason. Social media posts, email responses, and invoicing can easily be automated to simplify your workload and set reminders for your future self to keep you on track.
With the things left over that you’ve decided you cannot outsource (which realistically should be 5%-25%), it’s time to start blocking your schedule to handle them efficiently. Just as before, group these items into categories. These categories will then be assigned specific time blocks to keep things nice and neat for you.
For example, you might group tasks like writing custom email responses, sending out invoices, and replying to social media messages into one category (they all involve you sitting at your desk with full attention). Then, designate specific times during your week to tackle these, like Friday mornings from 6 AM to 9 AM.
Set Boundaries to Protect Your Time
Just as you’ve created time blocks for work tasks, you’ll now need to establish non-negotiable off-hours. Make it clear by updating your website and setting up automated responses to let clients know that you’ll address their needs first thing during your designated hours.
After Step Two, You Should Have:
An organized task hierarchy
A clear plan of what tasks can be outsourced or automated
Time blocks for future high-priority task categories
3. Prioritize Self-Care and Personal Time
Step three might be one of the most important steps since it directly impacts you and the time you spend outside of work, enjoying your life. This section is meant to help you prioritize yourself and pave the way for a less stressful season and a more fulfilling personal life. Please be warned that this step will not work as intended if you haven’t completed the previous steps sincerely.
If you’re ready to finish off this guide, let’s get started with step three.
Create a Hobby List
A hobby list might sound cheesy, but it can help us recharge, destress, and take care of ourselves in a healthy way for positive long-term effects. Whether you’re experienced at making time for yourself or you’re reading this with skepticism, I encourage you to take it seriously so your overall quality of life can improve, not decline, this season.
Start by identifying what you love or have loved in the past. Maybe you rode a bike once and it was a good experience. Perhaps you grew up playing specific video games. Maybe you appreciate a drink on a rooftop bar or a diner breakfast on Sunday morning with your family. This list can be infinite, which can sometimes be intimidating. But like before, don’t take it too seriously and list all the things that come to mind. You can erase (and even add more) later.
Next, choose a specific time each week or month that you’ll set aside as non-negotiable time off to explore these activities. This time can be in addition to your designated off-hours or within them. Ideally, choose a timeframe that allows you to more easily align schedules with those you love.
If you’re unsure where to start, consider looking up holiday dates for the upcoming season and pick the days that align with the times you want to enjoy with those closest to you.
I understand you might be thinking, “I’m not going to go ride a bike just because I liked it once; that’s silly.” But why is it silly? If you enjoyed it, that’s what matters. If it generates natural endorphins and helps reduce your stress levels, why not make time for it or, at the very least, try it out?
Did you know that participating in hobbies can lower your stress levels, decrease anxiety and depressive symptoms, and improve your overall mental health?
Plan Regular Breaks
Even with time blocks, you’re going to want to prioritize taking short breaks throughout the day and schedule long breaks like vacations periodically.
The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method designed to enhance productivity and focus. Here’s a brief overview:
If this is your first time, you struggle with time management, or you’d like more structure for this step, consider using the Pomodoro Technique (pronounced "poh-moh-DOH-roh".) Named after the Italian word for "tomato", its creator, Francesco Cirillo, used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer when developing this method that has shown to be particularly useful for overcoming procrastination and managing large projects.
Here’s how it works:
Choose a Task: Select the task you want to work on.
Set a Timer: Set a timer for 25 minutes, known as one "Pomodoro."
Work on the Task: Focus solely on the task until the timer rings.
Take a Short Break: After the timer goes off, take a 5-minute break to relax and recharge.
This could mean going for a short walk, getting a snack to eat, or do some light stretching. While it’s probably really enticing to check your phone or switch over to a less important task, it’s important to refrain and do something that helps your body relax. Unfortunately, your dopamine receptors might not like it at first, but that’s okay. If you resort to using your phone, working some more, or switching to entertainment, it’s more likely you’ll go over the 5-minute mark, and the Pomodoro will be for nothing.
Repeat: Start another Pomodoro, and after four Pomodoros, take a longer break of 15-30 minutes.
Be sure to schedule your longer breaks in advance, as you’ll appreciate having them when the time comes. Plan some random weekends off and vacations for the upcoming season. If you’re unsure when to take time off, use upcoming holidays as an idea or off-seasons if you’re considering traveling.
After Step Four, You Should Have:
A list of things you can do this upcoming season
A strategy for less working, more breaks, and higher productivity
Scheduled time-off
After Completing This Guide You Should Have:
Data points that tell you what to expect in the coming weeks.
Client preferences and how to quickly bridge the gap between want and offer.
2 - 4 straightforward, high-level goals that are both realistic and achievable.
An organized task hierarchy.
A clear plan of what tasks can be outsourced or automated.
Time blocks for future high-priority task categories.
A list of things you can do this upcoming season.
A strategy for less work, more breaks, and higher productivity.
Scheduled time off.
Now that you know how to create an official plan of attack, do you feel confident taking the next steps and executing? By organizing your tasks, automating where possible, and carving out time for yourself, you’ll avoid burnout and, if you’re lucky, enjoy the changing seasons and upcoming holidays. Remember, the goal is to stay ahead of the curve while still making time for your personal life–you’re real life, the one you’ve been working for.
