Structure
There's so little structure to your work as a small business owner. Literally my only structured times are our two weekly meetings (coaches meeting and strategy meeting), plus weekly phone calls with clients.
I've learned that I thrive with structure. CrossFit made me realize that. You show up to class and get coached. Methods to optimize your performance are mostly well established. There's a clear path forward.
Owning a small business, you decide how to spend your entire day. Literally sitting on the couch all day and watching Netflix is an option.
Even for my personality type - who is extremely independent and values freedom above ALL ELSE - this freedom can be a little unnerving.
I've therefore been forced to explore how to create structure for myself. It's challenged me to better understand myself, because in order to create structure to set yourself up for success, you've got to know how you operate best, as well as how you don't.
I've still got a lot to figure out, but a few things that I've found work for me:
Spend 90 minutes first thing in the morning on reading/journaling/stretching. I began this habit a few weeks ago, and it ensures that I get some of my most important tasks in every day. It also allows me to go into work feeling more calm and in control.
Don't schedule meetings before 9am. Gotta protect that sleep and morning routine!
Mondays are for admin work and freelance work. The more of this I can take care of at the beginning of the week, the bigger blocks of time I have available to work on coding and projects.
Create big blocks of time for coding. My favorite thing is having a huge chunk of free time ahead of me to code. I can code for hours straight and get a lot done. Doing a half hour or hour here and there isn't as satisfying or as productive.
Stop work an hour before going to the gym. This prevents me from being distracted while seeing friends at the gym and working out, and allows me to go into the workout with more focus.
Afternoon walk with the dog. Important so that I occasionally come up for some fresh air, spend time with Kobe, and don't sit at my desk all day. Usually I listen to a motivating podcast, like the Tim Ferriss Show, Chasing Excellence, Girl Boss Radio, Heroine, Barbell Shrugged, etc.
Fridays are for client calls, appointments, and errands. Consolidating these tasks into one day means less fractured attention during the other days.
Read, read, read! Regularly devouring books and podcasts has been my attempt at figuring out this business owner thing. I'm putting the most valuable books I find here; it's a collection of all the knowledge I wish someone had given me when I quit my job and began pursuing Adaptive Nutrition full-time.