How I Get Shit Done Working Under 15 Hours Per Week
Ever wondered how I get shit done in my business when I work less than 15 hours a week?
This is exactly what I was asked recently by one of my Mistressmind clients.
And isn’t this the million dollar question?
It’s the quintessential – how do I work smarter not harder in my business?
And when you’re wanting to SCALE your business, this is the question you need to be asking yourself – How can you leverage your time better?
It also requires you to stop getting distracted by all the shiny shit and to get laser focused on the needle moving tasks in your business – What are the things that are ACTUALLY important for your business and your growth?
Because when you have only 15 hours per week to work – you get really bloody good at focusing only on the things that ARE important.
In today’s episode of the Feminine Fire Podcast I’m going to share with you how I do it – what I actually prioritise in my business, how I decide what to focus on and how I get shit done in under 15 hours per week.
Let’s dive in…
First, some context, because context is always important…
I currently work around 15 hours a per week. I’m a mama of 2 young boys – Noah is 5 and Hugo is 2, so I’m very much in the early years of motherhood and doing the biz-mum life juggle.
At the moment, my week looks like:
Mondays in the business for part of the day – my parents or in laws look after the boys on a Monday
Tuesdays & Wednesdays in the business for most of the day – because the boys are in preschool and daycare
Thursdays & Fridays are my full mum mode – so I’m not in the business except for checking in with clients and my team
Which is the other thing worth noting here…
I have team support in the business which means that there are things that I don’t do but that are essential to the running of the business. For example:
I have a VA who does a lot of the admin tasks, onboarding of clients, behind the scenes of managing our programs
I have a content manager who supports me in repurposing content, copywriting and content planning & strategy
I have a podcast editor who edits and produces the podcast each week
It would be very difficult for me to show up in the way that I do and continue running the business in the way that I do right now if I didn’t outsource these tasks. And that’s really important context – I don’t do it ALL on my own.
So what do I do?
Here are the key priority areas I focus on each week in my business:
Priority Area 1: Client support
This is me working IN the business with clients and is largely what takes up the biggest chunk of my 15 hours per week. I’m the only coach in my programs. So when you choose to work with me, you’re working with me.
Client support looks like:
My daily check ins with clients in Slack – so this happens Monday to Friday and is the only task that I prioritise on a Thursday & Friday when I’m with the kids. It just looks a little different on those days – instead of me sitting at my desk or out on my morning walk responding to clients, it happens in the cracks of mum life while we’re out at swimming lessons or while Hugo is having a nap and Noah is having some quiet time.
And then I have my client calls – at the moment I have both my programs running so I’ll have either 1 or 2 group coaching calls per week, and then for the Mistressmind, I’ve added in quarterly 1:1 strategy calls for this next round so every 3 months I’ll also have my 1:1 calls with my Mistressmind clients.
It also includes copy review, which my Mistressmind clients can access weekly, as well as any time I spend creating or updating new resources or tools that I create on demand for clients and add them into our content library.
So that’s client support – the biggest chunk of my time goes to this.
Priority Area 2: Content
Content is how I market my business online, so it is a really important focus area and even more so when during a launch.
As I mentioned before I do have some support with this, my content manager Tahryn will help me write my launch emails, finalise my weekly podcast content, come up with content ideas and repurpose old content in new ways.
I also don’t edit and produce the weekly podcast episodes, I have a podcast editor who does that for me.
BUT I still pour a lot of my own time and energy into my content.
Writing my notes and recording the podcast each week is a big part of that.
I also have a weekly email that goes out every single week that I sit down and personally write the main part of – Tahryn does help me pull part of that email together BUT I do sit down each week, usually the morning the email goes out, to personally write that email to my list.
When it comes to launch emails – Tahryn also writes the bulk of them, taking past content and past emails and conversations that we have when planning out the launch and working her content magic BUT I still review them all and make some minor edits before they then get scheduled.
I also create all content for instagram, which is my main social media platform – reels, carousels and stories – and anything shared in my Facebook group. For the last couple of months I’ve done a monthly Live in there on different topics that the group has requested and voted for. It’s also the space that I’ll run my free challenges when I’m doing those.
So content is another major area of the business that I spend my time on – whether that’s creating content, reviewing content or sharing content.
Priority Area 3: Sales
During a launch: I’m showing up to sell every single day in many different ways. I’m selling through my content – on email, Instagram, through the podcast AND I’m also selling behind the scenes in DMs, on clarity calls, in email, in conversation with people 1:1 in whatever way that happens.
When I’m not in launch: It’s dialled down a bit and I’m not actively selling EVERYDAY. But I am still selling pretty consistently, even if it’s building the waitlist before my next launch.
If you want to grow your business, attract more dream clients, sell out your programs, make more money, run a thriving business – sales is a non-negotiable.
And it should always be one of the top priorities in your business.
Even when you’re fully booked and at capacity – we are always planning for the future so focus on building and nurturing a waitlist.
You cannot ignore sales!
Priority Area 4: Admin, Planning & Money Magic
I know, admin is boring. But we all have to do it as business owners, even when you outsource certain things to a VA, there will always be an element of this.
I try to make it as easy and fun and magical as possible.
Sometimes that’s setting a timer and seeing how many of those little bitty admin tasks I can get done in 20 minutes.
Other times I pop on some music and make it more fun that way.
I’m also going to include my weekly money magic hour in this section because that’s how I make money management fun and magic. This is the time every week that I dedicate to all money tasks in the business – tracking my income and expenses, paying invoices, and generally pouring positive energy into my money.
I think one of the superpowers we have as spiritual business owners is that we have the skills to take something boring and mundane – and ritualise it. We can make it magic by weaving in ritual and sacredness and fun.
So next time you’re like “ugh, admin” – ask yourself, how can I make this more fun and sacred? You have the power to do that.
I am also including checking in with both my team and my coach here, which is something that I do – with my team everyday and with my coach a few times per week – because this is how we progress our plans and move forward in the business.
I always make time for this because THIS is what supports me to make decisions and get shit done. To have those conversations with my coach where we can chat through my goals and plans and next steps and bounce ideas, and then those conversations with my team to help me implement. This is super important.
The final piece that I want to speak to is…
How I decide what to focus on, prioritise and take action on versus what to park to one side for now.
This is really about how you decide what’s important and what’s not.
There will be many times when you’re presented with opportunities or ideas – and when you have limited time, you have to get really good at saying no.
Whether it’s saying no to someone else who is presenting you with an amazing opportunity or asking you to get involved in something really cool OR it’s saying no to yourself, when you have an idea that you’re really excited about.
How do you know when to say no AND when to say yes?
Here’s my secret…I say no a lot more than I say yes.
In fact, my default response is usually a no.
And I know that might sound super negative but when you have limited time and you’re running a business, protecting your energy and holding those boundaries around your time becomes really important.
I’ve already made decisions about my priorities. I already have plans for what I’m doing in the business. I already have a strategy. And my precious time is already mostly accounted for. So if I’m going to say yes to something, it needs to be bloody good.
So that means, in order for me to say yes to something, it has to not only be something that I’m excited about, it also has to make sense for the business (aka it’s contributing to our goals in some way, it’s bringing us closer to the vision) and it has to make sense for my schedule and capacity.
I has to fit ALL of that criteria in order for me to consider saying yes:
It has to be something I’m excited about
It has to be contributing to my business goals
AND it has to work for my schedule and capacity
If it doesn’t, then it’s a no.
And it doesn’t mean it’s a no forever, but it’s a no for now.
There are so many things that I have on my wishlist of things I want to do in the business:
I want to write a book.
I want to create oracle cards.
I’d love to run a retreat and do more speaking gigs and guest masterclasses.
I’ve got ideas for more online programs and offerings.
So many things!
And for the most part – those ideas will stay parked for a little while. It’s not my season right now to do ALL of the things. It’s my season to keep business simple but potent.
Something that’s really helped me is making a decision and creating a plan.
I make conscious, intentional decisions and I have a plan that I follow through on. Our brains love a decision. It means way less distractions. It makes it way easier to stay focused.
For example, I’ve made the intentional decision that right now THIS is what my business model looks like. I have my mastermind the Spiritual Business Mistressmind and I have my group program Confident Consistent Cash. They are the two live programs I run consistently. I launch them a couple times a year. That’s my business model. That’s my launch plan. Those are the intentional decisions I’ve made.
So when an idea drops in for a new offering, if I hadn’t made those decisions, it could be quite easy to get distracted by that idea because it sounds fun and exciting and new BUT it’s not necessarily serving the broader business vision right now, it likely doesn’t make sense for my current schedule and capacity or fit within current launch plans and I’ve already made a decision around what my business model and offerings look like – so it’s a no.
Making a decision and having a solid plan makes it easier to park ideas like this because you’ve already made those decisions.
So if you’re finding it challenging to say no – make a decision and create a plan for yourself, and do what you need to do to actually stick to it.
If you want to start working smarter not harder and make more money in less time – then you have to have boundaries and learn to say no to things, even when they’re exciting, even when it feels like you might be letting someone else down. I know that’s easier said than done, but part of being a business owner is making those hard decisions and sometimes having those hard conversations.
And I say this with so much love but if you struggle to say no to others because you don’t want to let them down – you need to get over the people pleasing and do what’s right for you and your business.
Think of it this way: When you say yes to someone else when you really want to say no, you are - in that moment - actually saying no to yourself and your business. And that’s only going to slow you down and make you pretty unhappy.
So let’s learn to say no to those things that aren’t aligned with where you’re at right now so that you can say YES to you and your business and prioritise your business goals.
This is what I support my clients to do inside the Spiritual Business Mistressmind.
To make these key decisions around their priorities so they have a plan and a strategy that is aligned with their vision and brings them closer to their goals.
Doors are now open. The next round kicks off at the beginning of October. And I’d love to have you in it with me if you’re wanting to scale your business and get shit done in a way that works for you, your energy and your season of life right now.
You can find out more here or come on over to instagram and send me a DM at @bec_cuzzillo – I’d love to have a chat with you about how I can support you to stay focused and reach your business goals.
