We’re back with another business-focused audio blog — and this one couldn’t be more timely – we’re sharing our Tips to Keep Your Workday Focused.

This week marks our last few days before summer break kicks off and our kids are home full-time. It’s our final summer before Niles heads to kindergarten, and the reality check of that has us holding tight to our time. Like many small business owners, we’re constantly asking ourselves:

How can we work smarter so we can spend more time with our family and less time glued to our desks?

In today’s episode, we’re diving into our 3 favorite tips to stay focused and get more done in less time. Whether you’re balancing client work, running a team, or just trying to keep your business organized without burning out — this one’s for you.

Let’s jump in.

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Tip 1 to Keep Your Workday Focused: Automate Your Workflows to Save Hours Each Week

As small business owners, it’s easy to feel like you’re busy all day — without actually getting anything done. The to-do list is never-ending, and at the end of the day, you wonder, “What did I even accomplish?”

Automation is one of the biggest time-savers in our business.
We talked all about this in our free monthly webinar series (replay available!), where we shared how we use online schedulers, canned emails, and smart systems to eliminate repetitive tasks.

Here are a few ways we recommend automating your business:

• Use an online scheduler for client calls to eliminate back-and-forth.
• Template your email responses (like inquiries, reminders, and onboarding).
• Set up a CRM (we use 17hats!) to automate your full client workflow.

✨ Pro tip: Start small. Identify 3 things you do with every client and systematize them. Whether it’s sending a booking link or onboarding welcome email — get it written once and reuse it forever.

🛠 Need help getting started?
Our next free webinar is all about email automation, and we’ll walk you through how to build a system that runs without you.

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Tip 2: Prepare Your Calendar to Keep Your Workday Focused

The easiest way to feel overwhelmed in your business? Let your calendar run you.

We’ve learned the power of planning ahead. Here’s what we do to stay in control of our schedule:

1. Weekly Monday Meetings

Even if you’re a solopreneur, take 20 minutes to plan your week.
We review our priorities, deadlines, upcoming shoots, and personal events.

🎯 Download our free Monday Meeting Agenda Template to steal our structure!

2. Set Office vs. Client Days

Block off which days are for behind-the-scenes work and which are for clients. This keeps us from overbooking or multitasking — and keeps our heads clear.

3. Use a Quarterly Planner

We set our big-picture goals every 3 months. Then we break them down into manageable chunks and schedule them in. Spoiler: if it’s not scheduled, it’s not happening.

📅 Grab our Quarterly Planning Template to set your goals and map out your focus.

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Tip 3: Time Block Your Day for Maximum Productivity

This one changed everything for us — especially Michael. 😅

We used to sit down at our desks and just… start working. But without structure, even the smallest task stretched into hours. Now, we time block everything — and our productivity has skyrocketed.

Here’s what we do:

• Estimate how long a task should take.
• Set a timer (we use this simple time cube from Amazon — total game-changer).
• Stick to it like it’s a real deadline.

When we block 30 minutes for a task, we treat it like it has to be done in 30 minutes. That urgency keeps us from getting distracted, overthinking, or wandering off to do dishes. 😬

🧠 Remember: Tasks will expand to fill the time you give them. Limit the time, and you’ll actually get it done.

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Your Next Steps to Keep Your Workday Focused:

If you’re ready to reclaim your time and work more efficiently this season, here’s what we suggest:

1. Download our Monday Meeting Agenda and start planning your week with intention.
2. Grab our Quarterly Planner to map out your big-picture goals.
3. Sign up for our next free webinar to dive deeper into building automations that save you hours.

Let’s work smarter — so you can spend more time doing what matters most.

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Let us know if you try any of these Tips to Keep Your Workday Focused — we love hearing how these small changes make a big impact.

Until next time,
Michael & Laura

Like these Tips to Keep Your Workday Focused? Take a look at these posts:

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