Introducing the MultiPlanner!

Having run my own businesses for years, I know exactly the kind of stress most entrepreneurs or "solopreneurs" go through daily. But why is that? Don’t we all leave our jobs so that we can work for ourselves and enjoy the freedom that comes with being our own boss? 

Here’s why! Running our own business means that we must fill the roles of, not only the operations of the business (which should be the fun part), but also become the bookkeeper, marketing manager, social media poster and interactor, creative designer, website maintainer and a whole host of other things that we never even thought of before we started a business.

We go from doing what we love, to being completely overwhelmed with having to learn and execute all these other tasks, until we are so stretched that we feel like we never actually finish anything (a very unsatisfying feeling indeed).

Does any of this sound familiar? And what can we do to make sure we are accomplishing enough to run a successful business and most important, that we feel happy doing it?

Having a good planning and organisational system is a very good place to start!

What is a planning system and why do we need it?

A Planning System is a specific way of setting out our goals and tasks, whereby we don’t feel overwhelmed, don’t forget to do things, and know which steps we need to take each day to achieve those goals and tasks. It is a system that we use to manage our time to the maximum efficiency.

Planning helps us to be accountable and decide how best to use our resources (people, time, money, information, equipment) so that they make the most significant contribution to achieving our goals and completing necessary tasks. Planning lays the basis for us to assess and evaluate our achievements effectively.

Why the MultiPlanner works so well

List maker * Time keeper * Note taker

The MultiPlanner has a very unique design & clean layout which lends itself to flexibility with any individual’s planning style (we offer some suggestions below).

The MultiPlanner has been around for quite a few years, and has had raving reviews from those who have used it.

Most people love that it is undated, which means you can start using it at any time in the year, and still get a full year of use out of it.

Being a locally manufactured product is just an added bonus and SUPPORTING LOCAL is definitely the way to go.

Who is the MultiPlanner for?

• Anyone, especially those who have multiple roles (many of our mom’s and dad’s love them for this reason)

• They are great for Entrepreneurs and suitable for both men and women.

• The different covers cater to men, women, youngsters, and older people – we have something for everyone.

How to use the MultiPlanner as a planning system.

1. Day Pages – top section

• Use this section to write your to-do-list for the day. This is the life of most entrepreneurs – endless to-do-lists. The nice thing about this section is the space is limited, so you won’t be able to make lists that go on way too long and are never completed.
• If you are a creative kind of person, you can add little doodles with some colour to brighten up your page (Delia will do some posts soon with ideas, keep an eye on our Instagram or Facebook page for this).
• I am not very good at drawing, so I tend to add little stickers, washi tape or just use colour pens with my lists.
• If you are not a “list maker”, you could also use this section for notes or diagrams when needed!

2. Day Pages – appointment section

• The most obvious use for this section is for time-based appointments.
• What is also really useful, is to block off sections of time to get things on your to-do-list done, or group a few things together and block time off for them.
• There is also a place for filling in something that you did towards your daily or your bigger goals.

3. Weekly Planners

• What we love about this weekly page, is that you can use it for something completely different – this could be where all personal planning is done, or if you manage your own Social Media, you can use these planners to map out when you post what. It keeps the rest of your planner pages uncluttered and you know exactly what needs to be done each day or pre-posted weekly.
• Because I don’t post SM on a Sunday, I would personally use that block to record my WINS for the week. It is so important to keep reminding ourselves of what we HAVE achieved, instead of just stressing about what we haven’t managed to do.
• The bottom right hand block is where you can write your goals or intensions for the week. This is a form of self accountability, and works really well.

4. Notes Page

• This is another page that could have a couple of different functions, depending on your preferences.
• It can be used for notes from a meeting.
• Or to focus on a specific section of your business for that week. E.g. Finance week, write down all the things that you need to achieve in the finance department. In a way, these are notes from a meeting with yourself!
• This weekly lined page can also be used to journal about your week and to reflect on the previous week.
• Writing down questions is a great way of working through problems or finding better ways to do things – your aim should always be to do things in the most efficient way possible.

Some more planning tips by Alison.

1. When to plan

Personally I love doing my planning and weekly goal setting over the weekend when I am feeling relaxed. I enjoy this part of the process and find it gets me excited for the next week.

2. Time blocking

Allocate yourself decent chunks of time to complete a task, it is so much more satisfying than jumping from one thing to another and is often where the real valuable work on your business happens.

3. One thing at a time

We often don’t realise how badly we multitask. It is the most inefficient way to do anything (unless listening to a podcast while doing the dishes or driving). We simply cannot focus on doing anything properly, with our phones beeping, emails landing in our inbox or anything else that distracts us from the task at hand. Wherever possible, find ways to cut yourself off from everything else while you are working on something.

4. Emails are one of the biggest distractions

Something that I changed at the beginning of this year that has been an absolute game changer for my productivity, is I have set my emails to only download when I choose to press send and receive. I cannot believe the difference it has made in not only my productivity, but also my comfort/anxiety levels. How can we not feel stressed when we have this constant barrage of emails distracting us every 5 minutes? A lot of them are not even for our business benefit, but still require thinking process and action. By downloading when I am ready, a few times a day, I find that I get through those emails so much faster.

5. Cell phone are another HUGE distraction

The smarter our phones become, the more they distract us and much like the emails, are a constant source of anxiety and discomfort. Whether it is a social media notification, a message or a call, someone is needing your attention. With this going on in the background, how can ever expect to complete a thinking task? Next time you are working and your phone pings, consciously notice how it makes you feel inside. This year I have also separated my work and personal phone, and I am lucky to have staff whom I can leave the work phone with, while I am engrossed in thinking work! Another game changer and something I wish I had done years ago. My personal phone has no Facebook, no Instagram, no emails and nothing work related!

6. What can you outsource?

Trying to do everything ourselves can be so counterproductive. We try and save money by doing it this way, when actually, we are throttling our own ability to make money. I always try and think, what can I do with that time, vs me taking hours to try and fumble through learning to do something, and probably not very well either.

7. Put systems in place

The more we can create systems, the more time we will have to work on the important things in our businesses. I had the most amazing spreadsheet that I had created years ago to manage my orders. I knew at all times where in the process any order was. It was a great system until our online sales trebled and then trebled again in a 2-year period. Suddenly I was creaking under the old system, and I knew I had to find a better one. I kept asking the question, how can I do this better and more efficiently. The answer was such a simple one and I was able to implement it so quickly. I probably cut our order processing time down to a quarter of what it was before. 

If you have processes that require the same email responses often, automated email responses from your mailing program are a great way of saving a ton of time.

Identify the processes in your business that you could improve on. Sometimes setting up a system or handing something over to another person can take a few hours or days, but your future self will thank you a million times over if you actually do this.

So whether you are a busy mom or dad running a family, business, job, or an entrepreneur with many responsibilities, the basics remain the same.

Plan, systemise, set goals, reflect, ask yourself the right questions, write as much down as possible, and please, please, don’t forget to schedule in time for yourself too.

From one busy parent / entrepreneur to another

Alison