It’s easy to get into the mindset of “I don’t have time because I can’t put an hour or three together all at once.” But the truth is that even if you only have small chunks of time throughout your day, you CAN use them effectively to grow your business. Today, I’m chatting about some of my favorite 5-minute business growth strategies so that you can move the needle with kids at home. Sound like something you need? Don’t we all? Let’s get started.
Links for This Episode
Podcast Episode Recommendations
Podcast Recommendations List
- #42: 3 Steps for Financial Success as a Work-at-Home Mom
- #40: One Phrase I’m Leaving Behind in 2023 + What I’m Doing Instead
- #24: Too Little Time? Use This Strategy to Get More Done as a Busy Mama
- #23: How To Use Your To-Do List to Achieve Your Goals
Have 5 Minutes? 7 Ways to Use Small Pockets of Time to Grow Your Business
Well hey there and welcome back to another episode of the Mama Business Podcast.
Today we are talking about efficient time use – and I know, I know – time management is one of the hardest things that we mamas have to deal with, especially as we try to grow a business, too. And, I think that one of the biggest shifts we make as mama becoming business owners is recognizing that we don’t have all of the time in the world to get things done. That means that when we do have time, we need to use it effectively.
This past week I spoke with a mama who is growing her online business. She said that the biggest issue she has is that she has no idea what to do with those small pockets of time throughout her day – like when she has 5 minutes here or 10 minutes there that she still has to be physically present with her kids, but she doesn’t necessarily have to engage with them. Or when she’s sitting in the carpool line and has no where else to be and nothing else to do.
So, today I’m going to chat about 7 ways you can use those small pockets of time so that you can move the needle in your business.
But, before we get started, I do want to leave a little disclaimer here. No matter where you fall on the use of devices around your kids, there ARE things you can do with the small bits of time you have in your day. So if you choose not to use your cell phone or your tablet around you kids, that’s totally your prerogative – grab a notebook and pen instead because I’m including a few things you can do with out it. Personally, we have a small out of the way counter right next to our fridge that I use as a makeshift workspace. So I set my tablet or phone there and stand while I work so that when my kids need me, I can walk away and come back later.
Ultimately, you do you – because this business you are growing needs to fit with your values and be authentic to who you are. Agreed?
Great, let’s jump in.
Create Ideas for Cornerstone Content
Just have a notebook handy or the notes app on your phone and add ideas to the list. You can think of things that your ideal client is asking for or things that you know would be helpful to share and get them down on paper – or on whatever piece of tech you are holding. It might seem like a simple thing to do, but when you DO have a larger chunk of time, won’t it be nice that you don’t have to guess what topic to create content around? You’ll be able to sit down and get it done.
Outline Existing Ideas
Maybe this just includes adding some ideas that you want to include, a couple of action points, or even a story that’s related to the topic at hand. Once again, this is something you can do on the fly, and then when you have the time to sit down and record that podcast episode or write that blog post or whatever it is, you won’t have to do this work – you’ll be ready to jump right in.
Search for Keywords
Another one of my favorite things to do when I only have a couple of minutes is to do a little keyword research. And this DOES not have to be complicated. Ideally, a keyword is something that your avatar or ideal client is searching for. It can be a single word, a combination of words, or even a sentence. You can do this in a few ways, and I promise, I have a podcast episode coming with more detail in the near future on this very topic – but I like to start by searching Google for something related to my avatar’s needs or wants. So, let’s say that your avatar comes to you for diet tips. Then, you’d go to Google and put diet tips into the search bar. When you do, you’ll notice that Google completes that with a few more words, so you’ll likely see a list that looks like diet tips for men, diet tips for women, diet tips for diabetics, diet tips and tricks, diet tips to lower cholesterol, etc. Those are keywords. They are terms that people search for on Google. Now, that doesn’t mean that they all apply to you and your avatar, but it gives you a good starting place to think about how some of them might make good content topics for you. You don’t have to get too deep in the weeds, but once again, if you look for these when you just a few minutes to spare, then they will be there for you when you have more time to actually create that piece of content.
Write an Email to Your Subscribers
Another thing you can do when you only have five minutes is to write a quick email to your subscribers – you know, the ones that WANT to hear from you? Don’t overthink this, just write from the heart OR share something that you’ve recently created that would be of value to them. If your email provider allows you to access from your phone or whatever device you have handy, then go ahead and create it directly in there. If not, you can create the text in the notes app and then copy and paste it when you get back to your computer.
Once again, it’s something that can move the needle, but won’t take much of your time. Plus, if you tell yourself you’ll get it done in 5 minutes, then you’re less likely to waste time by overthinking it. Remember, your subscriber WANTS to hear from you because you are you. So just be you.
Categorize Your Transactions
That brings us to the fifth thing you can do with a short period of time and that comes down to categorizing your transaction within your bookkeeping software. In my case, I use Waveapps which allows me to see all of my transactions both on my desktop browser and through their app on my phone. Each transaction that comes into that program has to be approved and categorized, so I can take just a few minutes here and there to get that done. Then, I’m not wasting valuable time when I actually need to get something done that moves the needle in my business.
So, that’s another thing to consider. Also, if you are wondering how to run a business when it comes to the financial end of things, definitely check out episode 42 all about that topic.
Clear Your Inbox
The next thing you can do is to clear out your inbox. I don’t know about you, but sometimes it’s hard to get back to ground zero. So, take a moment and clear out those junk emails, archive the ones you don’t need anymore, and consider responding to anything that will only take a moment. Another thing you might consider is to “snooze” emails you don’t need to deal with immediately so that they come back to your inbox when you will have time to deal with them. On my phone I can just swipe the email to the right and it allows me to set a “reminder” for that specific email and I find that super helpful when it comes to keeping down the overwhelm of all the things pressing for my attention.
Add Links to Existing Content
The final thing I’d like to suggest today is to add internal links to your current content. So, an internal link is a link from one piece of content on your website to another. Not only do these links help your SEO, but they encourage your ideal clients to consume more of your content, which increases the likelihood that they will become an email subscriber or a paying client. Let’s say for example that you just created a blog post all about dieting while on vacation. But, you know that you also have a post about dieting while camping. Within each of those posts, you could choose to link to the other one. Now, you increase the value of that post, so that makes Google happy, but when someone comes across your dieting while camping post, they can also check out your dieting on vacation post for some more information and vice versa. You can do the same in the show notes for your podcast or YouTube content, as well, if that’s applicable.
Take Action: Which 5-Minute Business Growth Strategy Will You Choose?
So, quick recap:
- Create ideas for cornerstone content
- Outline Existing Ideas
- Search for Keywords
- Write an Email to Your Subscribers
- Categorize Your Transactions
- Clear Your Inbox
- Add Links to Existing Content
And that brings us to the action part of this episode and we know that action is where dreams turn into reality.
Today’s action step is this: the next time you have 5 minutes, instead of scrolling social media or wandering aimlessly around your house wondering what to do next, use one of these ideas to move the needle forward in your business. Those little chunks of time add up quickly to big results, so don’t underestimate them, okay?
I’d love to know which one of these 5-minute growth strategies you plan to use. So DM me on Instagram and let me know so that I can cheer you on throughout the process. Because, mama, I am cheering you on.
Have an amazing day and I’ll chat with you next time.
