How To Prioritise & Focus On What’s Important In Your Salon Business By Rebecca Miller

A lot of our productivity comes down to our ability to focus. The bad news is focus is not something we’re born with. The good news is focus is just like a muscle and the more we work and flex it, the stronger it becomes.

We live in a world full of distractions - Facebook, Instagram, text messages, phone calls, and the other thousands of notifications beckoning for our attention. And I get it. I’ve found myself checking out Instagram and an hour later I’ve come to realise I’ve wasted an hour of my precious time. Time I could have spent with my family, time I could have used to complete some needle moving goals in my business, time I could have trained my team.

Time is a gift; we can’t stop or slow time down, but we can choose how we use it. Time, if utilised correctly, is the vital ingredient to success, happiness, growth, and fulfilment.

Throughout my many years of learning time management and focus, I’ve learned that if time is mastered it’s the gateway to freedom, flow instead of force and a more fulfilled & balanced life along.

The key element of focus is motivation. If something doesn’t motivate you, it’s unlikely you will muster up the energy to focus on it and you certainly won’t put it to the top of your priority list. That’s why it is so important that the goals and tasks we set ourselves have a higher meaning and purpose, to give us the motivation, drive and focus to push through on the days we think we can’t.

GET CLEAR ON YOUR PURPOSE

Understanding and living your purpose will drive you from the time you wake up in the morning to the time you go to bed; no matter how much money you make or what challenges you face you are able to live your purpose without restriction and conviction.

PLAYING ABOVE THE LINE

Right now, you’re either playing above the line, or you’re playing below the line. People who play above the line are accountable, responsible and take ownership of their results in business and the life they have created. People who play below the line have been convinced that in order to be successful they have to work extremely hard and do long hours, even if there is no real return on their time and effort.

Playing below the line usually means:

• Your addicted to activities • You’re someone who always needs to be busy • You never have any free time • You’re probably not the best at planning and managing your time • You’re reactive to your environment, not proactive • You’re often stressed and feel overwhelmed with how much you have to do

Now, unfortunately if you’re one of these people, chances are you focus on the things that scream the loudest. And often the things that scream the loudest are not the most important things.

So, how do we play above the line?

Firstly, you need a have a kick-arse plan so you know always what you’re working on next, which will always be your next most important thing. These are the tasks that will bring you one step closer to what you have set out to achieve in your Mission (we like to call them BHAGs - Big Hairy Audacious Goals). Having a plan and sticking to it is key; that’s why we plan our future in advance.

As part of your plan, a default diary will keep you on course. This will outline all your team one-on-one meetings, team training and your holidays & downtime all scheduled for the whole year (yep, the whole year!). Believe me when I tell you that your team will love the forethought, planning and transparency of this. Make sure you have allocated time for personal growth throughout the year and of course your coaching times. Plus, the time you work on your business, not just in it.

Once you’ve got this in place, you’ll find prepping for the week ahead a breeze, but make sure you don’t skip this step! Sunday nights are a great time to look at your diary to see what your week ahead looks like and to allocate time in your diary each day to work on high value activities.

Each day ask yourself the question: what are the highest value activities for me to complete today to have the greatest impact? Choose two to three 30-minute goals from your plan each day to work on without distractions. Then, you have time to do the other tasks that go with running a business. Aim to work in your zone of genius AKA the things that light you up, the things you’re good at, the things that empower your team, the things that will financially grow your business and the things that make your customer experience world class.

Whether you’re planning your week or day, consider the following and act accordingly:

• What needs actioning • What needs scheduling • What needs delegating • What needs deleting

Delegate, delegate, delegate

Involve your team in your planning process and give them an opportunity to help build your business by delegating appropriate tasks (with training if necessary). If this is financially viable, stop doing the things that you could hire someone else to do, such as cleaning, bookkeeping, etc. This will free you up to spend time on wealth creation, team development and customer retention & journey.

STOP MULTITASKING

Science has proven without a shadow of a doubt that multitaskers are far less effective than those who focus on one thing at a time. Multitasking, for most, is a highly sophisticated model of distraction. Learn to remove all distractions so you can be focused on one thing at a time. This is especially important when you are working on your business and its success.

With these tips you’ll be able to prioritise and keep focused like a pro! I guarantee if you follow these guidelines, you will see your productivity skyrocket.

We all have the same 168 hours in a week. We sleep for around 50 hours, so that leaves more than 110 hours to work on your business, develop & build your team/culture, spend time with the people you love and of course spend time investing & caring for yourself.

Time is not the problem; it’s having the discipline to use your time wisely… Master your time and you will master your life.

Rebecca is a coach, speaker, multi beauty business owner, and entrepreneur who has not only built three successful medispas, but educated herself to become a Skin Expert. Rebecca’s zone of genius lies within empowering and mentoring teams to maximise performance and team fulfilment. Rebecca has a keen interest in human behaviour and psychology. Learn more about developing your business future with Rebecca at www. thezingproject.com.au and can contact her direct at rebecca@zingcoach.com.au