Today we’re talking about the elusive concept of doing it all: in your business, your life, and doing it all well.

I’ll be sharing four tips that help me manage my workload, not feel crushed by my to do list, and find some balance between work and personal life.

Before we dive in, a quick PSA:

🎉 Save 30% on Marketing Ethics for Acupuncturists! This online class is on sale for 48 hours only. The sale ends Tuesday, April 19th, at midnight.

Marketing Ethics for Acupuncturists is worth 2 NCCAOM credits in the Ethics Category.

I know Ethics PDAs can by dry and boring, so I tried really hard to make this a fun class! 💃

We cover some totally different things that I bet you haven’t heard discussed in an Ethics PDA class yet, including:

• Ethical testimonial collection
• Ethical email marketing
• Examples of really terrible unethical marketing
• And more

We even watch a super short Monty Python video in the chapter about Ethics of Email Marketing. 🤩

Click here to save $15 (over 30%) before the sale ends at midnight on Tuesday, April 19th.

The discount code is already applied on the checkout page. Easy peasy!

Recently a Marketing Strategy client asked me how I do it all – run a practice and an online business teaching marketing, plus have a life, and keep all those balls in the air.

Spoiler alert – I don’t think I do it all well, all the time. But I’m always improving. Managing a business is a constant learning process!

Like everyone, I try really hard not to let those small details fall through the cracks. I’m happy to share what I’ve learned in my years as a business owner that helps keep me organized and on track.

And if you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the administrative or marketing tasks that it takes to keep your small business running, know that you’re not alone.

I think everyone asks this question, “How can I do it all?” at some point in their practice.

I think of this struggle like growing pains – it’s a positive sign that you’re at a tipping point in your business. You’re busy, congrats!

Now it’s time to step up and create new systems to support you so you can reach new levels of success and income in your practice.

Let’s dive into the four things I recommend to help you through this phase, to move through what are essentially growing pains in your practice.

🎙️Episode #37: Managing It All as a Small Business Owner

Show Notes:

• Marketing Ethics for Acupuncturists online class – 30% off through Tuesday, 4/19
• Episode #5: Hiring a Virtual Assistant for Your Acupuncture Practice (Apologies, in the episode I said it was #27 – nope!)
• Episode #31: Setting Priorities in Your Business
• Templates for Hiring an Administrative Assistant (Includes Employee Contract Template)
• Acupuncture Marketing School (Scholarship competition coming mid-May!)

Subscribe to the Acupuncture Marketing School podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or Spotify

 💖 Love the podcast? Help other acupuncturists find the podcast by leaving a review here.

Transcript:

Hi there, welcome! So good to be here with you. Today we’re talking about the elusive concept of doing it all, in your business, in your life, and doing it all well. I’ll be sharing four tips that help me manage my workload, not feel crushed by my to do list, and find some balance between work and personal life.

Before we dive in, a quick PSA – Right now, we’re having a flash sale on my Ethics PDA course, that ends tonight, Tuesday, April 19^th, at midnight. Did you even know I have an online ethics PDA class for acupuncturists? I don’t talk about it nearly enough. If you’re anything like me, you miiiiiight have waited to the last minute to compete all your PDA credits for your NCCAOM recertification. I do this every four years; I wait til the last second, and the Ethics course is always the LAST one I need to complete. I know a lot of people are getting ready to recertify their NCCAOM status in May and June, so if you’re a procrastinator like me, then this is for you.

Marketing Ethics for Acupuncturists is now on sale for 30% off. It’s worth two NCCAOM credits in the ethics category. I tried really hard to make this a fun class. I know Ethics PDAs can be boring and repetitive. In this class we talk about some totally different things that I bet you haven’t heard discussed in an Ethics PDA class yet, like ethical testimonial collection, ethical email marketing, examples of really terrible unethical marketing, and more. We even watch a super short Monty Python video in the chapter about Ethics in Email Marketing. I promise, the video is actually relevant to email marketing! So like I said, I tried to make this a fun and unique ethics class. The link is in the show notes, and the discount code to save $15, which is 30%, is already applied on the checkout page. Enjoy.

Okay. Recently a Marketing Strategy client asked me how I do it all – run a practice and an online business teaching marketing, plus have a life, and keep all those balls in the air. She asked specifically, how do you do it without dropping the ball sometimes – just not responding to emails or forgetting to order herbs or follow up with someone. Without letting small details slip through the cracks.

So first I’ll say, I don’t think I do it all, and I certainly don’t do it all well, all the time. Like everyone, I try really, really hard not to let those small details fall through the cracks, because as we know, those are the first things to go. The tasks we lose track of first are often responding to emails, placing special orders for patients, following up on some research we told a patient we would do or something we said we would look into. And then it’s been two or three weeks and suddenly we realize we never did it.

And I think everyone asks this question, “How can I do it all?” and goes through this at some point in their practice. Especially solopreneurs. It’s almost like our businesses become little monsters that we’ve created. So hear me out. In the beginning, we have fewer patients and more free time, so it makes sense to do everything, every little task, to take care of every detail ourselves.

And then eventually we hit this tipping point, where we have just enough patients that we’re busy enough that doing all those million little admin tasks in the background suddenly becomes a stressful burden. That’s when this business that we’ve created, that we love and means so much to us, feels like a little monster that always needs to be fed. You’ve created a charming little parasite that’s totally exhausting. Maybe you feel like you’re rushing, never caught up on your to do list, your admin day is out of control, etc.  but at that tipping point, and you know whether or not you’ve arrived there, it’s just too much.

So today I want to share with you the four things I recommend to help you through this phase, to move through what are essentially growing pains in your practice. And often once you get through this level you’ll have the capacity for much more growth and income on the other side. And know that this is normal. If you’re so busy with patients that the admin stuff is a chore you just can’t complete, then congratulations! You’re living the dream, right? You made it to the level where it’s time to shift and treating your patients can be your priority.

So I’m going to share some of my experience with quote “managing it all” and how I either do manage it gracefully or totally fail at it on some days. But what I’ve learned along the way.

Okay. To give you an overview, I’m at my acupuncture practice four days a week, 8:30 to 6, I have one weekday that’s set aside specifically for Acupuncture Marketing School, and then I try to have two days off for my weekend. That usually doesn’t happen. One of those weekend days usually ends up being focused on Acupuncture Marketing School tasks, which is not ideal but we’ll talk about it in a minute. And I just want to add that I don’t have kids which I think changes the game. Not to say that childless people aren’t busy – of course we are. But it’s a different focus. And everyone is at a different place in their life, right? We go through seasons. Seasons of hustle and rest, or focusing on building our businesses vs. spending more time on our personal lives or our health. It always ebbs and flows. But I think this info is helpful so you can think about the responsibilities you have and the season you’re in when you’re figuring out what “having it all” or “doing it all” actually looks like to you.

And you know from a previous episode earlier this year, number 31, that I’m trying to no longer subscribe to the idea of “doing it all.” Why? Because doing it all means, for me at this point in my life, saying yes to everything, feeling time poor and overwhelmed, and getting mediocre results for my businesses because I’m spread too thin. If you haven’t listened to episode #31, I definitely recommend it. I talk about how I finally read the book Essentialism by Greg McKweon and I’m trying to narrow my work priorities in order to have better work-life balance.

Okay, let’s get into it.

There are four main things that keep my businesses and my life on track: Planning ahead, delegating, time blocking, and batching.

And I think that these will help you no matter what season of life you’re in or how much you’re juggling. It all depends on how you apply these practices and what you decide to prioritize.

Planning ahead, as in, four months or more. And a big part of this is asking yourself, what are the projects that I want to get done, and do they have deadlines? As well as understanding, for yourself, how many projects can I actually manage at once? For me, it’s usually one at a time. And by project I mean, launch a new digital product or service – that whole process takes a month, at least. Or host a big sale or other marketing campaign, either at my office or for Acupuncture Marketing School. Or, take down all the wallpaper in the downstairs portion of my house that I’ve been avoiding for 5 years… yes, 5 years, guys. But you get the idea. Big projects.

I try not to assign more than one project to myself per month, because on top of regularly producing the podcast and working at the office, more than that just feels impossible to me.

When I’m at the office, I find it extremely difficult to switch tasks between patient care and my online business. It’s just not efficient. When I’m at the office, from 830 to 6, I want to just be in patient mode.

And it may be a different story for you. You may have a better capacity for focused work, or multitasking, or more organization, etc., whatever it may be. Maybe two projects per month feels reasonable. Knowing this comes with practice, with trial and error, that’s all. But you have to know the answer to that question – how many projects can I fit in a certain time frame – in order to plan effectively.

I like to get out my old-school paper calendar and write down what project I’m doing each month for the next four or five months. I need that long perspective, to see everything on my calendar over several months at once, in order to decide if I’m stretching myself too thin.

Because my personal life is also on that calendar, of course, right? So I can take a step back and say, well, I wanted to create this new online product, like a new PDA course, in July, but I’m also going on vacation in July, which means that clinic will be super busy the week before and the week after – and basically, nothing extra is going to get done in July. It’s not reasonable for me to add this project in July, based on my prior experience.  

And of course, as I mentioned earlier, considering the season of life you’re in is really important. Right now, since COVID started, I have to admit, I’ve discovered I need much more downtime than ever before. I’ll be honest, in my late 20s and early 30s, I used to have no problem coming home from the office and then spending most of the evening working on Acupuncture Marketing School. Same thing on the weekends – I would spend huge chunks of time on Saturdays and Sundays working on my second business. Writing blog posts, creating graphics, generating Instagram content.

But in the past few years when I come home from my acupuncture practice, I’m pretty beat – not physically, but mentally. I usually spend the evening making dinner, exercising, and going to be early so I can get up the next day and do it again. And I try my hardest not to do any work on Sundays anymore, because I need that day off. But I do usually spend one weekend day on tasks for Acu Marketing School. It’s not ideal but it’s where I’m at right now.

The next very important suggestion I have for you is delegating. Ask for help. You must. I have an entire episode, number 5, about whether it’s time to hire a virtual assistant for your practice. What is a virtual assistant, what are some signs you’re ready to hire, how to decide if you need a virtual assistant, like a remote social media manager, or an in-house receptionist and office administrator, that kind of thing. I have a VA who does about 4 hours of work per week, mostly for my online business, and mostly focusing on my social media and podcast production.

And in March I finally hired a receptionist or administrative assistant for my practice. And guys, this is the best thing I’ve ever done for my practice.

Now, I’m not sure I talk about this enough, but I think it’s helpful to know that I’ve been in practice about ten years, but I have a relatively new practice, in a totally new location. In April 2019, I started over and opened my current practice in my hometown, so it’s only 3 years old. So it was 11 months old when COVID hit, and ouch. Growth was stagnant in 2020 and early 2021, for sure. So if you’re running a relatively new practice during the pandemic, hey friend, I’m right here with you. I feel you. And I’ve been putting off hiring an administrative assistant for a year. I knew I needed help last year, but I was reluctant to share my income with an employee at that time, and I just figured I would keep grinding, keep doing everything.

Well, early this year I realized that I was indeed dropping the ball way too much. Like my marketing client asked about, I felt like all those small tasks for both businesses were kind of slipping through the cracks, and I honestly just needed help.

Raise your hand right now if you feel the same way. Whether you’re in your car driving or on a walk or on the subway listening to this, just raise your hand if you feel like, honestly, I need help at my practice to maintain my sanity. And let me tell you, if you can make the leap and afford to hire someone, it will genuinely improve your sanity.

Like I said, hiring an in house administrative assistant has been a game changer. She does SO MANY tasks around the office, so much more than answering phone, taking money and rescheduling patients. She frees up my brain space enormously. And, I’ll be honest, I’m showing up better – for my patients, as a business owner, and as a leader, because now I’m not just a solopreneur, I’m someone’s boss. And yes, she is self motivated and always finds tasks to do, but now I have to think of projects to do together than I’ve been procrastinating or just never finished when it was me by myself.

I’m more organized, more motivated to show up with passion and enthusiasm, and all around happier to be in my office. Which I kind of did not expect, because I already liked being at the office. I love being an acupuncturist and taking care of my patients.

But this is a new level of feeling refreshed and energized, and together we are decimating my to do lists, you know the ones – the to do lists that just linger around your office that never seem to get shorter. You cross one thing off and add two more.

So again, if you feel this way, overwhelmed by your to do list or kind of stuck and stagnant, and you think having help in the office would allow you to move through that in order to achieve the next level of business success, then I highly recommend it. Our patient numbers are up, income is up, and ultimately, the receptionist is paying for herself, plus I’m happier to go to work in the morning because I know my stress will be low and she can help with whatever I need. It’s a really good feeling.

And as an aside, I want to put this out there – for me and many of the marketing clients I work with, I know one of the major barriers to hiring someone is knowing how to get started. Like where do you get an employee contract from, what are you supposed to put in it? What do you say in a job description to get good candidates to respond to your ad? Etc. etc. What do you pay someone, HOW do you pay them, how do you know what taxes to withhold? Phew, it’s a lot.

So I put together a group of templates for you for hiring a receptionist or administrative assistant. Probably the most helpful item is that Employee Contract Offer template. This is a 14-page contract that my lawyer put together for me and gave me permission to share as a template. So it’s important to know that you would need to have your own lawyer review it and edit it for your location, your needs, etc. But it does include a section about HIPAA and intellectual property for your new employee to sign, to keep all of that private, to protect your patients and your business, your own intellectual property.

Because I think one of the hardest things is knowing where the heck to start with a contract, and what is legally binding, etc. so this is a template for you to use to get you started, so you’re not piecing together random sections of contracts on the internet. So I’ll link to this in the show notes – it’s called the Templates for Hiring an Administrative Assistant and there’s a few different templates that I think will be helpful.

Whether you hire a VA, ask a family member for help, or hire an in-person staff member, if you’re worried about getting everything done and not dropping the ball, or feeling overwhelmed by your to do list, I think delegating or asking for help is essential.

In the US we definitely have this culture that promotes hustling nonstop, doing everything yourself, grinding late into the night to wake up the next day and start over. In EA medicine and just from common sense we know this isn’t reasonable or sustainable. I don’t know about you, but I’m building a practice for the long term, and I don’t want to burn out in five years. That means taking steps now to get help so that I’m creating something, creating a place I still enjoy working, in 10, 15, 20 years.

The next suggestion is time blocking. For me this means, as I mentioned earlier, having an entire day set aside for working on Acupuncture Marketing School and everything related to the online business. Not ever putting patients on that day, or my attention will be impossibly divided, and I’ll never get anything done. Protecting that space.

Right now with my practice, four days a week works for me. It may not always. But right now I can set aside an entire weekday. And as I mentioned, I often use one weekend day to get work done as well, because it’s also uninterrupted by other tasks or responsibilities. One goal I have this year is to take back both of my weekend days, which requires me to have a new level of planning and organization, so that I can confidently hand tasks off to the VA and to my receptionist. It will take alittle more time, but it will happen. Because they want to help me and they’re very capable. But sometimes being a small business owner means working through the emotions of delegating. Being willing to let go and trust that other people will do as good a job as I do. But I’ll get there, and so will you.

But you don’t need to carve out a whole day. Maybe you can carve out two hours or five hours. Maybe one hour set aside each evening for working on a specific project or for planning or answering emails will work best for you. Experiment with it. But whatever timeframe it is, if at all possible, let it be specific, uninterrupted time.

And the last suggestion is batching, which you may be familiar with because it was all the rage on the internet in business owner forums a few years ago. Batching is simply grouping like tasks together so you don’t have to switch to a new task and get distracted. Because we know that switching between tasks is mentally very inefficient.

 Despite how proud we all are to be multitaskers, there’s some pretty convincing research out there that multitasking is not really doing us any favors, because it can take up to 20 minutes to really tune back in and focus in between task switching. Not ideal.

For example, if I have my Thursday set aside to work on my online business, I’ll try to set aside two hours for writing, editing, and polishing a podcast script. No getting distracted by also answering emails or switching to social media engagement. None of that. And then because scripting a podcast is writing, after that if I’m still in a writing groove, I may shift to repurposing that podcast into a blog post or email newsletter. It’s all on the same topic, so my brain is on the same track.

You could also think of batching as – for example, if you want to publish a blog post or email newsletter twice a month, then set aside a four hour block where you sit down and write all four email newsletters for the next two months. Grouping those like tasks together, with minimal interruptions, and then when you’re done, you’re done. Then you can have another batch of time set aside for Instagram, or insurance paperwork, or answering emails.

Okay, I hope these tips are helpful in managing all the myriad of things that need to get accomplished to run a small business successfully and with less stress – delegate, plan way in advance, use time blocking and batching. And I hope this episode also helps you be kind and gentle with yourself, knowing that we all go through these seasons of growth in our practices, this tipping point, and it’s a positive sign of building something and moving closer to that next level. But that you don’t have to be hard on yourself for feeling like you’re falling behind or drowning in your to do list. It’s normal, and there are steps you can take, like the ones I mentioned today, to help you manage it and move to the next level.

And before I sign off, don’t forget that the Ethics PDA course is on sale until midnight tonight, Tuesday, April 19^th. If you need to get those PDAs out of the way, I think you’ll really enjoy it. Again, it’s NCCAOM approved.

And of course, coming up in mid-May is the scholarship competition for Acupuncture Marketing School! So stay tuned for more info on how to enter and what you would win.

Thanks for hanging out with me today, have a great week, and talk to you next time!