Set It and Forget It: 3 Ways to Put Marketing on Autopilot

December 28, 2007

I have the same as you. You have the same as me. There’s no one that gets any more or less. And no matter what we do, this will never change. What am I talking about? Time of course!

Each and every one of us gets 168 hours a week. No matter how you slice and dice it, it comes out the same. Time is one of those constant things in life. Do you fight it or flow with it?

Fighting it just takes more time, I believe, and it adds struggle to the time we do have. The flow is all about allowing things to move in rhythm with life. Can we do much about the traffic jam? The flat tire? No, and the same goes for the unexpected help that arrives when we need it or the new client that shows up on our doorstep. These things are part of the fabric of life and the sooner we realize they aren’t something to “overcome,” the sooner we’ll be on our merry way flowing with the tide.

One of the best ways to get in the flow is to stop the endless feeling of never having enough time to do everything we want to do. When we infuse this feeling of futility into our lives, it has a way of seeping out onto everything (and everyone) around us! Not exactly the kind of gift we want people to remember us for, right? J

Here are three quick ways to put priorities on autopilot so you can be sure that those most important things are done and you feel good about what you are accomplishing with your time.

Hire it done. Focusing on what you do best is one of the best ways to make everything run smoother. Ever try to do something you aren’t good at? It’s usually a mess and one that takes lots and lots of time. When you focus on what you are best at, there’s usually plenty of money to hire help for those areas that are important and yet are not your top priority. Hire out anything that you say ‘have to’ or ‘need to’ next to it. I have to get my accounting done. I need to get my office organized. I have to and need to commit more time to marketing! Some areas may include administrative help, graphic design, marketing, household duties (cleaning, errands and such), and sales. The key is to look at what it costs to outsource it and balance this against the gain you get in productivity from having it on someone else’s plate!
Let it go. Okay, so this one isn’t all about putting it on autopilot, but it will eliminate a big pile of junk that is dragging you down. Most of my clients are trapped by things they “should” do, but don’t do and don’t want to do. They keep these “shoulds” on the list, moving them around the office, shoving them under the desk, and then finally (usually about every two to three months), they throw them away vowing to do better next time. Everyone has these. EVERYONE. They are the things the experts say we ‘should’ do, they are the things we believe we ‘should’ do, and they are things others expect us to do that are just not a match for us. Take a look around and think about it… what are your ‘shoulds’ and which ones can you just let go of where no one will even notice? What are the ones that you can outsource? Which ones can you automate? Which ones serve you and which ones don’t?
Build a process. Opposite of a ‘should’ is a ‘want to’ or a ‘get to.’ These things are the things you really do want to do, but because they are things you want to do, and perhaps no one else is expecting from you, they just fall to the bottom of the list. Generally speaking, these are the things that really do reflect who you are. If you like to clip articles for clients and yet never get them mailed, or if you write the intro to an article or two or three but never make it to the ezine stage, or maybe you want to start meeting with clients for monthly check-ins yet the meetings don’t get scheduled, these are activities that could use a process. Here’s what you do. Select one to three of these ‘want tos.’ Then ask yourself… What is keeping me from doing this? It may be because it’s not important enough or maybe it seems like a lot of work and you’ll do it ‘tomorrow,’ or ‘next week.’ Determine what needs to be decided so this can be part of your life. Work backwards to create the steps and then dedicate a person (even if that’s you) to each step. In no time, you will have a process!

One of the things I love to work on with clients is what I call Awareness in Action. The words we use tell a tale of what we are feeling about everything in our lives. Notice when you use these words – have to, need to, should, want to, and get to. Notice how they are working in your life. Work to delegate the have tos and need tos. Make choices (and peace) with the shoulds. And focus on want tos and get tos. Your life will flow like you mean it!

For all of you who feel like time is elusive, check out this movie about it!

Sphere: Related Content

Post Words: