My Plan for Busy Season, or, How to Maintain Client and Team Development During Bustling Times

©The MBT Blog – Mindfulness in Business Coaching | Journaling & Growth | MBT More Mindful Business Today+

In the last blog, Don’t Let August Hold You Back: How to Stay Productive When Business Slows Down, I discussed staying productive during a lull and promised to write about this opposite – staying productive during busy times. For some people, it is easier to add tasks onto an already tight schedule. Busyness makes them thrive. For others, overwhelm settles in and it is difficult to accomplish anything. Whatever circumstance is yours, there are ways to help yourself out.

September is looming. Vacation season is ending. Kids are returning to school. Conference season will soon be booming. How do you plan to keep up?

Take my client Edna (not the real name) for instance. She tells me she has no problem keeping up with the daily tasks during the fall. She creates a rhythm for herself. Wake up, answer e-mail from home over coffee. During the ride to the office, touch base with her assistant to talk through the meetings and deadlines of the day. Once in the office, work on the deadline items. Address any new tasks that have arisen since breakfast. Prepare for the flight to the conference the next day. Upon return from the conference, hand business cards to assistant to add into client development spreadsheet. And, so on.

What Edna loses during these times is touching base with her individual team members. Checking in with clients. Eating. Yes, she seldom has time for breakfast or lunch. And, when things slow down as Thanksgiving approaches, she pulls out that spreadsheet of the new contacts she made and has no idea where to begin. So, for Edna, the slouch happens when the lull returns. She feels confused. Where did those three months go?

Then there is my client Sam (also not his real name). Sam often gets so buried under the day-to-day tasks at work, that he, just like Edna, loses track of the basics of maintaining clients, growing the team, and keeping up with prospects. For Sam, the overwhelm begins the very day busyness begins. In addition to the scramble to attend conferences, networking events, and client events, he feels anxious continually. He even experiences an occasional panic attack. He feels like he is failing at everything.

In either situation, clients believe the bustling times are a recipe for disaster. The disaster shows up later, in a sudden lull in business, the loss of a good employee, and a disgruntled client who felt ignored.

I believe there is a solution. Develop a plan and call it, “My Plan for Busy Season.”

Here are some thoughts on how to create that plan.:

1. Take a deep breath. You have time.
2. Spend a few minutes each time strengthening your mindset. What is a good mantra to tell yourself when your brain says things like, “You are not doing a good job,” or “I can’t make it to Thanksgiving.” Some ideas are, “There is enough time.” Or, “I have a good plan to follow.” Or, “I know I can do this.”
3. Evaluate how you spend your time. Start this now. Does everything on your plate belong there? What categories of work should be delegated? Which require your attention? Make a list and pin it up somewhere near your computer. This process helps you prioritize more quickly when you are in the midst of a busy season.
4. Think about your most productive times in the past. What works best for you? Each person is different and succeeds in a different way. Once you understand what strategy engages you most, staying on task is simpler.
5. If you enjoy planning, get out a notepad. Write September on one page, October on the next page, and November on the third page. As you determine the actions you will take in each month, write them down. You just created your own checklist.
6. What if you thrive when you can be spontaneous? The idea of making a plan puts you in the doldrums. Your day, each and every day, is already structured so much you cannot breathe? Connect to the feeling of abandon spontaneity provides. Find time for a free hour each day and write that down on a sticky note placed on your desk. Call it “My free time” or something else that resonates with you. The note is the reminder to do something you feel like doing. Then follow the note!
7. Use the calendar, even if you are scheduling free time. (Think about it as scheduled impulsiveness). Many of my clients discover the great value of time blocking during coaching. What about you? Adapt the time blocking to your style. Color code certain times; e.g. strategy, team time, projects, client work, etc. Keep the schedule in a notebook. Write it on a whiteboard. Put it in a shared app so your spouse knows when you are busy. You decide. Just do it! You will be happy you did.
8. Earmark time for fun and relationship building. Some goal-oriented people enjoy deciding in advance how much time they will spend with individual team members (one hour per week), in client development lunches and coffees (one hour per week), and full team outings (two hours per month. The amount of time is up to you, but deciding in advance gives you something to shoot for and a way to track where the time went.
9. Follow up quickly with prospects you met after networking, attending conferences, and making presentations. This involves linking in with people through social media or sending out a quick e-mail immediately after you met them. Always include how and where you met. This gives you a quick history when you return to follow up again. If you are suggesting meeting again, indicate what you might discuss. Pay attention to the responses. If there is agreement, set up a meeting during a more manageable time. Your calendar will hold the spot for you and save you loads of headaches in January when you are trying to remember what you did and who you met toward the end of the year.

Finally, find ways to remind yourself, “I got this!” And, if you need help developing the plan, reach out to me and discuss coaching. Check out my services here.