How can you build a daily schedule that enables you to get into the “flow state” every day — so that you’re more productive AND happy?
The more you can achieve a consulting flow state — where you are highly focused doing your work every day — the easier it will be to grow and scale your consulting business.
In this article, I’ll share an exercise to help you create a daily schedule that makes achieving this flow state easier.
Consulting Flow State: 4 Steps
During a recent Clarity Coaching Program Mastermind event in Miami, I took everyone through the 4 steps to create this flow state. They are:
Step 1: Write Your Typical Day
Start by writing your typical day.
Don’t just include work activities. Include all activities, including when you wake up, exercise, read, go to bed, etc.
Create 3 columns with the following headers: Time, Activity, and Value Level.
In the “Time” column, write down the time.
Example: 7:30 am.
In the “Activity” column, write down what you do at that time.
Example: 7:30 am – Go for a morning run.
And in the “Value Level” column, label that activity as High, Medium, or Low.
- High: A high-level task that moves the needle for you or your business that you yourself must do. Examples could be meditating, exercising, or doing sales calls. These are key activities that provide major benefits to your mental/physical health and are key to your firm’s success.
- Medium: A medium-level task is an important task, but you don’t necessarily need to do it yourself. Examples could be creating marketing posts, hiring contractors or consultants, and reaching out to speak on podcasts.
- Low: Low-level tasks need to get done, but you shouldn’t be doing them yourself. Examples could be cleaning your office, scheduling social media posts, and bookkeeping. These are among the first tasks you delegate when you hire an administrative assistant.
Example: 7:30 am – Go for a morning run – High.
At the end of this step, you should have your entire day written out broken down into increments by time.
NOTE: You can also do this for each day of the week: creating these columns for Monday through Sunday to get more granular.
Step 2: Write Your Ideal Day
Now think about what your ideal day and week looks like.
Create the same 3 columns as you did in step 1: Time, Activity, and Value Level.
What would you love to include that isn’t in your typical day?
What would you like to get rid of or delegate?
What should definitely stay?
Think carefully about your…
- physical and mental health,
- relationships,
- diet,
- learning,
- hobbies,
- business,
- and personal work.
This is where you’ll have to set your priorities and determine what is most important to you and the life you want to live.
There is no right or wrong answer here.
It’s all about designing your ideal day.
Don’t think about “how” you’ll make this happen just yet.
Simply focus on designing a day that you are excited to live...
Step 3: Analyze Low & Medium Value Activities
Now let’s focus on the “Low” and “Medium” value activities in step 1.
Ask yourself…
- Can these be delegated?
- Could you spend less time on them?
- If they aren’t really doing anything for the business, could you remove them completely?
Write down your ideas for how you could either remove, change, or delegate these tasks.
For example, on your typical Friday at 2:00 pm, you spend 90 minutes scheduling various marketing tasks for next week.
But on your ideal Friday at 2:00 pm, you’d like to be sitting at a coffee shop reading your favorite business publications and brainstorming on the business.
How might you turn your typical day into your ideal day?
You could hire a virtual assistant and train them to schedule those marketing tasks, freeing up your Friday afternoons.
Step 4: Optimize Your Schedule
What is one strategy that you can implement right away to optimize your schedule?
Think carefully about ALL your low and medium-value activities.
Some of them you’ll have to keep doing for now.
But if you can delegate just one task, you’ll understand how powerful this exercise is.
Don’t put it off. Commit to removing or delegating one low or medium-value task this week.
Task by task, you’ll shift your typical day to your ideal day.
As a consulting business owner, remember this: you’re ultimately in charge of your day. You can make it look any way that you want.
And when your typical day looks like your typical day, work begins to feel like play.
That’s when you’ll find it easy to grow and scale your business.
Or, if you want more of a calm, lifestyle business, then you’ll be more intentional with how you spend your time and energy.
Get Coaching To Help Achieve Consulting Flow State — & Build Your Dream Business
Do you find it difficult to do this exercise?
Or, you have a clear idea of what you want your ideal day to look like…
…but you struggle to figure out how you’d make it happen?
You might be like many consulting business owners: they are so focused on working IN the business that they can’t find the time to work ON the business.
That’s where a B2B coach can help guide you.
In our Clarity Coaching program, our coaches have helped over 1000 consultants to build a more strategic, profitable, and scalable, consulting business.
Learn More About Clarity Coaching
We’ll work hands-on with you to develop a strategic plan and then dive deep and work through your ideal client clarity, strategic messaging, consulting offers, fees and pricing, business model optimization, and help you to set up your marketing engine and lead generation system to consistently attract ideal clients.
You’ll learn how to generate more profit with every project you take on — and how to land more clients than ever before. Learn more about Clarity Coaching and get in touch to talk about your situation and goals.