It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with everything there is to do to build your business. Especially when you’re just starting out.

And it’s true – there can be a lot to do. But one thing I’ve learned throughout my eight years of being a business owner, is that the better grip I have on my schedule, the less overwhelmed I feel and the more I am able to accomplish.

Below are 5 ways that I keep a grip on my schedule. Today, I live by each of these time-saving strategies… but the reason I can confidently share these strategies with you now, is because I spent the first few years of my business not doing these things. Which cost me time, sanity and health.

5 ways to get a grip on your crazy schedule:

1. SCHEDULE CLIENTS ON SPECIFIC DAYS

Choose 1-3 days/wk (or every-other-week) for “client days.” This frees up the other days to work on projects that create leverage and move your business forward.

2. SCHEDULE ALL OTHER EVENTS AND MEETINGS ON CLIENT DAYS

I call these my “extrovert days.” Because believe me, they can be very full, but I prefer a couple very full days to having clients, events & meetings scattered all over the week.

This saves me time. For example, it takes me about an hour to get ready for an “extrovert day”. If I only have to get ready 2 days per week, instead of 5, that saves me 3 hours per week that I can use to work on important biz projects!

3. ALWAYS BE THE ONE WHO SUGGESTS MEETING TIMES

Stop asking people when they’re available; instead tell them when you’re available.

Look at your calendar to see when you have a window and try to schedule meetings back to back. The more you consolidate meetings, the more space you open up before or after to do other work.

4. CREATE BOUNDARIES WITH PEOPLE WHO WANT TO “NETWORK” OR “PICK YOUR BRAIN”

I have a full client load and run a local community of over 2,000 women entrepreneurs (Daring Divas). Between clients and events, my schedule is very full.

With so many women in Daring Divas, there’s LOTS of people who want my time. Although I love my Daring Divas, if I honored all the requests I get to “meet” - that’s all I’d be doing all day long. I simply cannot do that or I would go broke!

What I do so I can honor requests but keep my sanity, is offer to meet before or after an event. That way, I’m already at the event, I don’t have to spend extra time getting ready or driving somewhere.

But I don’t honor every request. I know my priorities: my clients, my family and my self care. If someone requests a meeting that will take me away from one of these priorities without an exceptionally awesome reason, then my answer is “sorry, no.”

5. USE AN AUTOMATED BOOKING SYSTEM

Because I use Acuity, my automated booking system, I’m pretty hands off with my calendar.

Not only do my clients book their sessions through my Acuity Calendar, but they can also cancel & reschedule their own sessions. Acuity also sends them reminder emails so I don’t have to.

This saves me TONS of time going back & forth through email trying to get clients scheduled.

Here’s where you can get your hands on Acuity, I can’t recommend it highly enough.

There you have it! The top 5 ways I get a grip on my schedule. I hope this is helpful.

I hope you take the strategies that resonate and put them to practice in your own business!

After all, if you don’t get a grip on your schedule first, it will be very difficult to accomplish all of the great things you aspire to achieve in your business. Time is our greatest asset!