Anyone who owns a business knows that it takes up a whole lot of your time. When you love what you do like I do, I’m all for it! That said, there’s more to life than your work. Finding time for your furbabies, friends and family, and yourself is essential. No matter how busy my day is, I’ve learned how to fit it all in. Here’s a glimpse at a day in my life running my business.
Starting My Day On The Right Foot
Every morning at 6 a.m., my alarm clock goes off, and just about every morning, I hit the snooze button (maybe more than once!). At this point, my dog Carleton knows that the alarm clock means nothing. The day doesn’t begin until the covers are off!
I never used to be much of a “bed maker,” per se. I figured, why spend time doing this now when I can get to it later? Now that I make my bed every morning, I have to say; there’s something about getting into a made bed at the end of the day! It just feels good to start my day feeling a bit more put together than I used to.
Most nights, I pack up everything I need to head into work in the morning. Doing this makes this non-morning person feel much less hurried as I start the day and much more organized. If you don’t do this, I highly recommend it! Seriously, it was a game-changer.
Diving Into Work
No later than 8 a.m., I arrive at work and dive into the day. The first thing I do is look at all the boards – A girl needs to know what’s going on! On one whiteboard, we have all our towing and road service, and all our shop work is on the other. I’m a super visual person, and I love our whiteboards (you all know I love a big ass whiteboard!)
I have incredible, capable employees who have already handled most issues by the time I’m in my office. As for the things that need my attention, I jump on them first thing. We’ll create a game plan, but it’s towing, so things are constantly changing! Then, I spend about an hour going through all my emails. I address the most important ones after hours (Smartphones and smartwatches are the devil! Waterboy fans??).
The 9-1 “Sweet Spot” for Running My Business
I make a point to complete 80% of my work by 1 p.m. I structure my day that way because those hours are my most productive when my energy and creativity are high. All of my meetings, conference calls, and appointments happen then, too. If there’s a window of your day where you feel like you do your best work, try to schedule your work around it. It makes a big difference for me!
Busy Afternoons
In the afternoons, you can find me working the towing business hard! I spend this part of my day taking care of what my team needs help with. I meet with department heads, and hey, I even pull weeds and sweep the shop floor – I enjoy being around my guys. A few of them have actually encouraged me to get my CDL!
Spending time with my team and being there is so important to me. I want my guys to know that I value what they do and what we do together. So, I make sure that in the afternoons, I’m around and available to them.
Evenings Are for Me
I’d love to say I always head out the door at 5 p.m., but that doesn’t always happen. Hey, this is a towing business, after all! In the winter, I’m usually still chugging along at work at 5 p.m. But other times of the year, I might be heading to work out. I’m not a morning person (Pick up on that?), so I have to fit it in somewhere. Sure, there are days I actually don’t hit my snooze button and work out early. Otherwise? I do it when I get home from work before I do anything else.
When I get home from work, it’s me time. I ride my motorcycle, swim, go out with friends, spend time with my dogs, and see what other fun I can put on my schedule! Then, I like to spend my evenings relaxing when I’m home. I read and write, catch up on SVU and Organized Crime (Welcome back, Elliot!), do L’bri Facial Masks, and of course, eat ice cream. Setting aside time every day to do the things that make me happy and feel good helps me feel my best, no matter what’s going on.
Ending My Day With Gratitude
Every night, without fail, I write in my gratitude journal before I go to bed. I like to end my day reflecting on all the good things happening, the people I appreciate, and the life I’m creating for myself. This practice has pulled me out of my lowest points in life, and it helps me be my best me! I love gratitude journaling so much that I created my own Gratitude Journal so that you can join me.
A lot goes into running my business and creating a life I love, but you know what? Planning my days and taking steps to make things easier, happier, and more productive for myself make it all doable. I’d love to hear about the habits and routines that help you fit all the things into your busy days! Shoot me an email at Michelle@MichelleSukow.com.