Running on empty by noon?

Design your ideal day from the start

I don’t know about you, but summertime is a busy season around the Zug household.

During the school break, there are family trips to take, barbecues to host, and too many live concerts to count. 

For millions of people, the summer bustle is focused on friends, family, and leisure time. It’s a season when people are quick to abandon their screens for fun in the sun.

That’s why many communities suddenly go quiet when summer comes. Before you panic over dropping engagement, remember that many of those members will be back to their usual level of participation once the smell in the air shifts from charcoal grills to burning leaves.

The change in seasons is a perfect time to tweak your routines so they work better for you, and the quiet spell at the beginning of summer makes now the perfect time.

First, let’s review why routines are so important.

Every day, you start with a fully charged battery for decision making. Every decision you make – from what to wear to what to eat to whether to open email or LinkedIn first – depletes that battery a little bit.

As the battery drains, every decision gets a little harder than the one before. By the end of the day, your tired brain defaults to the easiest decision rather than the best one.

Routines give our tired brains a break. If you start every day with a routine like “smoothie-yoga-email-coffee,” you don’t have to decide what to do next. You just follow the pattern.

Here are a few prime areas to freshen up your routines this season:

☀️ Morning Routine

How you start your day sets the tone for what’s to follow. A morning routine that focuses on intention and priorities sets you on a proactive path instead of one where you’re reacting to whatever comes your way.

Tip: Include a block of time every morning to work on your biggest priorities before the day’s demands start rolling in.

🗓️ Community Engagement Routine

The round-the-clock nature of an online community can have you feeling constantly behind. Having time blocks to check in and engage allows you to stay on top of things while also attending to deeper work.

Rituals and routines within the community help you know what to post (goodbye, decision fatigue!) and help your members build habits for checking in. In 🐝 The Hive our routines include Greet the Week on Mondays and celebration posts on Fridays.

Tip: Instead of dipping in and out of your community all day, set time blocks each day or week for active engagement. If you need help designing rituals, this article has some helpful suggestions.

🖋️ Marketing Routine

Inconsistent marketing leads to start-stop progress in your efforts to build your community. Identify what channels you will use to market, then block time each week to brainstorm, create content, and distribute.

Tip: Save time and energy by using some of your content creation time to repurpose your existing content into new formats.

📊 Backend Business Routine

Backend processes keep your business running smoothly. Regular systems and routines for work like checking KPIs, sending invoices, and paying bills make sure nothing important falls through the cracks.

Tip: Schedule a recurring time block for managing financial and administrative tasks so they don’t pile up. These are some of my dreaded, boring tasks, so I like to tackle them in a Groove or co-working session. 

😮‍💨 Rest Routine

Confession: given the chance, I will fill every blank space on my calendar with work. Since that’s a surefire recipe for burnout, I don’t leave too many blank spaces. I proactively carve out slow time for self-care and reflection – like exercise, acupuncture, and walks with friends.

Tip: Pencil in self-care and connection as unbreakable appointments on your calendar, and treat that time with as much importance as appointments with customers or clients.

Establishing solid routines frees up your mental energy and lets you work consistently toward your priorities, rather than operating in constant firefighting mode.

Take some time to think through and adjust your routines this summer so by fall, your community will be leveling up (instead of leveling you).

You’ve got this,