Episode 125: Why the rhythm section of your business should come first

00:52 Welcome to Unfrazzle, a podcast for solo business owners with a big vision who are ready for a kinder more sustainable approach to productivity. I'm Louise Miller and each week i share bite-sized insights to help you step away from the hustle stop faffing and stay focused so you can make your brilliant ideas happen and make a bigger impact in the world Before we dive into today's episode, if you enjoy what I'm sharing here on Unfrazzle and you'd like to support the podcast. You can buy me a cuppa by going to BuyMeACoffee.com slash Louise Miller and making a one-off donation. I'll pop a link to that in the show notes. Okay grab yourself a cuppa and let's get started!

01:30 A few times a year I run a 12-month planning workshop where i guide people to decide what they want to make happen and then map out their year so they can see which projects they'll be working on when. And an important part of that process is to figure out what needs to go in the rhythm section, So we have space to map out what's happening each month but there's also a big space for the rhythm section which are the things that need to happen all year round to keep your business moving forward Your rhythm section drives you on. Yes, it can speed up or slow down that's the beauty of rhythm but it needs to keep going if you want to avoid getting stuck. Imagine a great song like Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes or We Will Rock You By Queen what would happen if you got partway through that song and the drums and bass suddenly stopped? The whole thing would completely lose its impact

02:20 And whilst those examples involve very talented musicians who might still be able to hold it together, a lesser band doing a cover version might slowly descend into chaos without the rhythm section holding everyone together. And it's the same with your business there is a rhythm section of activities that need to happen consistently if you want to keep making progress for most of us that's our sales and marketing If we stopped doing those activities, eventually everything would fall down around our ears. Just to give you a sense of what I'm talking about here for me my rhythm section involves sending a weekly email to my community releasing an episode of this podcast every week two to three LinkedIn posts a week and outreach that might put me in front of other people's audiences Now unfortunately many people see those sorts of things as an afterthought

03:10 And that is understandable, right? You didn't start your business because you were excited about the prospect of doing sales and marketing did you. You want to be spending your time doing the thing that you love and are brilliant at and that you're getting paid for but if that is all you focus on, to the detriment of your rhythm, your business will grind to a halt so what if instead of trying to do the tasks that make up your rhythm section in a stolen few minutes here and there between meetings whenever you can find a spare half an hour What if you put those activities at the centre and let everything else fit in around them? Once you have that rhythm section established, the rest of your business band gets to go crazy with guitar solos and sing-along moments and as many dance breaks as you like just as long as you have that steady beat of your rhythm section driving you forward. So what constitutes the rhythm section of your business? Are you putting those things at the centre

04:02 If you see your rhythm section as an afterthought and don't factor it into your planning, you will take on too much because you'll be forgetting about those key activities which also require your time and attention. And that means you're just setting yourself up to fail! That's why during those planning workshops I encourage people to keep an eye on the things in their rhythm section as they map out their months Can you do the same? What are the regular activities that need to happen in your business to keep it moving forward. Obviously they won't be the same as mine, networking could be a key part of your strategy or writing blogs or doing stories on Instagram whatever it is for you Are you giving those things the space they need and if not what can you do differently moving forward And I hope this helps and look forward to seeing you again soon

04:49 Thank you for listening to Unfrazzle. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend who needs a dose of calm productivity in their life and I'd love it if you could leave me a rating and review as that will help more people discover this podcast. If you would like to hear more from me to help stop faffing and take back control of your time, you'll find the link to join my mailing list in the show notes and I would really love for you to join us! So thanks so much for your support and I look forward to seeing you next time