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Online Coaches Productivity Blueprint
Online Coaches Productivity Blueprint
BLUEPRINT
Firstly, thanks for downloading this guide!
I can 100% empathise with the challenge of time management, as a coach for the past decade, at
times managing a client load of 70+ individual online coaching clients whilst travelling around the
world to deliver seminars, having a new baby AND still having time to train, continue my
education and more was something of a baptism of fire to finding time management strategies
that work.
There are two key principles that will underpin everything in this guide:
1. NOTHING will work for everyone. We all have different preferences, styles of work, coach
different demographics in different settings this is just some strategies that I’ve found to be
useful
2. Stick with it for at least two weeks before you write it off! This is the golden rule, you need to
give things time to get used to them before discounting it
I’d love to hear how you use these strategies (yes that’s right...you have to USE them to get the
benefit!) feel free to email me on matt@integrated-performance.com or you can tag or DM me
on Instagram here although you likely found this guide through an ad - I’m a REAL person and
would love to hear how you’re getting on.
Step 1: Download and install a time-tracking app like Toggl (available on Mac/iPhone/Android
etc)
Step 2: For the next 7 days, track EVERY task that you perform, this will give you an idea of time
spent on different tasks (you can stick to just ‘working’ hours but it can be an eye-opener to track
time spent outside of work also)
Step 3: Divide the revenue you made during that 7-day period (or take your monthly income and
divide by 4.3 to get weekly income) by the hours that you tracked. You then have your hourly rate.
We then need to subtract overheads and costs from that figure.
With all the things that need to get done, it can be easy to get distracted by the minutia of
running a business, new systems, creating content, continuing education and more, through it all
there is one key point to keep focused on...
SERVICE DELIVERY IS KING
If you get nothing done in a day OTHER than serving your paying clients to the highest level
possible, then it’s STILL a productive day.
Identifying the one thing you need to do each day to sustain and grow your business is vital to
both productivity AND long-term success. Service delivery is the one thing you need to excel at
every, single, day.
There’s also a plethora of apps you can use to track Pomodoro intervals on your computer and
phone, I use ‘BeFocused’ although there are plenty of others available.
STEP 2 - PRIORITISING TASKS
“IF YOU’VE GOT MORE THAN 3 PRIORITIES...YOU DON’T HAVE ANY”
He also served as President of Columbia University, became the first Supreme Command of NATO and
somehow also found time for hobbies such as golfing and oil painting.
Eisenhower is also well known for his productivity, seemingly getting masses of work done and tasks completed
with sustained periods of productivity lasting decades. His most well-known strategy is below, the Eisenhower
Box.
I’ve been using this for the past few years to help me prioritise tasks and ensure that my business, clients and
the coaches I mentor are consistently moving towards their goals.
URGENT NON-URGENT
This is something that I spend considerable time building out with the coaches I mentor.
Ensuring you have sufficient time to work on education, service delivery, marketing, sales,
administration and other aspects of your business is key.
It’s the task equivalent of going to the store with a shopping list and knowing where EVERYTHING
is. In the fruit & vegetable aisle? Cool. Get ALL the fruit and vegetables that are on your list.
NOT using batching is like going to pick up one apple, then going to frozen foods, then the
bakery, then back to pick up another apple.
Personally I use an app called ‘Todoist’ the premium version syncs with Momentum dashboard on
Google Chrome and maintains a distraction-free desktop with a clear plan of action for the day to
keep you on task.
4.1 - CHRONOTYPE
We’re all genetically designed to function best at certain times of day, whether you’re an early
bird or a night owl, structuring your schedule (where possible) to suit this is key for maximal
productivity.
You’ll probably have some idea of where you sit, based on when you feel the most energy during
the day when you feel most creative and the opposite, where you feel the need to rest and
unwind. If you’re naturally suited to being most creative late at night, then Jocko Willink-esque 4
am starts will probably drive you into the ground.
This is a simple test where you tap your index finger on a screen (using an app) or a pencil on a
piece of paper, as many times as possible in a 10sec window. You count the number of taps (or
dots) and use this as an indicator of CNS readiness and in some cases can be used to track
recovery/readiness to train.
For productivity, I would recommend performing this test every 2-3 hours throughout the day for
3-4 days which will allow you to see a clear distinction of highs/lows and where it may be best to
put periods of focused, deep work. Also, keep in mind that caffeine and other stimulants will affect
these outcomes!
You’ll notice that my ‘one thing’ is program design - this is the one big thing that I need to
complete each day to ensure service delivery. My communication is all batched to one 30-minute
window in the AM and one 30-min window in the PM (this includes social media use, emails,
client feedback, messages etc.)
You can also see in this screenshot that I have my Monthly Review scheduled where I’ll look at
numbers in the business and make adjustments for the coming month.
STEP 5 - BUILD & MAINTAIN AN ‘EXTERNAL BRAIN’
If you’re running your own business, coaching clients, continuing your education and more - there
can be a lot to remember and keep track of.
Feelings of overwhelm are common among coaches and one of the greatest tools I found to
combat that is using an ‘external brain’.
This can be a notepad, whiteboard, journal, diary, app or anything where you can get tasks, ideas
and thoughts OUT of your head and into an external brain.
Personally, I use Evernote (the premium version is something like £3-5/month and well worth it)
and have notes in there going back 5+ years from courses, client program design, events I’ve
attended and more. It allows you to take photos of text (both print and written) and will make it
searchable, super helpful for lots of different things.