21 Smart Time Management Hacksfor busy CrossFit Affiliate owners

Write it all down.

Keep a diary of all activities that take up your time over the course of a week. This will tell you how you’re currently dividing your time and will allow you to cut out any unnecessary, energy-draining activities. Be relentless in ditching that ineffective brainstorming session, or the half hour you spend sifting through your Instagram feed each morning.

Get up 20 to 30 minutes earlier.

Use this extra time to plan out your day and mentally prepare for any important meetings or tasks. Many top entrepreneurs cite an extra-early start as being integral to their success. It also feels great to be dressed, fed and out the door while most people are smacking the snooze button for the third time.

Follow your own rhythm.

Everyone has hours of the day when they’re most productive, whether first thing in the morning or after everyone else has gone to sleep. Of course, as a gym owner your schedule will be partly determined by your open hours, but by taking on management tasks when you’re ‘in the zone’ (as opposed to when you feel burnt out) you’ll get a lot more done in a shorter timeframe.

turn spare time into time well spent.

Look at the upcoming week’s schedule and fill in any extra time with enjoyable-yet-productive activities that will recharge your batteries. Instead of spending 15 minutes cleaning out your inbox, for instance, have a mini mind-mapping session where you jot down 10 to 20 ideas on how to grow your gym.

hire responsibly.

It can be hard to find qualified and dedicated coaches, but this is integral to both your gym’s success and your own sanity. Spend time upfront making sure a new candidate is the right fit and will jump into the role without needing to be babysat. This will pay off down the road as you won’t be stuck picking up the slack.

shut the door.

It’s understandable that you want staff and clients to know you’re always there for them. But don’t feel bad about setting some off-limits time, too. There’s nothing wrong with closing the door, especially if it means getting those tax forms done during working hours and not at 11pm in front of the t.v.

schedule your email time.

Being constantly available online has become such a part of our lives, we often don’t think about how it’s impacting our working hours. Instead of accepting constant email interruptions as ‘part of modern life’, set a specific time each day to check your inbox and to respond. You’ll get important tasks done faster when you can go at it for a solid block of time with minimal interruption.

turn notifications off.

In the same thread as email, Facebook and other social media sites (even some ‘productivity’ apps) can cause dozens if not hundreds of distractions each day. Close the extra screens, shut notifications off and check the fun stuff at lunch time or end-of-day.

invest in (the right) management software.

Almost any fitness business can benefit from reliable club management software. These tools handle daily tasks like class scheduling, payments and attendance tracking. Do your homework and choose a solution that provides the highest number of beneficial features at a price point you can handle. Most offer a demo or a free trial so you can try before you buy.

prioritize daily tasks.

We all do it: spend the first hour of our workday sifting through sales emails, reading articles online or even tidying up the gym floor. A rule of thumb is to choose - and write down - the three tasks that are most important each day, then prioritize getting these done above all others. You’ll enjoy the sense of accomplishment, and can spend any extra time on non-essentials.

set a timer.

Taking #10 a step further, try setting a timer (your smartphone should have a widget) for 20 or 30 minutes, allowing yourself to work on one task only during this window. Divide these daily time slots between different areas of your business like BD, staff training and programming, according to what’s most and least urgent in a given week.

set clear boundaries.

Between impromptu office visits and weekend phone calls, employees and clients can quickly eat up a lot of your time in the run of a week. Instead of allowing your time to be managed by everyone around you, let it be known that you’re available during specific hours of the day, then stick to it. This might even prompt your coaches to do more independent problem-solving.

focus on retention.

Of course you need to bring in new clients, especially at slower times of the year. But keeping your current membership engaged is arguably even more crucial. Spending some time setting up a referral rewards program, or training coaches to provide a personalized experience with each member, will help build a loyal community. And this means you’re not scrambling to fill your pipeline each month.

scrap the multi-tasking myth.

The verdict is in: multi-tasking does more harm than good. Recent research has found that our brains can’t really do more than one thing at once; it actually costs us more time in the long run, causes us to make more mistakes and saps our energy. Instead of buying the myth, divide your time so individual tasks are given your full attention.

ditch the perfectionism.

Trying to do something perfectly has the exact opposite effect you want it to. Instead of achieving perfection, you drive yourself batty trying to live up to an ideal that, let’s be honest, no-one likely cares about apart from you! Focus on getting things done, then fix or improve them later.

delegate with confidence.

It’s hard being business owner, coach, marketer, bookkeeper, and likely a few other roles all in one. While there are some tasks that only you can handle, if you’ve hired responsible coaches they can help offload some of the burden. By delegating the tasks that aren’t a natural fit for you, you’ll have more time to focus on what you shine at and enjoy.

practice mindfulness.

For you, this might mean 15 minutes of meditation each morning at sun-up, or reflecting on your day on the back porch in the evenings. Even putting a buffer of a few minutes between tasks can help you become more relaxed and reflective. Whatever your method, staying mindful of the thoughts running through your head, and their ensuing emotions, can give you more focus and inner strength.

Develop habits.

What are the tasks you’re committed to getting done every day? Early morning workout? Shooting short videos to boost your gym’s brand online? The key is to turn these tasks into habits to the point where you don’t even have to think about them anymore. It takes time, but habit-forming is one of the best ways to make the most of your time.

prep the night before.

Lay out your clothes for the next day (a pretty easy one for fitness owners!), prepare and pack your lunch and make sure your gym bag is ready to go. By doing all this before bed, you’ll inevitably save yourself at least a few minutes each morning. It also makes for a calmer, less stressful start to your day.

eliminate excess.

Most of us have too many places to be, too many mental distractions, even too many pairs of shoes! Adopting a minimalist approach can help to prioritize what’s really important to your success and your happiness. Commit to removing one unnecessary thing from your life each month until you feel like the objects you own and the things you do all serve a real purpose.

do it for the right reasons.

What gets you up in the morning and keeps you grinding until - or into - the weekend? If the answer is something like, “to keep my business afloat” you might need to find a little more inspiration. What parts of running your gym do you most enjoy? Write these down, keep them close and make sure you find time for them every single day. After all, what’s being your own boss without a little fun?

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