Starting a business is a total dream, but let’s be real, the behind-the-scenes can feel like a complete whirlwind! Between planning for Lily’s and keeping up with daily life, I’ve definitely had those "chasing my tail" moments. To stay sane, I’ve narrowed it down to three simple tools that keep everything running smoothly. If you're looking for a little more calm in your chaos, these are for you!
1. The Power of a Social Media Content Calendar
Social media is so important, but trying to think of what to post every single morning is just too much. Having a content calendar has been a total lifesaver. It’s basically just a roadmap for what’s going up and when so I can stay consistent without that last minute panic.
How I make it work for me:
My setup isn't crazy complex, but it works like a charm! I use a simple Canva calendar to map out the week. Here is what I usually track to stay organized:
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🗓️ The Date: Knowing exactly when things are going live.
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📱 The Platform: Whether it’s for Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook.
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🎬 Content Type: Is it a Reel, a Story, or a static post?
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✨ The Vibe: A quick note on the topic or theme of the post.
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✍️ The Plan: My "Call to Action" and any notes for the caption.
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📸 Visuals: Reminders for what photos or videos I need to grab.
It doesn’t have to be fancy! The goal is just to have a visual roadmap so you can see your whole month at a glance. It makes hitting those big business goals feel so much more doable.
2. The Mighty Excel Sheet (Your Business Hub)
If there’s one thing that keeps the "business owner" side of my brain happy, it’s my master Excel sheet. This is where all the nitty-gritty details live, from my initial project ideas to my supplier lists and budget. Having one central place for all that data means I’m not digging through five different notebooks to find a specific price or contact. It’s the ultimate source of truth for my business, and seeing all those organized rows makes me feel so much more prepared for February!
How I use my business hub:
The best part about using a spreadsheet is that you can totally make it your own. You can create different tabs for each part of your life so everything has its own "home."
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📈 Project Tracking: Seeing exactly where I am with my big goals.
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📋 Contact List: A neat record of all my important business contacts and suppliers.
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💡 The Idea Bank: A place to dump those random late night brainstorming sessions.
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💰 Expense Log: A simple way to keep track of spending without it feeling scary.
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🎨 Color Coding: I use colors to show what’s finished and what still needs love. Not only does it look nice, but it keeps things way more organized.
My advice is to start super simple with whatever you need to track the most right now. You can always add more fancy tabs as your business grows!
3. Organized Daily To-Do Lists
Even with the big calendars and spreadsheets, the day-to-day stuff still needs a home. I am a huge believer in a good, old-fashioned daily to-do list. Every morning (or even the night before), I write down my top 3 to 5 priorities.
How I set myself up for a win:
My daily list isn’t just a random brain dump! I’ve found that being intentional with how I write things down makes a world of difference.
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🔝 The Top 3: I always pick a few high priority tasks that must get done and label them A1, A2, and A3 so I know exactly where to start.
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✅ Get Specific: Instead of just writing "Marketing," I’ll write "Draft the intro for my next blog." It makes it way less intimidating!
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🍕 Bite Sized Steps: If I have a huge project, I break it down into tiny pieces I can actually finish in a day.
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✍️ Pick Your Tool: Whether you love a digital app like Asana or the feel of a classic paper planner, just stick with what feels good for you.
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🌙 The Nightly Review: I love looking at my list at the end of every day. I move any unfinished tasks to tomorrow so I can wake up feeling totally prepared!
I’ve found that even just these three little things make the whole process of building Lily's feel so much more manageable and, honestly, way more fun. It’s all about finding that groove that works for you!
-Lily
