Streamlined Solopreneur: Tips to Help Busy Solopreneurs Free Their Time Accelerated

I remember the first time after my wife and I started dating that a mutual friend of ours became pregnant. I was the first one to find out and got to relay the message to her.
"Amy's pregnant," I said. My wife then asked a series of questions: "When is she due? What is she having? How is she feeling?" I had the same answer to every question: "I don't know."
All I knew was that Amy was pregnant. My wife later went out and found this information for both of us. All these details were crucial to being a more present and supportive friend.
So why am I telling you this? if you are running a business, especially a solo business where your time is so important, and you are not time tracking, it's kind of like knowing just the bare minimum.
You might know you completed a project, but you should really know how long you spent on it, where you are spending most of your time, and how you can use this data to improve your business.
So in today’s episode, you’ll learn about the importance of time tracking for solopreneurs. Time tracking is not just about noting down hours; it's about understanding where your time goes, improving efficiency, and making informed business decisions.

Top Takeaways
* Start Simple: Begin with basic time-tracking methods like pen and paper or simple apps. The key is to start noting down where your time goes, even if it's just approximate.
* Use the Right Tools: I recommend using tools like Timery (which sits on top of Toggl), Timing, and RescueTime. These tools can help automate the process and provide detailed insights into how you spend your time.
* Categorize and Tag Tasks: Break down your tasks into projects and use tags for more granular tracking. This helps in understanding which specific activities are taking up most of your time and allows for better analysis.
* Regular Reviews: Review your time tracking data regularly—weekly, monthly, and quarterly. This helps in identifying trends and making necessary adjustments to improve efficiency.
* Automate Where Possible: Use shortcuts and automation tools like Stream Deck and focus modes on iOS to start and stop timers automatically. This reduces the manual effort involved in time tracking.

Just this morning I watched an incredibly interesting video that sent me down a rabbit hole. A 19-year-old kid was arm wrestling against a massive bodybuilder – and won, pretty easily. Thinking this could be rigged or fake, I looked at other matches this fellow – Maxim appears to be his name – competed in. And he won…a lot. 

See, while he is very strong (just not as big as the other guys), Maxim has great technique. 

What does this have to do with lead generation? Well, as you’ll hear from Jennie Wright, you don’t need a massive list to build your business. You don’t need to be smarmy. You don’t need to be showy. 

You just need to have good technique – and forge good relationships.
Top Takeaways
Consistency is key in lead generation. Create a plan that aligns with your end goal and focuses on activities that will give you the best results within your available time and resources.Leverage other people's audiences by appearing as a guest on podcasts, speaking at summits, and participating in bundles. This is an effective way to grow your credibility and reach new potential leads.Nurture your leads authentically by setting expectations, providing value, and building trust. Avoid being too salesy, and focus on creating genuine relationships with your audience.Show Notes
Jennie Wright
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Perhaps the most important lesson I learned over and over again running a business is that it’s never about the tool – it’s about the solution to a particular problem. 

So while I recruited Mike Schmitz to talk about Obsidian, what we actually talked about was much, much deeper. Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) is much more about defining your approach, and intentionality and making time for the important things in your life. All of this creates balance, and space, for you to do your best work.

Mike also shares his 5 C's of his "creativity flywheel" for capturing ideas and creating valuable output, which is fantastic. 

If you're feeling overwhelmed by information and struggling to turn your ideas into reality, this episode will give you a framework to tame the chaos. Tune in for practical tips and inspiration to upgrade your PKM and productivity!
Top Takeaways
Obsidian is powerful but requires intentional use to get value from it. Simply dumping notes in is not enough - you need a system.Having a philosophy, vision, and values guides what projects and information to focus on. Start with the end in mind.Use apps intentionally by "hiring" them for specific jobs. Don't try to do everything in one app. Pick the best tool for each job.Show Notes
Mike SchmitzWiki-style Offline note-taking AppIntentional Life ChartPKM Stack5 Cs of CreativitySteal Like an ArtistWhat I Learned From BJ NovakObsidianMind NodeFocused PodcastBookworm PodcastUgmonkPractical PKM
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Tell me if this sounds familiar: you know you need to publish a blog post, video, or newsletter, but you have no idea what you’re going to talk about. And this isn’t the first time it’s happened. 

You definitely have ideas, but you can’t think of anything at the moment. That’s why you need a content calendar – and why I’ve brought on Kaitlyn Merola to tell us all about them. 

We're going DEEP on how to plan, organize, and execute on your content and social plan using a centralized content calendar. Here’s what we’ll cover:

👉 What exactly is a content calendar (and how it’s different from a social calendar) 
👉 Determining the right content cadence (why more != better)
👉 Repurposing content across channels (maximize that ROI!)
👉 Mapping content to the buyer's journey (awareness, consideration, sales)
👉 Plus, in Accelerated, we talk about the role of AI in content creation (spoiler: not what you think!)

Whether you're a solopreneur in a content feast or a content famine, this is for you!
Top Takeaways
A content calendar is a central place to plan, organize, and track all your content efforts across different channels. It helps provide direction and alignment for your content strategy.For SEO purposes, prioritize quality over quantity - publishing one high-quality blog post per week is often sufficient rather than lower-quality posts daily.Map your content to the buyer's journey stages (awareness, consideration, decision) to ensure it serves the right purpose at each stage.Show Notes
Kaitlyn MerolaMove Marketing
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If you have kids and you’re a solopreneur, you know how tough summer care could be — especially if you have small children. Today, I'm diving into why my wife and I decided to skip summer camp for our kids and how this big decision is changing how I’m structuring my business for the summer.
Discussion Topics:
Financial and Family Considerations: The high cost of summer camp motivated my wife and me to find a solution that allows us to save nearly $10,000 while providing more quality family time.Flexible Scheduling: My wife and I adjusted our schedules so one of us is always available to care for our kids, which highlights the importance of managing work flexibility as a solopreneur.Temporary Chaos: I anticipate that managing my kids full-time will lead to some chaotic and stressful days, but it's a worthwhile trade-off for the family time we cherish.Support Network: Leveraging support from family, friends, and babysitters is crucial to our adjusted childcare strategy, emphasizing the value of a strong support network.Deep Work Planning: I plan to maximize productivity by scheduling meetings on specific days and blocking off consecutive hours for focused work, illustrating the importance of proactive scheduling.Temporary Shift in Priorities: Recognizing that the summer period is temporary, I remind solopreneurs to take advantage of this time to make memories with their kids and cherish the flexibility our work allows.
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One day in March I started getting regular inbound requests from my coaching form – I had no idea why. When I looked into it, it turns out that I was ranking at #2 on Google for “Podcast Coach.” 
Not to sound like a broken record…but I had no idea why. I didn’t feel like I was doing anything special. I didn’t do keyword research. I didn’t write content in a certain way. 
So I wanted to learn more. That’s why I sat down with SEO pro Lauren Gaggioli to get the real truth about search engine optimization in 2024. We cover a bunch of stuff from why quality human-written content will ALWAYS beat AI-generated stuff to the long-game SEO strategy that keeps paying off for years.
Plus, I get Lauren's real talk on whether social media is even worth it for driving traffic in 2024. Her perspective will not surprise you.  
If you're a solopreneur, blogger, or content creator feeling lost with SEO, you need to hear what Lauren has to say. Stop wasting time on strategies that don't work and start optimizing intelligently!
Top Takeaways
SEO is about appealing to Google's bots and making your website discoverable for relevant search queries. BUT…Google prioritizes quality, human-written content over AI-generated or keyword-stuffed content.SEO is a long-term investment, and it's essential to commit to it for at least 12 months to see meaningful results. While social media can be useful for engagement, SEO is more effective for driving targeted traffic and revenue.Researching low-difficulty, high-relevance keywords and focusing on answering the questions your target audience asks is crucial for SEO success.Show Notes
Lauren GaggioliImperfect action will get you thereThe Marshmallow TestKeyword difficulty is more important than volumeMangools
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