Coaches, Are You Wearing Too Many Hats? Here’s How to Prioritize for Success

As a coach and small business owner, you juggle countless responsibilities. One moment you’re a marketer, the next a bookkeeper, content creator, or tech support. It’s part of the gig—but here’s the catch: not all tasks are created equal.

For example, marketing outweighs bookkeeping because, without marketing, there’s no cash flow to manage. And if you spend hours tweaking your website design but fail to send an email to your audience, what have you gained?

Sure, your website might look great, but you’ve missed an opportunity to drive traffic to your offers.

In an ideal world, you’d put on your CEO hat and delegate the rest, but let’s face it, that’s not always possible. So instead, let’s talk about how to work smarter and ensure your time goes to the tasks that matter most.

Prioritize Your Daily Tasks

We all have different skills and sweet spots. Maybe you love customer support but dread bookkeeping, or you enjoy digging into analytics but dislike dealing with tech issues. Whatever your preferences, one thing is universal: money-making tasks should always be at the top of your to-do list.

Money-making tasks might include:

  • Product creation
  • Email marketing
  • Client outreach
  • Developing webinars
  • Pitching your services

 

These are the activities that grow your business. Yes, I get it—you started this because you love coaching, not because you want to think about money constantly. But here’s the reality: passion doesn’t pay the bills. To serve your clients fully, you need a thriving business. It’s about balancing your purpose with smart business practices. (Okay, stepping off my soapbox now!)

Know the Difference Between Important and Urgent

In his classic book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey introduced the time-management grid. This tool helps you prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance:

  1. Urgent and Important: Tasks that need immediate attention, like a sales page for your program launching tomorrow.
  2. Important but Not Urgent: Strategic activities like marketing and planning.
  3. Urgent but Not Important: Distractions like a ringing phone or minor issues others can handle.
  4. Not Urgent or Important: Time-wasters, like endlessly scrolling social media.

 

Before you dive into your to-do list, take a moment to categorize each task. Focus on what’s important and urgent first, then tackle what’s important but not urgent. This approach ensures you’re working smarter, not harder.

The Bottom Line

Will you always be perfectly productive? Probably not. None of us will. But by consciously organizing and prioritizing your days, you’ll feel less overwhelmed and more in control of your business.

Ready to take your coaching business to the next level? I’ve partnered with Training Peaks to create a course packed with actionable insights for coaches like you. Grab it here!