4 Ways To Use Quiet Time To Push Your Business Forward

Brexit, the pandemic, the tough Christmas sales, the on going cost of living crisis, or all of the above have been impacting businesses.  It's hard out there at the moment and we know small businesses are really feeling it.

When things get tough we can often turn to negative thoughts, which fuels unhelpful feelings and emotions; self-doubt, impostor syndrome, anxiety, or depression.  It's not a nice or productive place to be.  Originally when we experienced a quite time we would work harder and faster and never take a break.  As time went on we reminded ourselves why we did this in the first place, then gave ourselves permission to sit back, take a breather and look at the health of DR Adept (DRA) and to make changes helping us to work smarter and not harder. 

Quite times are not a failure, all businesses go through them, it's an opportunity to reset, review and revive yourself.

Here's how you can do it

1. Stop and breath
2. Reduce your time on social media
3. Focus on becoming more efficient
4. Re-connect with yourself

4 Ways To Use Quiet Time To Push Your Business Forward

1.  Stop and breath

If you haven't stopped in a long time, never taken a break, or are feeling too pressured to think straight, then take some time out.  Do something completely different, spend time with people who make you laugh, do some hobby that takes your mind off everything, read a good book that you can't put down.  Go on holiday and enjoy some sun and relaxation.

After a week, possibly two you'll be refreshed and find you are ready to return to work and tackle these quieter times.

2.  Reduce your time on social media

With the constant algorithm changes we are all being forced to waste time learning how to keep up with social media platforms.  Then we churn out way too much content the algorithm will like so we get seen more.  This just forces everyone to work harder, because what makes social media platforms successful is lots of content, so of course they are going to want you to produce more and more of it, while they show less and less of it to your customers.

We thought if we cut back it would really hurt us, but it's becoming clearer when chatting to other marketing people, that posting religiously each and every single day isn't producing the same results it once did, and their content is being hit by the every changing algorithm, so taking a break didn't harm us. 

Social media can also be a very negative place to be, while everyone voices their opinions and demand to be heard in not the healthiest way.  If you are already feeling vulnerable, this isn't the place to be hanging out.  It will ultimately affect your ability to run your business with the enthusiasm it needs.

It won't hurt you turning your phone off and ignoring social media for a while, I follow many people I admire who have posted to let their audience know they are taking a break and will be back soon.  Your audience, the ones who really believe in you and your business will still be there when you get back.  I know I have been.

Taking this break will give you the time needed to look at your sales channels to find out if they are actually working hard for you, and not the other way around.  Is Instagram your only sales channel right now? What can you do to change that? You have a choice, you are not held to sticking with one social media channel or even being 100% reliant on any given social media platform again. 

I would always recommend developing an email marketing plan and building up a list of subscribers, or plan a retail pop-up or a market stall.  Most businesses change during a crisis to survive, the smaller you are the easier it is to do.

Read our blog: How to grow your email subscribers

3.  Focus on becoming more efficient

Being busy seems to be a badge of honour for the majority of us.  But busy people don't necessarily work efficiently.  Work smart not harder...

Quiet times give you the space to review your systems and ways of doing things differently.  What works? What isn't? What do your other small business buddies do that you aren't? Put your feet up with a cup of tea and a notebook and scribble down everything that comes to mind, your ordering system, customer service and marketing.  Identify what can be changed now, the things that will need a bit of work, and those that can't be changed until a contract/subscription has ended.  Feeling productive and moving the dial forward for your business, even in the moments where the orders aren't flooding in, is the key to keeping your enthusiasm and passion for what you do.

Taking a step back can be just as important as doing stuff.  Giving your business an annual MOT is always a good idea.  We do ours once we close our accounts and set our budgets for the year ahead.  Remind yourself of your vision, your values and what makes you get up in the morning.

4.  Re-connect with yourself

When you started you probably had thoughts of not working the 9 to 5 and having more time off.  Often you end up working longer hours for less pay.  So live the dream, when it's hot and sunny out, take the day off and enjoy it.  It will recharge your batteries, instead of charging the negativity you will feel if everyone else is out laughing in the sun and you are still working hard.

You might just reconnect with your creativity and find inspiration outside of your own four walls.  A change of scenery does wonders in getting your creative juices running again.  Our best ideas usually come when we are most relaxed and giving ourselves time to think, I've had many a good idea come to me in the middle of the night while I'm asleep or while out walking, so don't feel guilty for taking that walk or booking the impromptu trip.

Save yourself when times are quite.  You are the machine that runs your business and machines need to be switched off for maintenance before they break entirely.  Quieter moments give you time to breath and to remember why you decided to do this.  Quiet times can be the best thing for a business.