Ten Things to Do When You’re Bored: Filling the gaps between meetings and projects with meaningful work
Let’s face it. As small business owners, there’s rarely an opportunity to be bored. There’s always a fire to put out, a call to make or a deadline to meet. And before we know it, the workday has ended, and we still haven’t done the necessary work of keeping our brand in front of current and prospective clients.
Often, it’s the marketing and promotion of our business that can get “back-burnered” for more pressing issues of running a company. However, it’s vital to keep moving forward with your promotion and marketing activities even when business is, well, busy.
While I do not advocate reserving all marketing activity for the downtimes, there are some activities you can easily pick up when there’s a gap in your schedule – between meetings, at the airport, or when there’s a slight lull in your day.
The important thing is to keep moving on these items daily. Spending just a little time each day on one or more of these tasks can eventually become a full-blown narrative for your growing company.
Write 500 words for a blog post. What’s trending in the news right now? Or what is a common question you get from your customers, patients or clients that could become good content for your website? You can write a first draft within a few minutes, then work at it every day over the next week. (For instance, I’m a few minutes early for a meeting and am enjoying a few moments at a coffee shop as I write this.)
Set up a lunch (or coffee) with a business connection. Who haven’t you heard from in a while? Perhaps it’s time to schedule that phone call, set up a conversation and continue working on those business relationships that may have gone stagnant over the past several months (or years).
Send a thank you note. Who is someone who’s gone above and beyond to guide you through a challenge? Who recently inspired you? Sent you a referral? Send them a quick note. Handwritten if you can, but at least an email or text. Everyone loves to be recognized, and a simple thank you could make someone’s day.
Write a mini business plan. OK, this might not be a simple task, but perhaps you have an idea you’ve yet to explore – a new service offering, a new business model or a new way to connect with your hardest-to-reach audience. Start writing down a few ideas; pose questions your mind can ponder and list some initial next steps.
Write an outline for a workshop. What expertise do you possess that others might find useful? Have you ever thought about offering a workshop, webinar or guest speaking opportunity to a local organization? These kinds of events are perfect for positioning yourself as a thought leader in your industry as well as building leads. Spend some time jotting down topics you might enjoy teaching and then begin to build out informative content for a potential 30- or 60-minute learning event.
Retweet someone. Social media is there to engage. If social media is part of your daily habit, then choose the social media platform of your choice and spend some time sharing content that your followers would find informative.
Update an existing blog post. Repurposing content is wise and very easy to do. Rather than start from scratch on a new topic, choose and older post and update it with new data, links and information that makes it relevant for today. Then, post it on your social media accounts.
Scan your website. Check for broken links, outdated information and misspellings, and then take the time to either correct them or delegate it to someone who can.
Set a new goal. Review your goals and then see what needs to be tweaked or updated to help you stay on track.
Write a case study. You likely have some success stories. It’s time to show off your wins by building case studies of the learnings and ROI you provided through your business. Case studies are useful in your blog posts, sales pitches and speaking engagements.
Angela Klinske helps leaders establish their rightful presence in the communities they serve. Through effective communications and PR strategy, Angela helps leaders build their brand, their presence and their authenticity with valued stakeholders. Learn how Mixed Media PR can help you develop solid communications and PR strategy for your business.
