You ever felt like a terrible parent? Â If you are a parent then your answer is probably yes. Â One of the things that I fought last year was spending quality time with my kids. Â In fact, the more successful my business gets, the less time I spend with my family.
I live in Utah and my Mormon friends do “Family Home Evening” every Monday.  I used to hate when my Mormon friends couldn’t play on Monday evenings.  As a parent, now I admire it.  When it comes to rhythms, my Mormon friends are on to something.  They don’t leave their family time to chance.  They carve out the time to ensure that it happens.  This same concept of rhythms isn’t only powerful for our personal lives.  It can transform your business as well.
The concept of setting up rhythms in my business came from the book Rockefeller Habits. Â Rhythms are about establishing a pattern and schedules for when certain things happen in your business.
Why Do Rhythms Matter?
“Rhythms destroy my creativity!”
“I don’t want to be put in a box.”
When I talk about rhythms in a workshop or one-on-one with a client, I get the above responses a lot. Â The reason you want to have rhythms in your life is so that the things that are ongoing and crucial to your success actually get done. Â Without rhythms, you are left to do everything in your life based off of your own will power.
The Limitations of Will Power
The problem with will power is that it is finite.  If you have ever stared down a box of donuts in the break room in the morning, you know what I am talking about.  There are certain times when you have more will power and certain times when you have less.  Creating rhythms  allows you to put important tasks on auto-pilot so that you can focus your energy on other, less routine tasks.
What Rhythms Do You Need For Your Business
The rhythms that you create for your business are up to you but here are some ideas of rhythms that you can create in your business:
- Content Creation
- Employee Training
- Working on the business
- Creative time
- Employee reviews
- Team retreats
- Certain aspects of your marketing
- Connecting with relationships
What happens when you wait until you have time or if you try to handle something after a long day? Â Chances are, nothing. Â Nothing happens. Â This is the problem with relying on will power to get things done. My wife and I decided a few months ago to not leave our family time to chance so we created a Tuesday evening rhythm to make sure that we do a meaningful activity together. Â Unfortunately, leaving things to chance is a standard business approach in small businesses today. Â Your business doesn’t have to be that way. Â For this year create a business by design vs. a business by default.
PS…. Are you looking for ideas on how you can create an intentional business that amazes your customers? Â If so, check out my free e-book, Total Experience Design- How To Stand Out In A Crowded Market.