Latest / The Confident Entrepreneur With Jennifer Ann Johnson / Structure Without Stress: Creating Flexible Frameworks With Jennifer Ann Johnson
Transcript
- 0:37Jennifer Johnson: Today, we're tackling one of the most challenging aspects of entrepreneurial life.
- 0:42Jennifer Johnson: How to build a routine when literally no two days look the same.
- 0:46Jennifer Johnson: If you're an entrepreneur, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
- 0:50Jennifer Johnson: One day you're back-to-back client meetings, the next day you're putting out fires with your website.
- 0:55Jennifer Johnson: And meanwhile, all the productivity gurus are telling you that successful people have morning routines and evening routines and structured schedules that they follow religiously.
- 1:06Jennifer Johnson: But how do you create that kind of structure when your calendar changes hourly, when urgent client needs pop up without warning?
- 1:15Jennifer Johnson: And when the very nature of building a business means constantly adapting to new challenges and opportunities.
- 1:22Jennifer Johnson: Here's what I've learned after years of trying to force traditional advice from all of the gurus is that sometimes our schedules are going to inevitably get disrupted.
- 1:36Jennifer Johnson: The key is to building what I call flexible frameworks.
- 1:39Jennifer Johnson: There's systems that provide structure and consistency while still allowing for those unpredictable things that come from being an entrepreneur.
- 1:49Jennifer Johnson: Before we dive into what works, let me talk to you why, talk about why routine advice feels impossible to implement when you're building a business.
- 1:59Jennifer Johnson: I spent years feeling like I was failing at productivity because I couldn't stick to the routines that seemed to work for everybody else.
- 2:07Jennifer Johnson: Most routine advice assumes that you have control over your schedule and it assumes that you can block out the same time every day for the same activity.
- 2:15Jennifer Johnson: Well, as we know, as entrepreneurs, that doesn't happen.
- 2:20Jennifer Johnson: I remember reading about some CEO's elaborate morning routine where they do meditation and journaling and exercise and everything before 8 a.m.
- 2:28Jennifer Johnson: And thinking, well, that sounds great, but what happens when your biggest client calls you at 6 a.m.
- 2:34Jennifer Johnson: with uh I have an urgent problem?
- 2:37Jennifer Johnson: Well, the routine advice doesn't often account for that reality that entrepreneurs face.
- 2:44Jennifer Johnson: Traditional routine advice often promotes the all-or-nothing mentality.
- 2:48Jennifer Johnson: Either you do your full routine perfectly or you failed.
- 2:53Jennifer Johnson: This creates that cycle where one disruption ruins your entire day, which leads to guilt and making you feel as though you're not enough.
- 3:01Jennifer Johnson: The truth is, perfectionists' approaches to routines are setting entrepreneurs up for failure because disruption isn't the exception in our world, it's the norm.
- 3:13Jennifer Johnson: Most routine advice assumes that everyone has the same energy patterns and responsibilities.
- 3:18Jennifer Johnson: Maybe you do your best creative work before 11 p.m.
- 3:21Jennifer Johnson: or at 11 p.m.
- 3:23Jennifer Johnson: Maybe you have young kids who dictate your morning schedule, and maybe you're in different time zones than your clients are, which requires you working at all odd hours.
- 3:32Jennifer Johnson: Here's the paradox that entrepreneurs face.
- 3:35Jennifer Johnson: We need routine and structure more than people, than most people do, because we don't have external structures of a traditional job.
- 3:43Jennifer Johnson: But we also have less predictability than most people, making traditional routines nearly impossible to maintain.
- 3:51Jennifer Johnson: When you work for someone else, that's built-in structure that you have.
- 3:55Jennifer Johnson: You have set work hours and regular meetings and all of the things are laid without laid out there for you.
- 4:01Jennifer Johnson: Without some kind of routine or framework, it's easy to fall into a reactive mode where you're always responding to whatever's the loudest, loudest or most urgent rather than proactively working on what's most important.
- 4:15Jennifer Johnson: You can stay busy all day without making meaning for progress on actual goals.
- 4:21Jennifer Johnson: And structure provides psychological benefits.
- 4:25Jennifer Johnson: Having predictable elements in your day creates a sense of control and calm when you're uncertain.
- 4:31Jennifer Johnson: So the traditional approach to structure, rigid schedules and fixed routines, really clash with being an entrepreneur because that requires being flexible and adaptable.
- 4:42Jennifer Johnson: The solution isn't to abandon structure altogether, but the solution is to build a structure that's designed for that unpredictability.
- 4:51Jennifer Johnson: So instead of rigid routines, entrepreneurs need what I call flexible frameworks, consistent elements that can adapt to changing circumstances while providing the benefits that structure and routine gives them.
- 5:04Jennifer Johnson: Anchor habits is a great way.
- 5:06Jennifer Johnson: Anchored habits are small, consistent practices that you can do no matter what is happening in your day.
- 5:12Jennifer Johnson: They're not elaborate, they're very simple.
- 5:14Jennifer Johnson: They serve as touchstones.
- 5:16Jennifer Johnson: They help you feel grounded in control when things are chaotic.
- 5:19Jennifer Johnson: For me, it may be reading for 10 minutes, or it's writing down things that I'm grateful for, or writing down my questions or thoughts that I have in my head.
- 5:29Jennifer Johnson: They take less than 15 minutes combined and can done anywhere and don't require any special equipment.
- 5:36Jennifer Johnson: No matter if you're traveling or working late or dealing with emergencies, you can still do those things.
- 5:42Jennifer Johnson: Then there's time-based frameworks.
- 8:10Jennifer Johnson: Instead of trying to do the same thing the same time every day, you are creating a framework based on how you want to use different types of time.
- 8:21Jennifer Johnson: For example, you may have a framework for morning focus time.
- 8:25Jennifer Johnson: That can happen anywhere between 7 and 11 a.m., depending upon what your day looks like.
- 8:30Jennifer Johnson: Your morning focus framework may include reviewing your priorities for the day or doing your deep work task before you check your email.
- 8:39Jennifer Johnson: You get the point.
- 8:40Jennifer Johnson: Specific timing and duration can vary, but the framework ensures that you're always doing these important activities.
- 8:48Jennifer Johnson: And then energy-based planning.
- 8:50Jennifer Johnson: Instead of planning your day around clock time, plan it around your energy patterns.
- 8:54Jennifer Johnson: Identify when you usually have the high energy or the medium or the low energy and work around that.
- 9:01Jennifer Johnson: For example, I know I have high creative creative energy in the morning.
- 9:06Jennifer Johnson: And all of the things that I really want to get done, I make sure that I put it in the morning, like writing or planning, any of those things.
- 9:14Jennifer Johnson: In the afternoon is more emails and admin, and then the evening work is more organizing and planning for the next day because that's when I have the least amount of energy.
- 9:24Jennifer Johnson: And then you can also do project-based rhythms where you create consistent rhythms around your projects rather than your daily schedule.
- 9:31Jennifer Johnson: It might mean that you're always starting new projects with a planning session.
- 9:35Jennifer Johnson: And then you review those project progress weekly at the same time, or the projects and how they're progressing weekly at the same time so that it kind of keeps it on a really good rhythm for you.
- 9:49Jennifer Johnson: So now let's get into some practical about how to build that framework system that works for your business needs.
- 9:58Jennifer Johnson: Step number one is identify your non-negotiables.
- 10:01Jennifer Johnson: Start with identifying the activities that are absolutely essential for your well-being of your business.
- 10:07Jennifer Johnson: And for you, for that matter, that could include exercise or client communication or financial reviews, whatever the biggest thing is that is going to have on your impact that you're looking for.
- 10:20Jennifer Johnson: For me, my non-negotiables would be exercise.
- 10:23Jennifer Johnson: Even if it's a 10-minute walk, it would be reading.
- 10:27Jennifer Johnson: I love to read and I need consistent sleep.
- 10:30Jennifer Johnson: Everything else can be flexible, but those things have to happen no matter what.
- 10:35Jennifer Johnson: Step two is design minimal viable versions.
- 10:39Jennifer Johnson: So for each non-negotiable, come up with the minimum viable version of that that you can do even on your worst days.
- 10:46Jennifer Johnson: It's your backup plan for when life gets lifey.
- 10:50Jennifer Johnson: It's what usually when life gets lifey, that's when you kind of throw out all the things that you were doing because you have to do something that's more important.
- 11:01Jennifer Johnson: For me, my minimum viable thing is maybe doing exercise.
- 11:06Jennifer Johnson: It's definitely reading and it's definitely getting six hours of sleep.
- 11:11Jennifer Johnson: I would like more, but that doesn't always happen.
- 11:14Jennifer Johnson: Step number three is creating a trigger-based system.
- 11:16Jennifer Johnson: Instead of relying on willpower or memory, create systems that are triggered by things that are already happening in your day.
- 11:24Jennifer Johnson: It makes your framework more automatic.
- 11:27Jennifer Johnson: And it's something less that you have to remember to do.
- 11:30Jennifer Johnson: For example, I always love to do all of my creative creative thinking and working early in the morning.
- 11:36Jennifer Johnson: That is the time that works for me.
- 11:39Jennifer Johnson: So find a time where it's kind of a trigger base, like, okay, I get my coffee and I immediately go into creative mode.
- 11:46Jennifer Johnson: Number four is building in buffer time.
- 11:49Jennifer Johnson: One of the reasons that traditional routines fail for entrepreneurs is because when disruptions happen, we end up derailing everything that we have going for us.
- 12:02Jennifer Johnson: So if you build in the buffer time and knowing that things are gonna happen, things are not gonna always go as planned, you're not gonna feel rushed if something takes a little bit longer, or you're not gonna feel defeated if you can't get to something.
- 12:17Jennifer Johnson: Even with this flexible framework, there's gonna be days that are completely unpredictable.
- 12:22Jennifer Johnson: So I've got a few strategies that you can use to maintain some sort of a routine, even on your most chaotic days.
- 12:28Jennifer Johnson: So two-minute rule.
- 12:30Jennifer Johnson: On days when your framework gets completely completely disrepted, take two minutes of deep breathing or reviewing your priorities.
- 12:38Jennifer Johnson: Two minutes is all you need.
- 12:40Jennifer Johnson: It's the two-minute exercise.
- 12:43Jennifer Johnson: The pocket of progress approach.
- 12:46Jennifer Johnson: Look for small pockets of time throughout your day where you can make progress on important work.
- 12:51Jennifer Johnson: Even five minutes between phone calls or 10 minutes while you're waiting for a meeting to start.
- 12:56Jennifer Johnson: Do something in those times.
- 12:58Jennifer Johnson: Emergency protocols.
- 13:00Jennifer Johnson: Create a protocol for different types of emergencies so that, you know, for example, let's say you're you're traveling.
- 13:07Jennifer Johnson: What's your routine when you're dealing with a client who's in crisis?
- 13:10Jennifer Johnson: What are your non-negotiables when you're launching a new product?
- 13:13Jennifer Johnson: What are those emergency protocols?
- 13:16Jennifer Johnson: Then there's the reset ritual.
- 13:18Jennifer Johnson: Develop a simple routine that helps you reset when your day gets completely derailed.
- 13:23Jennifer Johnson: Hey, maybe it's taking a bath at night.
- 13:25Jennifer Johnson: Maybe it's reading, maybe it's watching mindless TV.
- 13:28Jennifer Johnson: Whatever it is, have that reset ritual.
- 13:31Jennifer Johnson: The right tools can make it much easier to maintain that flexible framework without having to rely on that willpower or the memory.
- 13:38Jennifer Johnson: You can do habit tracking apps that monitor your anchor habits and your non-negotiables.
- 13:45Jennifer Johnson: You can do time blocking with flexibility where you block out time on your schedule so nothing is ever scheduled.
- 13:51Jennifer Johnson: I usually do that on Fridays.
- 13:53Jennifer Johnson: I never do podcasting on Friday.
- 13:55Jennifer Johnson: I never do meetings typically on Friday.
- 13:57Jennifer Johnson: I do things that I kind of want to do on Friday.
- 14:00Jennifer Johnson: Then you can do weekly planning sessions.
- 14:03Jennifer Johnson: And instead of trying to plan every day in detail, focus on planning for your week.
- 14:08Jennifer Johnson: Building frameworks that actually stick require understanding that psychological factors make routines sustainable for entrepreneurs.
- 14:17Jennifer Johnson: And it's really progress over perfection.
- 14:19Jennifer Johnson: Measure your success by progress and consistency over time.
- 14:24Jennifer Johnson: A framework that you follow 70% of the time is better than a routine that you follow perfectly for two weeks and then you kind of forget it.
- 14:33Jennifer Johnson: And celebrate those small wins.
- 14:35Jennifer Johnson: When you successfully adapt a framework to challenging circumstances, or when you manage to anchor your habits despite your crazy day, hey, that's a win.
- 14:46Jennifer Johnson: Schedule monthly or quarterly reviews of your framework system.
- 14:49Jennifer Johnson: What's working well?
- 14:50Jennifer Johnson: What feels forced?
- 14:52Jennifer Johnson: What's unattainable?
- 14:53Jennifer Johnson: What new needs have emerged as your business has grown?
- 14:57Jennifer Johnson: And then you can also make seasonal adjustments.
- 14:59Jennifer Johnson: Maybe during the Christmas time, things are getting really, really busy, or you have a slower time where you're like, you know what, I can change this up a little bit.
- 15:09Jennifer Johnson: And then the other consideration is as your business grows and you add team members, you need to evolve that to include your leadership team to make sure that they are on board as well.
- 15:21Jennifer Johnson: As we wrap up today's episode, I want to leave you with this reminder.
- 15:24Jennifer Johnson: The goal of building routines as an entrepreneur isn't to eliminate unpredictability, it's to create stability within unpredictability.
- 15:33Jennifer Johnson: Your framework system should feel like a supportive structure that helps, that helps you navigate that chaos, not a rigid cage that restricts your ability to adapt and respond to opportunities.
- 15:44Jennifer Johnson: Remember, there's no perfect framework that works for everybody.
- 15:48Jennifer Johnson: Your system needs to fit your energy patterns, your business model, your circumstances.
- 15:53Jennifer Johnson: Start small with anchor habits and non-negotiables.
- 15:57Jennifer Johnson: Build in that flexibility from the beginning and focus on consistency over perfection.
- 16:03Jennifer Johnson: Your entrepreneurial journey is going to be unpredictable by nature, but with the right framework, you can create consistency and progress even in the midst of chaos.
- 16:13Jennifer Johnson: You can build structure that supports your success rather than constraining your growth.