From Struggle to Flow – Stay Organized As a Solopreneur
If staying organized feels impossible as a solopreneur, you’re not alone. Knowing what to do, how to do it, and at all times why you’re doing it — how it fits into the bigger picture for your business — is hard… But it need not be as hard as you think.
When I launched Ripple Effect Leadership full-time, I often found myself stuck in "reactive mode." I’d spend my mornings responding to emails and client needs but realize by the afternoon that I hadn’t moved the needle on my long-term goals.
As solopreneurs, we hold many responsibilities, set goals, and create visions for our business to succeed.
While my many years in corporate granted me a lot of skills and strategy, there was more I had to learn. Or, at least, I had to learn to apply what I knew in different ways.
And I did.
I started with small systems, course-corrected when necessary, and, eventually, created a solid, results-oriented system built around my hands-on experience and modern leadership techniques.
If you’re not sure you need help, let’s clarify what organizational chaos might look like.
Common Struggles with Organization which Solopreneurs Face
The first step in resolving anything is understanding what it appears as. How can we specifically identify the face of our organizational struggles?
On a subtle level, imposter syndrome makes us think that others have a masterful handle over their day. Have no doubt about it — your peers are experiencing similar challenges.
Like you, some challenges may be hidden, while other patterns are glaring.
Habits which form barriers to healthy organization routines look like:
1. Wearing Too Many Hats with Too Little Time: Being a leader sometimes means wearing all the hats. And wearing too many hats leaves no time for strategic planning.
Balancing admin, marketing, client work, and more affords little time for big-picture planning.
Instead, we tend to go for the small stuff, building up to:
2. Overwhelming To-Do Lists: Having any to-do list always gives the impression and feel of making headway. But a mile-long list can paralyze decision-making.
I used to keep these massive, unmanageable to-do lists with everything from ‘schedule a webinar’ to ‘water the plants’ on it. The list was so long that I’d freeze, not knowing where to start.
I fell into a pattern of reactivity:
3. Reactive vs. Proactive Work: I constantly reacted to immediate needs instead of proactively working on long-term goals.
Without a plan, solopreneurs spend their days putting out fires instead of making intentional progress.
And let’s not forget those perfectionism tendencies that lead to:
4. Perfectionism Paralysis: The desire to "do it all perfectly" often stalls progress. Instead, we tend to go for the easier tasks, and start to create overwhelming to-do lists that affect our decision-making.
And so the cycle continues… until we stop it ourselves.
Here are three actionable tips that helped me overcome the struggle.
1️⃣ Declutter Your Workspace For Mental Clarity
At one point, my workspace was a disaster — sticky notes everywhere, random notebooks piled up, and an inbox that could give you a panic attack just looking at it.
I didn’t realise how much my physical space affected my mental clarity until I decided to declutter.
By simplifying my workspace and organising my tools, I felt an immediate shift in my focus.
Now, I can sit down and work without feeling overwhelmed by the clutter around me.
If you haven’t already, don’t underestimate what a good decluttering session can do for you.
Ready to clear the room a bit? Read more on resets here.
2️⃣ Use Weekly Check-ins to Stay on Track
There’s nothing like going into a new week feeling like your week’s to-do list, now intertwined with last week’s progress, has gotten severely complicated.
Using a weekly check-in system, I slow down and pause, celebrate my progress, and clarify how best to move forward. The weekly overview, or weekly check-in, is a sweet spot where long-term growth happens… if you take it seriously.
Did you finish everything you wanted to during the week? If not, that’s okay! You now have an adjusted blueprint to better organize yourself and work at a more suitable pace
You may ask yourself what prevented you from achieving your goals and work to improve whatever it was — whether it’s internal, like procrastination, or external, like your environment.
My favourite part of my weekly check-in is when I celebrate myself because I’m a badass who got shit done.
It’s a confidence-boosting shortcut!
3️⃣ Prioritize Tasks Using The 3/3/3 Method
The 3/3/3 Method might be new to you, but it’s simple. This highly effective method grants solopreneurs much-needed control by focusing on manageable steps that build momentum and progress.
I use this framework to prioritize my workload and stay organised without overcomplicating my day.
Here's how it works:
Jot Down 3 Top Priorities for the Week:
Focus on three high-impact tasks that align with your goals. These are the "big wins" that will move the needle.3 Supporting Tasks for Each Priority:
Break each priority into three smaller, actionable steps to ensure you're making progress without overwhelm.3 Daily Micro-Actions:
Commit to completing three manageable tasks each day to maintain momentum. These could be replying to emails, creating social media posts, or researching tools.
Although all of my tasks live in Asana, I like having this template Want a copy of this template I designed? Click here and send me a message.
Join My January Workshop, Biz Planning to Stay Organized
Ready to give the 3/3/3 Method a shot?
In my upcoming Workshop, Biz Planning to Stay Organized, we’ll dive deeper into this approach.
This will be a live, hands-on session where you’ll go in feeling supported by me, your leadership hype girl, and come out feeling empowered.
If you don’t make the live sesh, no worries, as you’ll receive the recording in an email right away we’re done.
Let’s equip ourselves with those creative strategies to stay organised and ensure business success. Let all that hard work be worth it!
