Simple, 4-Step Action Plan to Be Productive Your Coaching Business

It's time to take action and finally check something off your to do list!

You know, that one pesky THING on your coaching business to do list that you know you could or should take care of. A specific task that, for whatever reason, is just not happening.

You KNOW it’s important. You KNOW it will help grow your online coaching business. And you truly do WANT to get it taken care of.

But something always gets in the way.

You simply cannot get yourself to turn on your “do it” switch and get this task off your to do list once and for all.

Have you experienced this?

We certainly have. . . and it can keep us from moving forward. In our lives and in our coaching business.

It gets us STUCK. And we’re willing to bet it gets you stuck too.

Well as you (may) know by now, we don’t let our coaching community stay stuck. (That includes you, dear reader!)

That’s why we’re here to get you thinking about how you can get consistently get into action on the things that are most important to grow and scale your coaching business. Because when you can grow and grow and grow, that’s when your business succeeds.

So if you haven’t already, take a minute and think about that “thing” you have been avoiding, putting off, just not getting done.

Maybe it’s a specific task 
Maybe it’s something more broad
Or maybe it’s a habit that you know you could or should be changing 

Chances are, you know pretty quickly what it is you have been putting off.

(If it's building the foundation of your business, head over to this post to learn 3 Simple Yet Powerful Questions to Set Your Business Foundation)

Whatever your current “thing” may be, you are fully aware that it’s something that will make your business better. It will make you function better and be more productive. It will improve how you reach your ideal coaching clients and run your coaching business.

You have the understanding that this “thing” is important and really, truly needs to get done.

*Note: before you read any further, go back and read about the most common business mindset blocks keeping you stuck. It’s important to learn about these Mindset Blocks to identify how and why you are not being productive or taking action. Once you figure out WHY you are not taking action, you will gain the clarity you need to start implementing this plan.

Ready to get going and finally DO THE THING? Heck yes you are!!

Here is our 4-step action plan to get you into action so you can be productive and achieve what’s most important for your business, relationships, health, and life.

Coaching Business Action Plan: Step 1 - Put it on the dang calendar!

We all know that if something isn’t on your calendar, chances are it’s just not going to happen.

Schedule the work in and hold yourself to that commitment.

And hey, don’t just swipe away the appointment reminder . . . (yes we’ve done that too, resist the urge!) Hold yourself to this time commitment and finally be productive and make real progress on this task.

Scheduling this time will build a new habit.
Holding yourself to this new habit builds a new routine.

So pull up your calendar, whether a paper planner or digital Google calendar, and schedule in some specific blocks of time to work on this task.

Related: 3 No Brainer Tips for Coaches to Overcome Overwhelm

One thing we (Sherri and Jessie) have made a priority each week is to put our heads together and brainstorm how to innovate in our business. This stems from a presentation we made at our last virtual summit called “Are you Imitating or Innovating in Your Business?”
(Did you miss the live talk? Check out the replay here)

In our presentation, we discussed the importance of having your own unique ideas rather than just copying and repeating what every other coach out there is also saying.

While creating this presentation, we recognized that if we carve out an hour per week solely focused on innovation, it will help and grow our business enormously.

And so we put it on our calendar.
And every week we continue to innovate, energize, and grow in a productive way.

How amazing is that??

Now it’s your turn. You will be amazed at how productive you can be once you set aside the time.

Coaching Business Action Plan: Step 2 - Anticipate the obstacles that may get in the way.

So you scheduled a time to work on your thing. Awesome!

Now it’s important to think ahead a bit and consider: what might come up that could derail my productivity? What could stop me from following through or really doing the work during this time?

List them out so you can see them coming a mile away.

This gets you prepared for any real or perceived obstacles that may get you out of “action mode” and back into being stuck.

So what might distract, derail, or disrupt your productivity? Some common culprits include:

• Childcare falling through
• Being too hungry to focus
• Feeling too tired or out of sorts to be able to work
• Your computer breaking
• Your neighbor (loudly) mowing the lawn

You get the picture.

Obviously there are unavoidable obstacles, such as sickness or emergency family care. But or the most part, planning ahead for possible distractions is a great way to keep them from getting you off course and help you be productive.

Which leads us into the next step…

Coaching Business Action Plan: Step 3: Plan workarounds

Now that you’ve considered what may stand in the way of you following through on taking action. It’s time to figure out solutions to these obstacles.

If you have a plan and commit to making it happen, you will still get the work done (even if circumstances are unfolding in a way that’s a bit different than you expected.)

Check out these examples of workarounds:

• Childcare falling through? Put on a show, get out the sensory bin, call in a neighbor or family member to keep the wee one occupied long enough for you to get your work done.
• Being too hungry to focus? Eat a snack before you start work, and keep munchies close at hand in your workspace.
• Feeling too tired or out of sorts to be able to work? Go to bed earlier, do some yoga or meditation to get your body and mind back on track.
• Your computer breaks? Borrow a friend’s!
• Your neighbor (loudly) mowing the lawn? Head to a local coffee shop (or close every single window) for a more peaceful workspace.

Don’t let obstacles become convenient excuses to cancel your productive working time.
Don’t take the first “out” that comes your way.

Commit to the work you know needs to get done.

Like any independent entrepreneur, you need to be flexible to be productive. Just don’t allow yourself to totally derail or cancel out that time you scheduled for yourself and your business to grow.

A great question to ask yourself when you’re faced with a decision is: will this choice help me grow?

• Will not working on my funnel help me grow?
• Will staying stuck in research mode help me grow?
• Will watching (another) episode of Grey’s Anatomy help me grow?

You will definitely know the answers to this question, each and every time you intentionally ask it.

Coaching Business Action Plan: Step 4: Ask for (qualified) help.

There is a time to DIY and a time to call in some expert support.

For some people, that means hiring someone (a coach, a service provider, or a professional who can set up a system or technology. Others are not so ready for that step, whether financially or mentally.

Here at StarrCox we have a “no staying stuck” rule. For ourselves, our team, our clients, and members of our group community. Which means we are pros at quickly identifying when and how someone is stuck and putting an action plan in place so everyone can be productive.

No one can possibly be an expert in everything.

Especially with something as new and complex as building your online business. Talk about a learning curve!

So this is our advice: make it a practice to ask for help from those you know can help. (Which probably isn’t your bff, next door neighbor, spouse, or mom.) Someone who has the ability, knowledge, and experience in your specific area of need so they can help you shift into greatness.

We ask for help all the time! From each other, our experts, even our community members. And some of our business bestie partners ask us for help too, because they recognize the expertise and qualifications we have to contribute in order to help them be productive and succeed.

You will be amazed at how quickly you can start taking action with targeted, custom advice from experts who specialize in what you are learning about.

So there you have it!

Hopefully you feel more prepared to take some real, productive action with this simple yet effective action plan. 

And make sure to check out our full guide on How to Start a Successful Online Coaching Business.

So what are you going to take action on today? This week? This month?

And how much more will you and your business grow once you are productive and start building real momentum forward?

Dare to take bold action steps toward this dream business of yours.

We can’t wait to see what you create.