One thing I hear over and over again is how drastically the voiceover and on-camera industries have changed over the last few years. No longer do we just walk into our agent’s office and record an audition. We now have a home booth that we’ve built ourselves)and our own equipment. We direct, record, and edit ourselves. And many times, if we land the job, we’re doing the same thing for the finished project. And if the customer wants a directed session, we better have multiple secure ways of connecting with them. Our workload just quadrupled, but our time definitely has not.
If you’re like me and feeling the crunch, I have some tips to make your life life a lot easier and way more efficient. You’ll start feeling like you can accomplish more with less effort. Moral of the story:- Work Smarter, Not Harder.
How exactly can we do that?
Automation. Anywhere technology can help you streamline work processes, use it. What exactly does that look like?
Templates:- Email, P2P proposals, social media posts, etc
Auto pay for bills or recurring payments
Buying software that streamlines tasks - i.e. email marketing, accounting, social media management, etc)
Batching.
Auditions - Instead of record, edit, submit again and again, I batch and streamline the audition process. I will record all my auditions in one swoop, then edit them, then submit. I can successfully submit up to 25-30 quality auditions in about a 4-hour block of time using that method.
Social media - Plan your social media posts for the month in a day or two. You’ve now removed the pressure and time it takes to post daily into about 8-10 hours.
Keep organized.
Trying to find files, receipts, or emails can feel impossible and can be HIGHLY time-consuming if you don’t have an understandable filing system set up. Create a highly organized digital filing system (that makes sense to you!) and have redundancy of those files just in case you need the backup.
Use an excel spreadsheet or a CRM - Customer Relationship Manager - to keep your clients and your interactions with them organized. Nothing is worse than a client reaching out wanting to hire you or loving your audition and just requesting an invoice… and you can’t find anything you communicated about!
Rest. This may sound counterintuitive, but one person can only do so much. Experiencing burnout can hurt our mental health and our business. In order to keep our body and mind healthy, we need to make sure we’re:
Getting enough quality sleep.
Active rest. This is anything enjoyable outside of work that has nothing to do with making money.
Even though our workload feels out of control and overwhelming, there are definitely processes we can put in place to make our lives easier. With this list of recommendations, I’ve got templates and tips that can help you easily put these actions into place. Check out...
the Daytime Hero Business Toolbox! []
In this Toolbox, you’re getting the following:
Social Media Planner, Template, and Content Ideas
Tips for Productivity and Workflow
Bookkeeping Basics
Daily Priority List
Website Essentials Checklist
CRM (Customer Relationship Manager) Template
Customer Guarantee
Invoice Template
Email Templates
Goal Accountability Tracker
Mindfulness Journal Prompts
Set yourself up for success by streamlining your efforts and saving yourself some time and energy.
I’d love to hear which tip resonates most with you!
Loving efficiency,
Christy