The Mind Your Time Podcast | Business Systems for Service Providers

Reset Before January: Reflect, Refine & Redesign Your Business

• Shannon Baker | Business Operations Strategist • Episode 226

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What if you stopped waiting for January to feel calm and in control of your business, and decided this season could be your reset instead?

This episode is your invitation to step out of survival mode and into a more intentional way of leading your business. We talk about why “new year, new you” pressure keeps you spinning your wheels, and how a simple shift from reacting to reflecting can help you reset your business backend now, instead of dragging the chaos into another year. 

You’ll hear how reflection, simplification, and realignment work together to support your boundaries, protect your time, and finally make your business feel like it fits your life again.

So if you’ve been booked with clients but running your business on duct tape systems and late nights, this conversation is especially for you. We’ll walk through how to use reflection to see what is actually working in your business, how to simplify what you keep so you can breathe and make better decisions, and how to redesign your operations around the life you want to live. 

You’ll also hear how the Boundary Reset Scorecard and The Mind Your Time Society work together to give you both awareness and a practical path forward, so your next season is built on structure, not stress.

Related Episodes Mentioned:

Episode 222 - How to Go From Scrambling to Strategic with Emani Guy

Resources Mentioned:

⏰ Ready to see where your time is really slipping away?

The Boundary Reset Scorecard is a quick, fillable Google Doc you can complete online in under two minutes. It helps you spot the gaps in your boundaries, from unclear office hours to unsynced calendars so you know exactly where your time is leaking and what to fix first.

🔧 Ready to turn those ❌’s into ✅’s?

 Join The Mind Your Time Society, your space for guided resets, copy-paste scripts, and a 90-Day Roadmap that makes boundaries stick. You’ll get the tools and support you need to reclaim your calendar, protect your energy, and finally feel in control of your time.

Let me know your thoughts! Click here to send me a text.

Leave a Rating and Review: https://ratethispodcast.com/mindyourtime







SPEAKER_00:

What if I told you that you don't have to wait until January to fill in control of your business again? That can be your reality. So today we're going to talk about one small shift that you can make right now so the chaos you're experiencing right now doesn't follow you into the new year. Welcome to the Mind Your Time Podcast. I'm Shannon Baker, your coffee loving host and business operations strategist. If you're a service provider who's great at what you do, but stuck with misfit clients, messy onboarding, or draining workdays, this show is for you. Each week I share both strategies and practical insights rooted in my power emotional framework to help you streamline your back end, protect your time, and lead your client experience with confidence. Because skills got you clients, but systems will take you further. So grab your cup of coffee or your favorite drink and let's dive in. Sometimes I have to pinch myself because I've been in business for over two decades. And one thing that I've learned about the end of every year is it has its own rhythm. But no matter what, one of the things I've learned is things slow down just enough for you to be reflective, but they don't slow down enough to stop the noise so you can calm the chaos. You see, for years I would sit down in December, determine I was going to plan for the next year. I'd pour my cup of coffee, open up that fresh notebook, and then I would start listing everything I wanted to fix, launch, or finally get right this time. But after a few hours, that mean girl in my head would say, You know you're behind, right? You should be further along than you are. But one year I caught myself, I realized that this process, I wasn't planning. I was actually just reacting. I was dragging all of that mind trash and clutter in my business that's messy folders, half-finished projects, and unrealistic goals into a new year. So those lists, they weren't really a strategy. They were survival tactics. The moment I realized that it changed everything. I stopped making those lists, and instead of sprinting into January, I paused. I sat in silence with my coffee, and I took time to reflect, to look back, to see what was working, identify what wasn't working, and then I decided what I wanted my business to look and feel like. That shift going from reacting to reflecting, it changed how I plan strategically from that point forward, and it definitely has changed how I lead. One, I stopped chasing that perfect reset moment, and I started creating resets when I need them, and especially before the noise of the new year kicks in. So trust me, you don't have to wait until January, or and I say this in quotes, the right time to reset. I stopped doing that years ago. As a matter of fact, September has been my January for years. Now I've talked about that in another episode. So if you want to hear more about it, I'm gonna put a link to that episode in the show notes for you. But I want you to really change your mindset about the right time because again, your reset can start today, tomorrow, next week, next month. You get to decide. But one thing I know about this season is that it's your built-in opportunity to reflect, refine, and rebuild a business that doesn't burn you out. So over the past few episodes, we've laid the foundation for this. We've talked about your goals, your operations, and the routines that you need to support them. And today is a step that prevents you from sliding backwards. That's reflecting. Because this is where you pause, you take note of what worked once and still works now, and then you can course correct before things break down again or you get overwhelmed. Because let's be honest, growth is not linear, things evolve, we change, our boundaries get tested, our boundaries have to change, and sustainable success that comes from your ability to pause, adjust, and realign. Now, one thing's for certain, I know you're amazing at what you do, but your back end probably doesn't show it or support it. So it's hard to lead with confidence when your systems are basically kind of duct taped together and you're up working a whole lot of late nights. And I know you need to do this because you've been booked out with clients, but on the other side of that, every project creates new admin tasks. And who has time for that? Your tools probably don't talk to each other, and you keep remaking that same document that you know you made somewhere, but you can't find it. You really want to be in demand and not be on demand for your clients. You want clarity and you don't want to have to be constantly catching up. You want workflows that make you look as professional as you really are. That's what this episode is all about, if that's what you want. So we're gonna talk about how you can use reflecting to shift from operating in chaos to creating a small space right now before the next season in your life begins. Because the truth is the chaos is not going to fix itself. And if you don't pause and reset it now, it's just gonna follow you into the new year. So there are three steps that we're gonna talk about today to help you reset and start building a business that works for you. Step one, you need to reflect before you plan. No surprise, right? And let me tell you, most entrepreneurs skip this step because slowing down, it feels really unproductive. It's contrary to what we think is actually working. But reflection is what gives your next move direction. So there are three questions I need you to ask yourself and be honest in your answer. What worked this year and why did it work? What drained you, and how you can you prevent that from happening the next time? Where did your systems break down? You see, when it comes to boundaries, they're linked to every single part of the power and motion framework. But they aren't built in one moment. It's not a at water and stir, and you get instant results. They're reinforced by how your systems help you protect your time day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. Now let's go to step two. You need to simplify what you keep after that exercise. And keep this in mind simplification is not about shrinking your goals, it's about freeing up your capacity so that you can grow with clarity. So if you've ever looked around in your digital space and you feel like you're buried by your own brilliance because you got too many ideas, too many tools. Simplification is how you start to create room so that you can breathe again and think. Then you can start making strategic changes. When your back end stops leaking time, you stop leaking money. You also gain capacity for better clients, higher pricing, and you deliver better work. So consider this. Here are some things that maybe you need to think about. Do you need to retire an offer that drains you? Do you need to fire a client who keeps disrespecting your boundaries? Or do you need to clean up the back end of your business and create systems so you don't have to work as hard? When I simplified my own scheduling system and limited the days and times that I was available for calls, clients started respecting my time more because my system protected it. That one change gave me hours of space back every single week. And the space that was created allowed me to be able to reflect and get clear on what truly deserved my time and energy. And inside the My Your Time Society, that is exactly what we do together using the Systems and Sanity Suite Roadmap. It helps you simplify strategically and at your own pace. Think of it as your compass, it gives you the entire journey inside the membership from your first login to running a business that operates without chaos. You see, when you can see the whole path, it's easier to choose the right next step that works for you without second guessing. And once you clear the clutter and start to breathe again, that is really when you can step back and redesign how your business actually fits into your life. Get it to do what you want it to do. And let's talk about that a bit more. That's step three. You need to redesign your business to support your life. This is where everything comes full circle. Your business should support your life, not consume it. You don't have to keep running on the hamster wheel at full speed just to keep things going. See, when you intentionally design your business to support you, that structure becomes self-care. And that looks different for everybody, but it includes things like setting real office hours and honoring them, scheduling downtime between projects, or finally delegating the tasks that drain you. And I've seen how transformational just a few small changes can be. When Imani joined the Minor Time Society, she was in the same place many of us have been, and you may be there now, booked out with clients but burnt out behind the scenes. Her boundaries were pretty much non existent because she didn't have the systems in place that she needed to support her. Once she used the boundary reset scorecard, everything shifted. She told me that was the moment she finally understood how to catch those cracks before they became chaos. The boundary reset scorecard helped her see where her energy was leaking, and it gave her a simple way to stay aware of how things were slipping away. She used it to check herself on a regular basis and to realize when she was working too late or letting client test creep into time that she had blocked for something else. Within a few weeks, Imani wasn't just more productive, she was more aligned. Her system started supporting her instead of stressing her out. And once she tightened up her boundaries and stuck to them, she actually had more billable capacity and she wasn't ending every week exhausted. I'm going to drop a link to my chat with Imani so you can hear her story in her own words. That'll be in the show notes. But I want that for you too. And please understand the boundary reset scorecard is not just another worksheet that I want you to grab. It's going to bring you to that moment where you can clearly identify patterns and decide what you want to change and when you want to change them. So here's a quick one challenge for you. Before you jump into planning for the next year, schedule 30 minutes so you can sit and reflect. Pick one area of your business you can focus on, whether it's your client process, your communication, or even your schedule, and look at what has worked, what hasn't worked, and what needs to change. Download the boundary reset scorecard and take about 10 minutes and really focus on it. Be honest with yourself because this isn't about judgment, it's about awareness. You can't fix what you don't see. But what that's gonna help you do is instantly see where your systems are holding you back, where they're supporting you, where they're slipping so you can fix it. And you're gonna see where your time and energy is leaking, which boundaries need reinforcement before your new season begins. And then by the end, you're gonna feel lighter because you have clarity. You're gonna feel like you've closed a dozen open tabs in your mind and you know exactly what deserves your focus next. That sense of calmness and clarity, that's your first reset in motion. See, the boundary reset scorecard is gonna give you clarity. The tools inside the My Your Time Society help you create the plan, and you get the support and accountability that you need to follow through with it. So let's recap what we covered today. One, reflection creates clarity. You can't change what you don't know and don't review. Reflection shows you what's truly working and what isn't so you can take action. We also talked about how simplification creates capacity. And when you clear the clutter, it opens space for you to focus on what is going to get you the results you want. And the last thing we talked about was how realignment creates confidence. When your systems support your life and they match the season your life is in, you can go from being reactive to actually leading, from being on demand to confidently being in demand. And that's what we want. You've done enough surviving all this time in your business. Now it's time for you to start thriving. You need to build a structure that supports you, not drains you. And you don't need to burn it all down and start from the beginning. You just need a clean starting point. Once you feel that clarity, you're gonna have the confidence you need to lead your business instead of chasing success. If you're ready to feel calm, confident, and in control of your business without waiting for January, now is the time for you to join us inside the Mind Your Time Society. You're gonna get a simple plan, access to the tools and resources you need, and a community that's gonna be there to support you every step of the way. In your business, it won't feel like a constant emergency that needs your attention anymore. Once you join, you start with the welcome checklist. You can follow the Systems and Sanity Suite roadmap and get the support to finally feel calm and confident and in control of the back end of your business. You're not going to be guessing anymore. You're gonna know exactly what to do next. Because growth, it's not about doing more, it's about doing what matters, but doing it better. And imagine this shutting your laptop down and logging off at 5 p.m., knowing everything you need is exactly where it should be. That's what systems and boundaries make possible. So let's make it happen for you. Thanks for tuning in today. If this episode hit home, it's because you already know you're ready to stop patching up the problems and start running your business like the pro you are. But listening won't fix the cracks. Action will. Your next step? Grab the back office power checklist at theshannonbaker.com forward slash checklist. It'll show you exactly what's working, what's missing, and where your back end is silently slowing you down. And if you're ready to go deeper, founder circle inside the Mind Your Time Society is where we can fix it together with the systems insanity suite and you'll get the clarity that you've been craving. Not quite there yet? Come say hi to me on Instagram at the underscore Shannon Baker. I would love to hear what resonated with you the most. And if you're loving the podcast, please leave a quick review because it goes a long way in helping more service providers like you find the podcast. You can do that right now at ratethispodcast.com forward slash mind your time. Skills got your clients.