In my hometown of Melbourne, Australia it's Spring time!
Of course, my overactive brain has been thinking of over a million tasks that I could complete to improve my business and productivity during this time, especially being locked in our houses due to Stage 4 Covid restrictions.
Here are my top 10 tasks that I recommend pursuing to feel much more on top of studio life.
Not in Aus? That's ok! Who said you can't spring clean at any time of year!
Sort out your costume database. You know that you have tons of costumes but do you know what they are, what size they are and what quantities you have? Why not formalise your inventory by creating a spreadsheet or using an app like 'sortly' to keep track of your costume library.
Sort out the files on your computer. It can be a huge time waster to be sifting through files on your computer every time you're looking to attach a document to an email etc. Take some time to organise these files now to save time later. Frequent uploads like your timetable and information pack can be put onto your desktop or a folder of their own for quick access.
Re-visit your website. So you set up your website in 2015 and hoped for the best? Be sure to have a look at your website and see if it's up to date. Is the information relevant? Are your latest timetables, uniform guidelines and prices listed?
Check your staff and teachers WWCC and First Aid status. If you're like me and been closed since March due to the pandemic, it may feel like you've become detached from the daily processes of the studio. Be sure to check where you're up to with all things important such as your staff members Working with Children Checks and First Aid Certificates.
Start planning 2021. Whether you want to brainstorm or set your timetable in concrete, it doesn't hurt to start planning ahead now. Jot down your marketing ideas, ideas for concert themes, chat to your staff about their intentions...let's get the ball rolling. I have some great resources coming out soon to assist with 2021 planning so stay tuned!
Set up and schedule future social media posts. Life gets busy and it can be hard to keep your social media accounts up to date. Why not spend some time now setting up future posts. We all know that Christmas is coming so why not design and schedule your Christmas post for December 25th now and then you can spend Christmas Eve enjoying that well deserved wine...or cocktail. Look it's 2020, enjoy a jug of cocktails lol. Christmas too far away? How about planning some Flashback Friday posts or Halloween post?
Set up something new for your studio community. Is there something that you could do for your dance school community? How about organising a social event? Trivia or Games night? An in house competition? End of year Disco?
Archive past concerts and programs. Concert time is soooooooo busy. By the time you finish the event the last thing you want to do is get organising and you may have thrown the show usb and program into a drawer or tub for a rainy day. Why not spend some time locating all your previous shows and programs and storing them somewhere safe and organised. You could even put your show video files onto a hard drive as a back up. Thought about displaying your show programs? I've made a nice trip down memory lane up our studio staircase and put our programs in photo frames.
Update emailing lists. It's important to email the right people with the right information. Sort out your emailing lists to avoid sending your past students with current info or pre-school parents with adult class info.
Clean out your desk/office. A fresh workspace can make a world of difference to your feelings about your work. Give your desk or office a makeover.
Happy sorting!
Jess x