One Day Per Month of Deep Work to Drive Progress in Your Solo Business
Set aside time to work on your business strategy.
Ever feel like your to-do list is running your life? Since solo business owners have to wear all the hats, the work is never-ending.
I'm a big advocate for weekly "admin time": time you set aside to knock out the items on your to-do list. But admin time doesn't really give you space to think about anything Big Picture, like your business strategy, something new you want to launch, or changes you want to make.
You need to set aside time for deep work, and the best way to do this is by dedicating one full day per month to work on your business.
What is deep work?
Deep work is focused, uninterrupted time you spend on a project or task. You need deep work for anything that requires your full attention and brainpower.
People typically set aside several hours for deep work. This is different than setting aside time for admin tasks or to knock a bunch of to-dos off your list — also known as shallow work or busy work.
During deep work time, you must commit to avoiding distractions. Close Slack, don't check your email, and turn off your phone notifications. You have to be fully present and immersed in whatever you're working on.
You should approach deep work with a specific goal in mind, like making real progress on a project or working on something of high value. Often when I'm doing deep work, I find myself staring off into space simply thinking — I'm trying to problem-solve and thinking through how something could work or what I expect an outcome to be. I'll also jot down notes during my deep work time, and later transform my notes into a more cohesive plan for a project.
You'll also want to avoid the trap of "fake productivity." For example, making tweaks to your website is not deep work. It might be necessary, but it's not the same as something that will really move the needle in your business. If you're thinking about a complete website overhaul, that's different. You might use deep work time to plan out the changes you need to make, new messaging, etc.
Anna Burgess Yang
The one-day-per month method
When was the last time you thought deeply about your business strategy?
The problem for solopreneurs is that we rarely fit time for deep work into our schedules. Between client work, admin (shallow) work, and living our lives, it's hard. Fitting multi-hour blocks of time for deep work into our schedules isn't always feasible.
Rather than trying to fit deep work into your weekly schedule, you can take a different approach: one day per month. Block the day off on your calendar — don't allow any meetings and don't plan on any client work. Work a long day (if you can!) with at least two large blocks of time for deep work, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
In advance of your deep work day, you'll pick one or two high-impact projects to work on during your blocks of time.
Think about it: one day per month is 12 days per year. What big changes could you make with 12 days a year dedicated solely to working on your business?
I call this my "CEO Day." I keep track of potential projects/ideas in Trello and pick a few in advance that I'll focus on during my CEO Day.
Every business is different, but you could use your deep work day for things like product strategy, reviewing/updating your pricing, auditing your processes, or thinking about future growth within your business.
How to set yourself up for focus
Your environment plays a huge role in deep work. If you are constantly distracted, you won't get into the deep focus mode you need.
If you work from home, your home isn't always best if there are a lot of distractions (like getting up from your computer to do a load of laundry). You could try a local library or co-working space (if you're able to stay for several hours at a time).
For some people, being around other people makes them more productive. It's like accountability, even if you're not interacting at all. If you don't want to head to another location, Flow Club, which offers virtual coworking sessions.
Sometimes, I'll do my CEO Day from a hotel. I'll check myself into a hotel for 1 day, usually a Friday afternoon through checkout time on Saturday. I'll work on one project on Friday and another project on Saturday. The change of scenery helps me focus, a lot.
Ambient music or lo-fi beats can help a lot. I like brain.fm, Flow State on Substack, and lofi hip hop radio beats to relax/study to on YouTube. I've also found that wearing headphones improves focus, versus playing music through my computer's speakers.
Your business needs deep work
Unless you plan for deep work, you'll never find it. Something will inevitably come up. Or you'll say "yes" to additional client work rather than spend time on your business. You have to schedule time and commit to one day per month of deep work.
Add it to your calendar, right now. Maybe it's the first Monday of every month, so you can start off fresh. Or maybe work slows down for you by the end of the month and that's better. Or maybe, like me, checking yourself into a hotel for a weekend sounds like the way to get the most done.
The payoff for one day per month of deep work is huge. If you spend your time well, you'll have more strategic clarity around your business — which can lead to more confident decisions and real business growth.
Need to review the health of your business? Check out my quarterly planning checklist for solopreneurs.
