Flip-Flops and Focus Blocks: Beating Summer Distractions as a Solopreneur

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Sun’s out, distractions outta control?

Whether it’s rescheduled meetings, kids at home, or that pool calling your name, summer can wreak havoc on a solopreneur’s schedule. In this episode, Carly and Joe get real about how to stay focused when everything around you screams “vacation mode.” From early morning work sessions to strategic procrastination (yes, really), they’re spilling their best tips for getting stuff done without missing out on the season.

Tune in for laughs, life hacks, and a reminder that flying solo doesn’t mean doing it all alone.

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Episode Transcript

Carly Ries: In this episode of The Aspiring Solopreneur, Joe and I tackle the ultimate summer struggle, staying focused. From predawn work sprints to time blocking hacks and the surprising productivity boost of ditching doom scrolling, we're diving into how solopreneurs can keep momentum going when distractions are everywhere. Whether you're juggling client work, camp drop offs, or just trying to figure out if it's okay to call it quits early for the live music and patio drinks one afternoon, this one's for you. So tune in for some real talk, simple strategies, and a gentle reminder that flying solo in business doesn't mean you're alone.

Carly: You're listening to the Aspiring Solopreneur, the podcast for those just taking the bold step or even just thinking about taking that step into the world of solo entrepreneurship. My name is Carly Ries, and my cohost Joe Rando and I are your guides to navigating this crazy but awesome journey as a company of one. We take pride in being part of LifeStarr, a digital hub dedicated to all aspects of solo solopreneurship that has empowered and educated countless solopreneurs looking to build a business that resonates with their life's ambitions. We help people work to live, not live to work. And if you're looking for a get rich quick scheme, this is not the show for you.

So if you're eager to gain valuable insights from industry experts on running a business the right way the first time around or want to learn from the missteps of solopreneurs who've paved the way before you, then stick around. We've got your back because flying solo in business doesn't mean you're alone.

Carly Ries: Joe, you texted me late afternoon yesterday, and you were like, is there a glitch with our Calendly or are we having a ton of reschedules that are just all over my inbox for interviews right now? And I was like, rest assured, I just had to reschedule a few things. It was just a couple of interviews, but there were a lot of emails that came associated with it. But it's summer. And there are reschedules happening across the board.

There's distractions left and right. There's kids out of school. There's grandkids out of school. There's a pool in your yard. There's all or anybody's yard.

There are distractions. Summer seems to be a harder time for solopreneurs to buckle down and do that standard, not nine to five, but that standard schedule that they're used to the rest of the year. So I figured today would be a good day to really address how to stay focused when there are distractions everywhere, especially in the summer months.

Joe Rando: I'm glad you asked me because I'm a world authority on this topic.

Carly Ries: You are.

So what are some pointers you have for people that are distracted easily, I guess, in general, but specifically for this time of year?

Joe Rando: Well, honestly, I was kidding a minute ago, but, really, I think you just have to accept the fact that, it as we say here where I used to live in Greater Boston, it's summertime. And summertime, you go outside because why stay inside when it's gonna be lousy weather from November through, really, April? And so, just one of the things is to accept the fact that you really wanna take advantage of this nice weather. It's good for you. I just read an article.

Like, I'm a geek. I read Scientific American, and there was an article about how sun is basically a very healthy disease preventer. So go out and get that sun, and, accept a little bit of acceptance of a little less productivity, a little more outside time might be a wise choice in the long run.

Carly Ries: Provided you can afford to do that. But I mean, because if that means stepping away from client work, some people are like, but I need to get those to dos done to pay the bills. I think it's also just kinda reframing your schedule. I was talking to a friend of mine the other day, and she was like, what time have you been getting up?

And I was like, oh, 05:00. And I just start, 04:30. Because I do a little morning me time, and then 05:00 is when I've started working recently. And she was like, oh, that makes sense because your entire team is on the East Coast. And I was like, well, makes sense because it's sunny out, so my brain's like, oh, we can start getting stuff done.

And then I have drop offs for summer camp. And then I have all these things during the day, but my to dos don't go away. So for me, I'm fortunate enough that I am an early bird, and the 04:30, 05:00 doesn't bother me at all. I actually prefer it, and I like that time of day. But I think you also just need to realize like, embrace the season, but also embrace the time that you like, you don't have to do that nine to five.

As a solopreneur, it's okay if you work five to eight, and then maybe even at night again to kind of accommodate the shifts. So I don't know if you've noticed my chats coming in a little earlier than normal this summer.

Joe Rando: Yeah. And I'm curious though, everybody wants to know what time do you go to bed when you get up before four thirty?

Carly Ries: eight.

Joe Rando: that makes a ton of sense.

I mean, another thing is, you know, I don't know about everybody. I can't speak globally, but I think about ninety three point seven percent of people out there could probably buy a lot of time by, not doom scrolling, and just, you know, taking some of that time to get off the device and saying, you know, I'm gonna go outside, listen to the birds instead of, you know, whatever. But really there's just a lot of ways you can find time in a day that that, you're probably not thinking about, and it's worth exploring that to get to buy that time to be to to be able to appreciate, you know, except for you people in Southern California that get it year round. Thank Wow. That to appreciate the weather when it's really nice.

Carly Ries: And if you wanna kick in the pants to to see where the time is, a few months back, I think it was when we were getting close to one of our book deadlines, I was feeling kind of overwhelmed.

I was a little bit stressed out. And I was like, just wanted to make sure I hit this deadline. And my husband grabbed my phone and showed me the usage of where I'm spending all my time on my phone.

And let's just say there were quite a few hours that I could get back from mindless scrolling that I wasn't really realizing. Those two minutes here and there just really add up.

Joe Rando: It adds up. Yeah. And it's not just you. I mean, it's almost everybody. But, anyway, so that's a big one to me.

We say this all the time, but time blocking. You know? Getting that stuff time blocked so that you just get her done. I mean, that just makes a big difference. And, if you're not doing it, you might find yourself being a lot more productive. it just also takes those distractions and kinds of you know, if they're true just things that are coming at you, you say, well, I can't do that until 03:30 or whatever because I've got this thing on my calendar. Always saying that I don't believe in time blocking too far in the future unless it's crucial, but, you know, for the most part, time blocking can really help.

Carly Ries: And with that, don't overwhelm your to do list. Do like, come up with three things you have to get done that day that like, you really have to get done, whether it's client work, something to move the needle for your business, whatever. And then everything else is just icing on the cake, but it's easy to get distracted and then feel, get so down on yourself for not accomplishing everything that you want to. So if you have just these few things, you'll still feel good. The momentum will keep going.

And so just don't try to attempt 10 big ticket items in one day. It's a recipe for burnout, especially in these summer months.

Joe Rando: Absolutely. No. I'm just totally agreeing with you. here's what I used to do.

I would keep to do lists, and I'd have a to do list, and I would have things I wanted to get done that day and only get five done. So then I take the those five, bring them over the next day, but I also have new things come on. So now I probably have 12 things. And the next thing it my to do list is 37 items long, and I just wanna jump off a bridge. And that's a really bad strategy. like you said, just pick maybe it's three things. Maybe it's five things. Maybe it's one thing because it's something big. But just be real and don't schedule more than, like, 75% of your work hours because stuff is gonna come along that you're not gonna plan on. And then you're gonna get behind, and then you're gonna feel terrible.

Carly Ries: And plan on the distractions. I mean, you know you're gonna have them, especially in the summer. So just plan for that time. But I also wanna just say, I think a lot of people look for resets the first of the year, and that's when they do a lot of their planning and and figuring out what they wanna automate, delegate, use AI for, and all of that.

But I feel like summer's also a really good time. You need to be thinking, like, if I know I'm gonna be distracted, if I know I'm going on family vacations, but I need to get all this stuff done, maybe it's a good time to think about what you can automate, delegate, and use AI for to free up some of that time. Because a lot of solopreneurs are still doing everything manually. So maybe take a step back and think what can be happening behind the scenes while you're off getting distracted at the pool, or wherever you are getting distracted this summer. But you have to remember, flying solo in business doesn't mean you're alone.

Use these resources, use these tools, and that'll help free up a lot of time.

Joe Rando: Get some help. You know? Get a VA or whatever. Maybe it's a good excuse to get a VA.

I just know that, I have been able to, in recent years, kinda just say, like, this Friday, I'm leaving work early. We're going over to a place called the deck. There's live music. We're just gonna have dinner. It's outside.

And, you know, years ago, I would have been like, I can't go. I can't leave early. And it's like, if you can build the business up to a point where you can walk away sometimes and kind of enjoy life, it makes a huge difference. I just really think that people need to think that way to not feel that, there's no way they can walk away from stuff.

Honestly, you know, someday, I've made this joke before, but I'm gonna write a book called the power of procrastination because a lot of times, half the stuff that you're doing, if you don't get to it, it doesn't matter. And that's another thing that I really recommend is take a good hard look at all the stuff that you're doing and say, what's gonna drive the needle? What's important? Because a lot of times the things that we're doing, they're urgent, but they're not important. And if they're not important, then either delegate them or don't even do them.

Because if you're like me and you've overbooked yourself a lot, you wind up not doing some things, and it never comes becomes a problem. And so that's just to me one of the things that I think people need to think about is just, you know, some stuff in that to do list probably can go in the trash bucket.

Carly Ries: Joe, I'm so excited you said that because I think that is a perfect place to stop and tease next week's SoundByte episode, where we're gonna be talking about how to prioritize tasks when everything is urgent. And I'm gonna be picking your brain about the Eisenhower matrix, and you kinda just dabbled in that a little bit just now.

Joe Rando: I did. I mentioned it indirectly.

Carly Ries: So Yes. stay tuned for next week's episode or next week's sound bite episode, excuse me. And thank you so much for tuning in. We would love that five star review. Share this episode with a friend, and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform on YouTube.

And we will see you next week on The Aspiring Solopreneur. You may be going solo in business, but that doesn't mean you're alone. In fact, millions of people are in your shoes, running a one person business and figuring it out as they go. Why not connect with them and learn from each other's successes and failures? At LifeStarr, we're creating a one person business community where you can go to meet and get advice from other solopreneurs.

Be sure to join in on the conversations at community.lifestarr.com.