In working with gym owners around the world, we’ve recently noticed a troubling trend. Overwhelm and burnout is on the rise. If you’re feeling it too, you’re not alone.
Perhaps it’s the aftermath of the pandemic, which devastated gym owners’ plans around the world. Or maybe it’s the fierce competition. For many of the owners we talk to, it’s the seemingly-endless task list and what feels like not enough hours in the day.
In June, the PushPress blog will feature various pieces about mental health. Our goal is helping you, your staff and your community, so stay tuned for those.
In the meantime, today we’re looking at some ways to manage the chaos by organizing your to-do list. By doing this, you can gain some time back. And hopefully prioritize your own overall wellness in the process.
Seven Ways Gym Owners Can Manage An Overwhelming Task List:
1. Start with the “Must Do” List.
For many gym owners, especially when you’re starting out, you’re wearing all the hats. Before you truly go from coach to CEO, you coach a majority of the classes and handle the admin tasks. You restock the cafe items. And the bathrooms aren’t going to clean themselves.
Start by making a list of your current “must do” items. This includes everything that takes up your time throughout the week. When possible, list the number of hours required to complete those tasks. Add a miscellaneous category for unexpected tasks, like when the toilet overflows.
2. Star Your Revenue Generators.
Next, look through your list and put a star by any tasks that are connected to increasing gym revenue.
For example, coaching classes is obviously connected to membership revenue. Plus, you’re coaching (versus paying a coach), you’re saving on payroll. On the other hand, cleaning the bathrooms is likely not connected to revenue.
Note that you may have to add a special category for “future” revenue-generating tasks. These would be ways you could be spending time growing your business, if the time was available to you.
For instance, would you do more networking if you had the time? Most gym owners could greatly benefit from forming local partnerships. So having the extra time to meet other local business owners could mean new, cross-promotional opportunities.
3. Learn to Delegate.
Now that you have your list of current and future “to-dos,” it’s time to explore the areas where you can delegate.
For new gym owners, this could be as simple as hiring a cleaning company. Perhaps your first thought is, ‘I don’t have the budget for that.’ But consider this: It’s not about what you're spending. It’s about the hours you’re gaining by delegating the task.
Let’s say you’re currently spending three hours each week cleaning, and it’s going to cost $500/month to get someone to do it for you. In the 12 hours you just freed up monthly, can you make more than $500?
With that in mind, look through your list and determine which tasks could correlate to revenue if you delegate to get your time back.
4. Automation is a Game-Changer.
Now it’s time for the fun stuff. A lot of gym owners have used - or are using - a gym CRM (customer relationship management) system. But many of them haven’t yet realized the power of using automation to save time and drive results.
Automation is like adding another team member without the expense of adding another team member! From lead nurture to celebrating member milestones, it can all happen through automated workflows.
Don’t have time to keep following up with that lead for three months until they join? Unable to track every member’s journey to celebrate their 100th check-in? Let the automation handle them for you.
Pro Tip: Want to learn more about how PushPress Grow automation can save you time and help you run your gym better? Book a demo with our team today!
5. Grab the Low-Hanging Fruit.
Sometimes just looking at your daily task list can make you want to crawl back in bed. It can be defeating for gym owners to feel like it’s just not possible to get all the things done.
One trick is to start with the smallest, simplest tasks. Just like swiping rounds off your whiteboard in a workout, there’s satisfaction in checking things off.
So look at your list and find any tasks that you can complete in two minutes or less. Do those and get them out of the way. Then look for five-minutes-or-less tasks. This gets the small stuff out of your way and clears the path for the needle-moving tasks.
6. Connect with Your Community.
Chances are, you started your gym with the intent of helping people. Most gym owners get to “fill their cup” when they’re surrounded by their community.
Therefore, it’s important to include connection tasks in your to-do list. Coaching is a great one because, as we mentioned above, it’s connected to revenue as well. Perhaps it’s planning a gym event. Or maybe you’re setting up 90-day check-ins with your members or dinner with your coaches. Find ways to sprinkle in some community connection as a refreshing reminder of the greater purpose.
7. Above All, Make Yourself a Priority.
Ultimately, as the old saying goes, you can’t take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself.
You might be delegating and automating like a rock star. And you might feel like your processes are rock solid. But know that it’s normal to feel the weight of gym ownership because sometimes it’s heavy.
Prioritize yourself and ask for help. Your mental health is incredibly important and you’re not alone. Find a community of gym owners or two, and seek out the things you really enjoy about that #GymOwnerLife. Just remember, there’s only one you, and you matter.
