(This is part three of my series on getting my business organized. If you missed the first two parts, you can check them out here and here.)

Now that you have taken the time to organize your platforms and apps, it’s time to dig into the heart of how your business actually runs: your workflows, processes, and SOPs.

This is the part that can sound overwhelming, but with a little intention and some action steps, it can become incredibly empowering. Where everything starts coming together so your business feels lighter, smoother, and easier to manage.

Start With Clarity: What Needs a Workflow?

Once you’ve organized your platforms, it becomes so much easier to see what they should actually be doing for you.

Think about the moving pieces in your business:

• Client onboarding/ offboarding

• Email sequences

• Calendars, scheduling, & reminder emails

• Payment and invoicing

• Courses, digital products, or memberships

• And so much more
  

Often, business owners juggle all these tasks and steps from memory or instinct, and that works… until it doesn’t.

A simple workflow can help turn all of those tasks into something repeatable, reliable, and consistent. It saves time, reduces errors, and makes delegation so much easier.

Step 1: Choose One Area to Start

You don’t need to overhaul everything all at once. That would be incredibly overwhelming.
Instead, pick one workflow that would make the biggest difference if it ran smoothly.

For example:

• Your new-client experience

• Your content creation system

• Your onboarding for course or membership participants

• Your admin rhythm (finance tasks, inbox review, weekly planning)

Start small. It’s important to remember that you’re building momentum, not perfection.

Step 2: Write Out Every Step (Even the Tiny Ones)

This is the part that feels tedious but pays off the most.

Open a doc, Notion page, or Google Sheet and brain-dump every single step in the process.
Think of it as taking everything that’s swirling in your head and getting it onto a clean page.

Ask yourself:

• What triggers this process to begin?

• What steps happen next?

• What tools or platforms are involved?

• What decisions need to be made along the way?

• Where do I get slowed down?

• What do I always forget but know I should be doing?

• How do I know the process is complete?

You may even notice some steps you’re duplicating or have been skipping entirely. That’s normal! The point of this exercise is to clarify the process.

Step 3: Simplify, Streamline, and Remove Friction

Once everything is written out, look for:

• Steps you can combine

• Tasks you can remove altogether

• Which of your platforms can handle multiple steps?

• Bottlenecks that always slow you down

• Anything “extra” you don’t actually need to be doing

This is also a great time to ask:

Can this be automated?
You might be surprised how many pieces of your workflow can run in the background when your platforms are set up intentionally. We will dive more into automation in the next post, but it’s a good idea to start thinking about it now.

Step 4: Create Your SOP (Standard Operating Procedure)

Now that your workflow is clarified and simplified, turn it into a clean, easy-to-follow SOP.

An SOP is simply:

• The purpose of the process

• The tools used

• Step-by-step instructions

• Links, templates, or files needed

• Notes for future you (or a future team member)

Think of your SOP as your future self’s best friend; it gives you confidence and consistency, especially on busy days when your brain is full.

Plus, once it is written out, it is so much easier to implement any changes in your processes as they come up.

Step 5: Store Everything in One Organized Place

This part matters more than people realize.

All your workflows and SOPs should live in one central home, like:

• ClickUp

• Notion

• Google Drive

Whatever your platform of choice is. By having all your documentation in one place, everything is easy to find, it’s easy to maintain, and easy to update as your business evolves.

Why This Matters (More Than You Might Think)

Getting your workflows, processes, and SOPs organized is going to help reduce overwhelm in your day-to-day business and help it to feel lighter and more manageable. It will help you to maintain consistency with the way you run your business. As well as saving you time and energy.

With everything mapped out, it will be easier to automate your systems so that things happen on time and automatically. As well as help smooth out your client experience.

This is one of those behind-the-scenes steps that pays off in every area of your business, even the creative parts. While the initial process may feel heavy, it will give you back much-desired time and energy. Plus, it prepares you for future team support if that is something you are interested in.

You’re Building a Business That Supports You

As you move through this series, you’re doing more than just getting organized; you’re creating a business that works with you, not against you.

Your workflows don’t need to be complicated. They just need to make sense for how you want to run your business.

In the next post, we’ll take everything you’ve clarified so far and talk about bringing automation into the mix in a way that feels simple, doable, and supportive.

If you haven’t read the first two parts of this series, you can find them here:

Part 1 Part 2

You’re doing amazing. Keep going, future you is going to thank you.

Organization Doesn't Have To Feel Overwhelming. And You Don't Have To Do It Alone

During a Workflow & Automation Strategy Call, we’ll simplify your processes, uncover time-saving automations, and workflows that help you stay on track, without frustration or burning out.