Why should we create SOPs and how do we build a habit of actually using them? I’m so glad you asked!
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Read the transcript:
[00:00:00] Janice: I am back with another bonus episode. That means a listener asked a juicy question, and I’m here to share my answer. Today’s question made me smile. It says, creating SOPs and actually using them. Hmm. It reminds me of my friends who are crafters. I’m told that shopping for crafting supplies is a different hobby than actually doing the craft and bringing the project to completion.
[00:00:54] It’s just a different part of our brain. It’s a different dopamine menu item. Creating an SOP. My reason for creating them is because your mental capacity is screaming for help. And when you take a process out of your brain and put it into a digital checklist, you’re capturing your signature process for how you do things in your business.
[00:01:22] And you’re doing it in a way where you can share that with others when the time comes. And you’re relieving the mental stress of trying to remember every step, every time. And you’re increasing the chances that you are going to do that task in an optimized and consistent way, every time it bubbles up on your desk.
[00:01:44] So creating SOPs is such a gift for you and for future team members, and I say that because many people don’t think they need to create SOPs until they’re hiring someone who actively needs an SOP in order to do the task, but people wait way too long to make SOPs. If I make an SOP for how I’m going to create a new podcast episode, I’m writing down the steps that I don’t wanna forget, and I’ve already decided on what the best order is to do them in, and the best tools, and the most efficient way to get from point A to point B.
[00:02:22] And if I write that down for myself it highly increases the chance that I’m gonna do it the same way every single time I need to record an episode, whether I’m doing it in my usual space and my usual time, or I have to do it on the go, or I have to do it in an awkward pocket, or I have to do it when I have a fever, or I have to do it when I’m overtired and I’m not at my best.
[00:02:45] It gives me the best chance of that task being done at the highest level every single time, and as a solopreneur, that’s a win. I love to follow my own SOPs. When you’re using your own SOP, you also notice when things are sticky and they’re not working well. If you get to the same point in the process every time and you hit an issue
[00:03:11] then that SOP is a gift to you, and it’s telling you this process used to work really well in my business and it doesn’t work as well anymore, so I found something sticky in my business that’s worth problem solving, and then taking the time to film a new SOP, to create a new checklist, because I, as the CEO, have such a gift. I’ve identified a better way to do things inside this business, and I wanna document that procedure as our business’s
[00:03:42] signature plan for getting this task done at a high quality level. So using your SOPs is a gift to your brain. It’s also an opportunity for improvement to see blind spots and areas for growth inside your business. It’s making your life easier. It’s helping you get ahead of problems before they become catastrophic and optimizing things when they’re small, sticky steps instead of giant fires that need to be put out immediately.
[00:04:15] When you have an SOP, even just one inside your business, you will be so proud of how much quicker you get at that repeatable task because the checklist is gonna help you find the most efficient way to do it, you’re gonna have all the bits and bobs and pieces you need to do that task gathered in one place.
[00:04:35] It’s gonna make doing that task so efficient and so enjoyable that it might go from being a task you thought you were gonna need to hire out, and it might just become one of your favorite tasks to do because now you’ve made it so quick and efficient and easy to do while preparing it for someone else to do it,
[00:04:56] that you actually don’t mind doing it yourself anymore. And so that’s a big cost savings in your business and it’s also a big mood booster for you. So that’s a short answer to a question that’s very relatable. I’m sure there’s someone listening today that knows they need to create an SOP, but really needed a little nudge for actually doing it.
[00:05:16] And I’m sure there are listeners today who have created SOPs and they’re in a digital graveyard somewhere, not actually being used, because sometimes we do things in our business because we heard we should do them, but we don’t really understand why and what the benefit is. So I hope that that little question today can get your wheels turning about a new SOP that you need to make in your business, or one you already have
[00:05:45] that you could be using to make your life easier. Do you have a teacher business question you’re hoping to hear answered here on the podcast? I’ll leave a link for you in the show notes. Thanks for listening.
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