Hello Reader,
Welcome to the very first issue of Solo Boss Way, a monthly newsletter created specifically for solo professionals who want to build a sustainable business without burning out. It’s about creating a business that works for your life, not the other way around.
At Solo Boss, we believe in:
- Working smarter, not harder
- Finding your own rhythm
- Building something meaningful and fulfilling
- Having time for life outside work
Each month, we’ll explore a different aspect of solo business life: from lead generation to client relationships, from productivity to rest. We’ll share practical strategies, real-life experiences, and conversations about what it really takes to thrive as a solo professional.
This month, we’re starting with the foundation of it all: time management.
How to be more time-aware as a solo boss
Do you know exactly how you spent your working hours last week?
Most solo professionals would give a vague answer, like “client work, emails, some admin…” But when you work solo, this fog of uncertainty may cost you money, energy, and quite probably your sanity.
Why? Because we wear all sorts of hats: CEO, marketer, worker bee… We switch between roles all day, but we have no idea which one is taking over our week — or if we’re even wearing the right hat at the right time.
The first step to time awareness is simple: start noticing. Pick one day this week and write down what you do throughout the day. Not every minute, but at least every hour.
You’ll quickly spot the time vampires, like that quick email check that ate your morning, the client call that ran 45 minutes over, the admin tasks that somehow consumed a whole day… But you’ll also discover your power hours, when you’re in complete flow and getting real work done.
Once you notice these patterns and understand your natural rhythms, you can start being strategic about how you spend your time.
I recently found out about Steven Bartlett’s 16 Chip Rule, where he treats his waking hours like betting chips. Assuming you sleep 8 hours, you get 16 chips per day, one chip for one hour. So my question to you is: *Are you gambling with yours or investing them?
*Thanks to Ali Abdaal for mentioning this great example in his newsletter.
The Solo Boss perspective
In theory, it's great, but what about practice? Here's how the Solo Boss team members (including me) approach time tracking:
“
Once I set up my business, I started tracking my time. Mainly because I wanted to know how long tasks take, so that I could create realistic project rates. But it also turned out to be a handy guide when it comes to non-billables.
​
As solo bosses, our time is limited, so knowing how many hours I have available for clients helped me plan ahead, define my hourly rate, and most importantly, optimise how I spend my time.
​
I use
Paymo’s free tracker – it automatically documents how much time I spend on each document, browser tab or app. At the end of the day, I simply allocate the time to relevant projects and that’s it. Genius!
— Denise
“
To be honest, time tracking has been one of my weak spots throughout my career. When I'm immersed in a creative project, pausing for admin tasks feels like an unwelcome distraction! The flow state is sacred for designers – breaking it to log minutes feel like creative sabotage.
​
I've tried every tool imaginable since 2007, until I adopted
Notion a couple of years ago for my client management system and time tracking. Although still looking for the perfect solution that would also include invoicing.
— Jonathan
“
I’ve been tracking time consistently for years now. I built a time tracker into my task management system in Notion, so I can track time right from the task’s page.
​
My process is as simple as clicking Start when I begin and Stop when I finish. Notion handles everything else: calculating session time, total task hours, and rolling it up to the project level. I have all the data I need for pricing and workload planning.
​
The success factor in my case was making tracking effortless. When it’s part of your workflow rather than an extra step in a separate app, maintaining the habit is much easier.
— Merve
Start where you are.
You don’t need fancy apps or perfect systems to track time. Start with a notebook and a simple question: What am I working on now?
The patterns you discover will change everything. Because once you see where your time really goes, you can finally take control of it.
You've got this, Reader.
Until next month,
Merve
​
PS. Follow us on socials for inspiration, tips, and updates.
​
​
​