A Calmer Work Week as a Coach: 6 Small Systems That Help
You get a calmer work week as a coach with six small systems: fixed coaching days, a buffer between sessions, fixed times for messages and admin, templates for recurring work, one place for all client information and a fixed end-of-day routine. None of these systems takes much time, and together they make the difference between a fragmented and an organized week.
Coaches help clients find more balance, but their own week is often the opposite. A session at nine, an email in between, notes that stay unwritten, a client texting in the evening. The problem is rarely the amount of work, but the way it all runs together.
1. Fixed Coaching Days
Schedule your sessions on fixed days or half-days, for example Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning. The other times are for preparation, admin, development and marketing. Then you do not have to switch between coaching and running a business every day.
2. A Buffer Between Sessions
Plan at least 15 minutes between two sessions. That lets you write your session notes right away, catch your breath and start the next session with attention. Three sessions with buffers beat four without.
3. Fixed Times for Messages
Read and answer messages at two fixed times a day, for example at noon and 4:30 pm. Tell clients when they can expect a reply. That gives them clarity and gives you calm.
4. A Fixed Admin Block
One block of one to two hours per week for invoices, planning and tidying up. Whatever happens in that block does not have to stay in your head the rest of the week.
5. Templates for Recurring Work
- A standard welcome message for new clients
- A fixed intake form
- A standard coaching agreement (see coaching agreement: what to include)
- A fixed structure for session notes
- A short review for midway and at the end
Every template you get right once saves you time with every next client.
6. An End-of-Day Routine
Close your working day with five minutes: which actions are open, what is tomorrow's first task, is there anything that cannot wait until tomorrow? Then the day is done. This keeps you from lying awake wondering what you forgot.
One Place for Everything
The system beneath all of the above: keep your client information in one place. As long as notes, assignments, appointments and progress are spread across email, notebooks and spreadsheets, your head remains the place where everything comes together. Also read how to run your coaching practice without spreadsheets.
An Example Week
| Day | Morning | Afternoon |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Planning and preparation | Marketing and discovery calls |
| Tuesday | Sessions | Sessions |
| Wednesday | Sessions | Admin block |
| Thursday | Sessions | Supervision, peer supervision or study |
| Friday | Buffer and overflow | Free or own development |
Building In Calm With FocusCoachee
In FocusCoachee, sessions, goals, actions, reflections and documents are kept per program in one place. In the calendar you open your own available times, so clients only book on your coaching days. Actions get a reminder, so you do not have to remember them yourself. And with forms and more than 88 methods, your templates are always at hand.
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