You know that thing you’ve been meaning to do for your business? Yeah. That one. You’ve told yourself you’ll do it after this job wraps up. Or this week. Or this coffee. Or this TikTok rabbit hole about drywall hacks that somehow ends in cake decorating videos.
It happens to the best of us.
But if you’re always stuck in the work — quoting, running jobs, putting out fires — and never working on the business, it’s going to stay stuck exactly where it is.
What Does “Working On Your Business” Actually Mean?
It means doing the stuff that doesn’t get you paid today but makes your business better tomorrow.
Examples:
- Creating a basic system for how you quote jobs
- Making a reusable checklist for client walk-throughs
- Setting up a weekly schedule so you’re not flying blind every Monday
It’s present-you investing in future-you’s survival.
Why We Avoid It
Because it feels like homework. Because it’s vague. Because “organize operations” doesn’t have a clear start or finish, and your brain would rather tile a bathroom.
Also: it’s scary. Working on the business means facing the chaos you’ve been pretending isn’t there.
The Fix: One Hour a Week
Seriously. Block out one hour a week — same time, same day — and make it sacred. During that hour:
- No tools
- No site visits
- No doom-scrolling
Just sit down and ask: What would make next week 10% smoother?
Then do that thing. Or at least start it.
Make It Easy
Here’s a cheat sheet of low-lift ideas you can do in that hour:
- Write out your quoting process step-by-step
- Clean up your Google Drive folder names
- Draft a checklist for jobsite setup
- Review your expenses for the month
These aren’t sexy. But they’ll save you hours later.
Working On Your Business Is a Habit
You don’t need to fix everything at once. You just need to start. Build the habit, and you’ll be shocked how much smoother your day-to-day gets.