How to plan your time to maximise income

Plus how to plan your year without the overwhelm

Author

Helena Di Biase
January 05, 2025

KIS News Issue #37 - some links included in this issue may be affiliate links

This Week:

Update: 

This week has been all about organising and getting excited for the year ahead! It usually takes me at least the first two weeks of January to get back into the swing of routine after all the chaos of November and December and I’m so ready for a new start and slower pace.

On Monday we’re starting the 14 Day Money Challenge inside the members club and I’m so excited for it. Money was my word of the year last year and it made such a difference to my mindset and overall outcome for the year when I was intentionally and consistently focusing on it. You can find out more about how to join us for free below.

Words to live by: If you can’t stop thinking about it, don’t stop working on it.

Question to ask yourself this week: what’s the most important thing you have been procrastinating on for too long?

Book I’m reading to start the year: 101 Essays that will change the way you think by Brianna West. I’ve had this book recommended to me so many times and it’s finally reached the top of my TBR list. And you know me, love a new thing… so I’m kicking off January by starting a book club. I’ll do a full review at the end of the month and my biggest takeaways.

ICYMI Content: the first “what’s keeping you up at night” Q&A of 2025 went live on TikTok. This week’s entrepreneur shared what’s really going on behind the scenes including losing clients, balancing work and health and dipping into tax savings… Catch up here >

Mindset Moodboard:

How to plan your time to maximise income

If you’ve ever felt like you’re busy all day but your bank account doesn’t quite reflect the effort… it’s probably time to 80/20 your schedule.

The Pareto Principle (aka the 80/20 rule) is simple: 80% of your results come from 20% of your actions. The trick is figuring out which 20% actually moves the needle – and spoiler alert – it’s almost always sales and marketing (and the underlying systems that drive these).

Here’s the hard truth:

You can have the best product in the world, but if no one knows about it… it doesn’t matter. You can spend hours perfecting the details, but if you’re not selling… you’re just procrastinating.

So how do you apply the 80/20 rule to your time?

Flip the Script:

👉 80% of your time = Sales & Marketing

👉 20% of your time = Product, Admin, and Everything Else

Why? Because marketing and sales are the engine. Everything else – product tweaks, website redesigns, admin – that’s just the paint job. If your engine isn’t running, the paint doesn’t matter.

Here’s How to Do It:

  1. Audit Your Week: Take a look at how you spent the last 7 days. Be honest – how much time went into marketing your business versus fiddling with details?

  2. Set Non-Negotiable Sales Time: Block out daily or weekly slots dedicated purely to revenue-driving activities. Outreach, content creation, launching new offers – it all counts.

  3. Limit Product Perfection: Set hard time limits on product development. Done is better than perfect.

  4. Batch the Admin: Answer emails, do admin, and handle operations in bulk so they don’t steal focus from the bigger tasks.

The Goal?

To get to the point where you sell more than you create. And I promise – that’s when things start to shift.

It’s not about neglecting your product – it’s about balancing the effort. The best product in the world won’t save a business if no one knows about it, but even a decent product will sell like crazy with the right marketing behind it.

What could you shift this week to get closer to 80/20?

Take control of your finances this year

Tomorrow marks the start of our January Money Challenge inside the Keep It Simple Club and I can’t to get started! Each day we are going to be working on something new to take control of our finances and make 2025 our most profitable and lucrative year yet.

Here’s the agenda for the week ahead:

Monday 6th - Building confidence and financial literacy - 30 min on-demand class

Tuesday 7th - Understanding your finances - 10 min on-demand class plus spreadsheet template

Wednesday 8th - LIVE Mastering your money mindset workshop with Laura-Ann Moore - 8:30pm

Thursday 9th - Money systems and set up - 20 min on-demand class

Friday 10th - Managing your cashflow - 10 min on-demand class plus spreadsheet template

Saturday 11th - Identifying and fixing profit leaks - 20 min on-demand class

Each day you will find a new class inside the “implementation sessions” area of circle plus links to the live sessions inside the members club circle platform.

If you’re not already a member and you want to join us for the January Money Challenge you can get access to all areas of the member’s club for free for the next 7 days here »

*7 day free trial then cancel anytime.

AI developments to watch out for this year

Scaling and monetising content

Synthesia are upping the ante when it comes to generating video content. I’ve been a long-time user of Synthesia at work for training videos and how to guides. But now we’re seeing an increasing number of creators using the platforms new functionality to create AI versions of themselves, exponentially increasing their ability to create and monetise content. Read more in the New York Post >

Driving creativity and innovation

Generative AI will move on significantly in 2025 when it comes to creative capability and innovation. For the last few years, generative AI advancements have been focused heavily on LLMs and generating text based responses, with design and visual content of imagery and video lagging behind. 2025 will be the year this levels out and we will see fully integrated AI systems that enable us to generate text, imagery, video and even product design seamlessly.

The rise of AI agents

AI is already everywhere but it’s about to get a lot more integrated into customer service with AI agents. I’m not just talking about pop up chatbots on websites… I’m talking about full-stack AI systems that help companies deliver seamless customer service on mobile, web and in store experiences. Think of this as having a personal concierge as a customer and for a business it’ll be like having an employee that knows absolutely everything there is to know about your customer.

How are you feeling about the rise of AI?

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The 7-1-1 Planning Method: Designing Your Future Without Overwhelm

This year the new year, new you noise feels extra loud. And whilst I love the momentum of January and the feeling of a fresh start with a whole year ahead, it’s easy for that to creep into pressure and overwhelm as we all strive to make the year ahead the best it can possibly be.

One of my favourite ways to take the pressure off is to use the 7-1-1 planning method. Instead of focusing on just the year ahead, you zoom out 7 years and then reserve engineer it back to where you are right now.

Here’s the gist:

1. 7-Year Vision – Who Do You Want to Be?

Forget five-year plans (because life rarely plays by those rules). This starts with a 7-year vision. Ask yourself – what does the best version of me look like in seven years?

  • Where are you living?

  • What does your work/life balance feel like?

  • How much money are you making?

  • What kind of person are you becoming?

  • The idea is to think big and bold – let your imagination lead the way.

2. 1-Year Theme – The Guiding Star for This Year

Once you’ve got that seven-year vision, pull it back to the present. What’s one theme that will drive you closer to that future version of yourself over the next 12 months? I like to set this theme of the year with one word.

Maybe it’s a “Growth Year” – where you focus on scaling your business.

Or “Simplify and Streamline” – where you cut the fluff and make space for clarity.

It could even be something personal, like “Space and Mindset” - where you work on your mental health and wellbeing.

Pick something that resonates and summarise it with a word. This is your north star for the year.

3. 1-Month Goals – The Small Wins That Move the Needle

Now comes the practical part – monthly goals and objectives. Take your yearly theme and break it down into small, digestible goals you can focus on right now.

What’s one thing you could do this month to push the needle forward?

Need more clients? Block out time for outreach every week.

Want to improve your skills? Book that course or challenge yourself to create more.

One month at a time. One goal at a time. Before you know it, you’re stacking wins, and the momentum is rolling. If you want more insight on how I set goals I actually achieve each year, here is the full breakdown of the framework I use.

Why This Works (and Why I Love It):

It’s not overwhelming. Seven years feels like a lifetime away, but one month or quarter? Manageable.

It makes you focus. We all know the feeling of spinning our wheels, trying to do all the things. This method helps you prioritise.

It’s flexible. Life shifts, priorities change – and that’s okay. Your monthly goals can pivot while keeping your yearly theme intact.

If you’re the kind of person who loves setting big goals but gets stuck on the how, this is for you.

What would your 7-year vision look like?

Have a great week ahead & remember to keep it simple.

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