Most massage therapists have solo practices, which means you get to wear all the “hats” in your business. It also means if you don’t really plan your time well, you can wear yourself out trying to get everything done. The last thing your clients need is a stressed-out massage therapist trying to help them to relax!

Set up a system that allows you to operate your business and still have a life. Start by getting your calendar and laying out a typical workweek. Pencil in your work schedule and all the other regular activities, including tasks from your personal life.
Don’t forget to figure in some “me-time” just for yourself.

How does your schedule look compared to your notes on your “ideal practice?” With everything laid out before you, do you see any areas that you want or need to adjust? Are you committing hours to anything that isn’t really worth it? Any tasks you could re- schedule to save time and energy?

Also ask yourself if you are spending valuable time on activities that you could farm out. One of the great benefits of being a massage therapist is being able to exchange massage for other services. For instance, you could give someone a massage once a month in exchange for help with some of your administrative duties, like data entry or labeling and addressing a promotional piece.

While we’re on the subject of getting organized, realize that creating effective massage marketing materials can be time-consuming — and a key reason to look into prepared promotional pieces, such as our Staying in Touch Massage Newsletter. The time you’ll save can be used making money delivering massages.

Unless you have a background in marketing, chances are you’ll get a much better result using professionally written marketing tools — and there are plenty of affordable tools to choose from. When making your selection, be demanding. The promotional pieces you choose will establish your image, so make sure any postcards, newsletters, etc. you choose have a professional look and match your beliefs. Will the content inspire people to take action and call you? Does the message feel like it’s coming from you? Consider all these things as you review any massage marketing materials for your practice.

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