86 small tasks to get your business unstuck
I recently went to Fortuna One, and one idea from guest speaker Steven Bartlett has stayed with me ever since. He spoke about chasing the simple tasks that make things 1% better. His example was changing the air freshener in the office. Small, almost silly, but it makes the space a little nicer for everyone who walks in.
It stuck with me because I realised I'd already been doing this without knowing it.
For a while, my big goals had me so overwhelmed that I could barely start. Every time I sat down to work on my business, I'd look at everything I wanted to build and freeze. The gap between where I was and where I wanted to be felt too big to even begin.
After some reflection, I stopped trying to tackle it all at once. I started thinking smaller. One task, one little win, then the next. I made a point of celebrating those little wins instead of brushing past them. And slowly, I started to notice progress.
✶ THE 1% MENU
These are the tiny tasks that have helped me get unstuck, plus a few I'm still working on. This is a menu, not a to-do list, so pick one that feels easy today and do it. Then notice how it feels to tick something off. Come back to the list on the days your big goals feel too big, and let the small wins add up.
✶ ADMIN
Choose one messy folder and organise it. Just one.
Set up a password manager and move your logins into it. Change any you've reused while you're there.
Turn off notifications for apps you don't need during work hours.
Write one email template for a message you send over and over.
Unsubscribe from five emails you never open (use unroll.me to help).
Add a "here's what happens next" line to your enquiry auto-reply, so new enquiries know when to expect you.
Clear out your screenshots folder.
Set up one automation for a task you repeat every week.
Record a voice note talking through a task you do often, then use AI to help you turn it into a simple checklist.
Make a template for new client folders that you can duplicate each time.
Add your business/working hours to your email signature.
Set a recurring reminder to back up your files.
Organise your bookmarks.
Set up an out-of-office reply now, so it's ready for your next day off.
✶ FINANCE
Cancel one subscription you forgot you had.
If a subscription has gone up in price, email them to ask why and whether they can offer you a better rate. Some will, especially if you mention you're reconsidering.
Snap a photo of receipts straight away, and email them to yourself, before they fade in your bag.
Check which offer or product brought in the most last quarter.
Round up your tax savings by an extra 1%.
Turn on automatic payment reminders in your invoicing software, so you never have to write "just following up" again.
Pop recurring invoice dates in your calendar so they're never a surprise.
Write down your monthly overheads so you know your real number.
Try a micro investing app like Raiz or Sharesies.
Put together a list of questions for your accountant.
Check whether you're paying yourself super, and set up a small regular contribution if you're not.
Book a 20 minute money date with yourself once a month.
Set up an email address or app that receipts get forwarded to, so they file themselves.
Add a deposit or retainer to your booking terms, so dates aren't held without commitment.
Add a late payment clause to your terms and conditions.
✶ BRAND / MARKETING
Make sure your profile photo and bio are cohesive across every platform.
Repurpose your best-performing post into another format, like a pin, a story or an email.
Clean up your Instagram highlights.
Update your link in bio so it looks good and goes somewhere useful.
Ask one past client for a testimonial.
Reach out to a past client just to check in.
Write down five questions clients always ask and turn one into a post or email.
Search your own business name and see what comes up.
Check your website on your phone and fix one thing that looks off.
Add your booking or enquiry link to your email signature.
Write a welcome email for new clients that sounds like you.
Add one small surprise to the end of your client experience, like a little gift or a helpful guide.
Set up your Google Analytics to check where your website visitors came from last month. Then put a little more energy into the source that's working.
Create an album called "brand b-roll" and move your favourites into it to use on the fly.
✶ LIFE
Leave your phone in another room for the first hour of work.
Fill your water bottle before you sit down.
Meal prep your lunches and snacks for the work week.
Step outside for five minutes of sunshine before lunch.
Write tomorrow's top three tasks before you log off.
Tidy your workspace for two minutes at the end of the day (I call this my closing shift).
Book in one non-work thing with a friend this month.
Put fresh flowers or a plant where you work.
Take a proper lunch break, away from your desk and your inbox.
Take calls on a walk when you don't need a screen.
Write down one win before bed.
Plan one thing to look forward to this week.
Block out a meeting with yourself and keep it.
Work from somewhere different for an afternoon.
Charge your phone outside the bedroom.
✶ CREATIVITY
Keep a notes app list of ideas you don't have time for yet.
Create a playlist that gets you in the zone, even for admin.
Find an interesting article or Substack and print it out to read away from a screen.
Go through your camera roll and favourite anything that sparks an idea.
Clean your tools, brushes, lenses or workspace. It counts.
Flick through an old magazine or book and tear out whatever catches your eye.
Create a moodboard for a dream project that doesn't exist yet.
Spend 15 minutes making something no one will ever see.
Sign up for a one-off workshop in a craft you've never tried, like pottery, florals or film photography.
Journal for five minutes on what feels exciting in your work right now, and what feels heavy.
Watch one YouTube tutorial on a skill you've been meaning to learn.
Learn one keyboard shortcut in a program you use every day.
Spend 15 minutes exploring a feature in a tool you already pay for but don't fully use.
Watch a behind-the-scenes video of how a film, campaign or collection came together.
Look up the original source of a trend you keep seeing, and see where it really started.
✶ SILLY
Change the air freshener (thanks, Steven).
Buy the nice pen.
Drink your favourite drink out of a fancy glass.
Give yourself a gold star sticker for finishing a task.
Give your to-do list a better title.
Do a dance workout on YouTube between tasks.
Light a candle before you open your inbox.
Name your desk plant. It's a coworker now.
Change your desktop wallpaper to something that makes you smile.
Choose a song that marks the start or end of your workday.
Have a "fancy snack" for finishing your least favourite task.
Write your stresses on a sticky note, scrunch it up and throw it in the bin.
Set a timer and race it to finish one small task, like a game show.
The whole point of this list is that you don’t have to do them all. Pick one, tick it off, and let yourself feel good about it (trust, it works). Save this list for the days the big goals feel too big, and come back whenever you need a smaller place to start.
