Top three tips to be more effective.
Running your own business is a long list of lists of things to do that never seem finished.
It can feel overwhelming. And can be an acute cause of stress meltdown - I have certainly had my fair share of decision paralysis while building a new agency model, writing web copy, finding a photography style, developing revenue streams and problem solving for clients, all while homeschooling five kids.
Here are my favourite 3 methods of finding some ‘whelm’.
Circles of influence
Reduce your hours
Bookend the bad stuff
1. Circles of influence
I learnt about this early in my career and wished I had been taught it at school. It is a technique designed to help with organising your To Do List that I have found easy to apply to all aspects of life. Simply write each project in a circle and all the actions and worries you have then either go in the circle or outside it. The difference being in or out is whether you have direct influence on the action or worry. If you do, put it in the circle and take charge of it. If you don’t, put it outside the circle and either pass it to someone else who can influence the outcome, or forget about it. Ultimately you can’t control everything and your time is better spent on the things you can change.
2. Reduce your hours
Sometimes you run from meeting to meeting to meeting. And at the end of the day have a longer list of actions than you started with. There’s a super simple tip to get your day back under control; include actions in the meeting time. Instead of thinking of meeting blocks in hours, give the last 15 minutes of the meeting back to everyone. Use this time to get everything actioned or delegated so you can move on to the next meeting or task with a clean slate.
3. Bookend the bad stuff
We all have things on the list we’d rather not do. In fact they are probably down the bottom where they’ve sat for the last month or so. Until it’s screaming urgent or too late. It might be paying a bill, writing a blog, having a difficult conversation. It’s very personal what we like and dislike doing. But the trick is the same for everyone; put things you like doing either side of the bad stuff. Bookending badness is the spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down. And trust me, you will feel so much better afterwards.
Feeling inquisitive? Drop into the SpareRoom for a virtual coffee!
