One Step to Reduce Business Owner Overwhelm
If being more effective and productive seems like a lot of work and your plate is already full, then think about one small step.
If you think you’re ready for the work and you’ve made room on your plate… think about one small step.
As they say, a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Small steps lead to quick wins, and staying on the path takes you to your long-term goals.
Money lessons can help you improve your productivity
As a financial planner, I’d often have clients come to me a bit shame-faced and admit that they didn’t really have a savings program. Often because they had revolving debt (like credit cards) that they couldn’t seem to pay down.
Or they thought they were “bad with money”. More often, they simply hadn’t been taught what they needed to know about our increasingly complex financial world.
For some clients I needed to do a spending plan (aka “budget”) so they could see where their money was currently going, and what changes they needed to make to make the plan workable.
Was I always good with money and a solid financial planner? Absolutely not. In my 20s and early 30s, I spent money almost as fast as I earned it. And sometimes more, which led to debt. Being in finance and studying for my CFP certification gave me the education I needed.
You might already know there are two basic ways to pay down revolving debt: pay down the smallest balance, or take on the higher interest charges, first. The latter is the fastest way to pay off the money in the long run. However, it’s not the right solution for a lot of people because they get discouraged if it takes too long before getting the “win” of a zero balance.
Although paying down the smallest balance (assuming it’s not the same as the high interest rate balance) takes longer all told, it’s easier for a lot of people to stick to. By paying the smaller balances off first, you get quick wins that incentivize you to keep going.
It’s a lot better to pay off the debt more slowly than to try to attack the tough problem first and give up because it’s too hard to keep going without a win.
I personally don’t have a problem with not seeing financial wins right away because I’m a long-term investor, so I attacked my highest interest rate cards first. I knew it would be faster, and had I gone the other way, I’d have been annoyed with myself for taking longer than necessary.
You can see there are a few guiding principles for personal finance which are applicable to other realms too.
As the old saying goes, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. In other words, don’t let what happened in the past prevent you from taking necessary action.
Before you decide what your spending plan should look like, take a look at where you are now.
Unless you’re completely confident that you’ll be able to make all the changes you need to, start small and let the wins accumulate.
Becoming more effective and improving your time management
If you don’t know how to prioritize or manage your time well yet, there’s no need to beat yourself up about it. But there’s also no need to stay stuck where you are.
The financial world went from knowing you would get a certain payout for retirement (pensions) to do-it-yourself IRAs and 401Ks without teaching anyone how to manage their own money.
Similarly, the work world went from defined times of work, lunch, and breaks to technically being able to work 24/7 without any guidance on how to do this without burning out. Just as you’ve had to learn how to handle savings, income, and investments, you now need to handle your own work.
The only real difference is that you can hire someone to handle your money, but you can’t hire anyone to handle your effectiveness. Certainly I can show you the tools you’ll need and how to use them (click here to find a time for your free Laser Focus Accelerator Session), but ultimately they’re your responsibility.
A lot of business owners know they need time to focus. A solid two hours of focus time with zero interruptions even once a week would help you conquer your to-do list and get started on interesting projects.
For me, this is easy. In fact, I can do two solid hours most days. I never have interruptions because all my notifications are turned off and my phone is in a different room where I can’t even see it.
But that’s because I’ve had to manage my neurospiciness my whole working life, and even the boundaries we had last century (!!) and the early years of this one weren’t enough. So I’ve been doing this for a while. Yet even if you’re neurotypical, the way I work is how the human brain wants to work.
Ever floated down a river? You know when you go with the current, everything's easy. You literally go with the flow. As soon as you start fighting the current, you slow down and you might not even reach your destination.
Most of modern American work culture makes you work against the “current” of your brain. Work becomes difficult and fragmented and you’re easily distracted.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you’ve probably been fighting with your brain without you even knowing it. But how to get from too much on your plate to a plate that helps you achieve your goals without burnout?
In the “attack high interest rates” mode of becoming more effective, you would figure out when is the best time for you to do the “thinky” work - the strategy, the planning, the number-crunching, etc. Not emails or calls; those are in a separate time bucket.
Then you would set a recurring appointment, starting with two hours, at least once a week during that time. No one has the ability to move that appointment around. During that time you’d have every single one of your possible notifications turned off and the phone hidden from view.
And if you’re ready for that, have at it! (I’m happy to help if you need a little assistance to start this up.)
But a lot of people have trouble putting this into place, and the main problem is your smartphone.
Better time management in small steps
So, if you’re looking for the get-small-wins-faster method to help you be more effective without burning out, the first thing to do is get real about your phone.
Your phone is not human. It’s not your child, nor is it a part of you. It is a tool. If you can’t or don’t want to put it down, recognize that you are allowing a piece of plastic to run your life. If you want to be in charge of your life and your business, you need to get used to not having your phone on you.
Studies have shown that just having it within eyesight – even if you turned it off and it's resting on its face – is enough to keep you distracted. Life’s already distracting enough, so give yourself a break and put it away.
Keep it out of your sleeping space
There is absolutely no reason to look at your phone right before bed or right after waking up. If there’s a crisis, you can’t do anything about it either way. Isn’t it better to face the day feeling ready and calm, rather than rattled?
And if you have trouble sleeping, why on earth would you bring a phone into your bed that emits blue light and therefore makes it harder to sleep?
It’s better all around if the time right before you go to bed and right before you go to sleep is tactile and away from screens. If you need something to wind down before bed in addition to journaling, you can read – a book or on a reading device that has a nighttime function to avoid emitting that blue light.
So many people tell me their wake-up alarm is on their phone. I mean… have you heard of this amazing invention called an ALARM CLOCK? It’s only been around for a century or so, and you can buy cheap ones in all kinds of places. Just use that instead. (I have cats, so no need for an alarm clock in my house. Though I still do have one.)
Keep it out of your workspace (as much as you can)
When you’re trying to focus, the rule is your phone should not be in the same room as you.
Yes, there are times when you might need to keep it closer. For example, you have a loved one in the hospital or hospice; you have children and you’re the parent the school calls; your business is in the field of reacting to emergencies.
Even so, you might not need to have it on your desk right in front of your face. You could put it in a drawer that’s within easy reach.
Keep recognizing it’s a tool, not an entertainment device
Just because you can use your phone to watch a movie or scroll through your social media feed doesn’t mean you should.
Next time you’re in line somewhere, put your phone away. Yeah, you’ll be bored very quickly. But that’s when your mind can be creative.
If you never allow yourself to put the phone down, you can’t be creative. Brains need some space and time for creativity. Looking at stuff on your phone is the same as eating empty calories when you’re hungry: they won’t nourish you, and you’ll feel worse later.
Recap (tl;dr):
Starting with a small step, in effectiveness and productivity as well as in personal finances, will help you reach your destination a lot faster than taking no steps at all.
Not sure what needs prioritization first? Click here to set up your free Laser Focus Accelerator Session.
Photo by Ruan Richard Rodrigues on Unsplash