Soul Proprietor - Frittering

How are you spending your business hours?

Are you doing actual work with clients, coming up with new products, and working on your business?

Or does this sound more like you: endless tinkering on your website, constant planning mode, fretting over details, hanging in Facebook groups or online forums seeking advice or complaining about lack of business, or taking course after course after course (but never implementing what you learned – or finishing the class).

If you are guilty of those behaviors, you may find your wheels spinning and your business going nowhere fast.

Which leads to these complaints:

“It’s too hard.”

“I don’t have enough time to do this.”

“That person is successful because they are lucky.”

“That class didn’t work for me.”

“That coach wasn’t very effective.”

I’ve been guilty of continuous fiddling around (often with this excuse: “well, I need to figure out how this works”). It’s nothing more than a form of procrastination. When I get in that mode, not much progress happens over here. I fill my time with a whole lotta “busy work”.

Yeah…I’m soooooo busy. But nothing is getting done. Especially stuff that brings money in the door!

So what is the solution?

Discipline + time management.

Not very glam, eh?

While those two words may sound like a drag, they are essential for a results-oriented business. If you cannot manage your time well, you’re going to be working longer hours on a whole lotta nothing. And that’s not going to cut it.

It’s time to wo/man up and start getting down to business by taming the fritter monster.

Here’s how I stopped puttering around and started getting stuff done (even when managing two kids or taking care of my aging father):

Create a solid work schedule and stick to it. This is especially critical if you have a day job or a family to tend to! Your work schedule should have time carved out for real work (clients, etc) but there should also be time set aside for administrative duties such as tech stuff and business education. Once you have that schedule in place, stay on it and do not deviate. Practice restraint no matter how many glittery things try to lure you away. In time, you’ll be less tempted to waste your time crawling around Facebook forums looking for places to vent because you’ll be getting stuff done.
Be strategic with your classes and coaching. I love taking classes and getting coaching but I’m very deliberate about it now. For example, I don’t do the group coaching programs any longer. Instead, I only work one-on-one with a coach so that I get the full attention I need and work on my stuff rather than having to hand-hold with a bunch of other people. I also choose self-study classes over group programs because this way, I can schedule in my study time and not have my energy or schedule loaded down with more appointments or the distractions that arise from group dynamics. (Audio on the treadmill – win/win!)
Get rid of anything that disrupts your attention. That may mean closing the door and locking out your cat (yes, I have to do that from time to time) or shutting off social media (gasp!). When you’re in work mode, you need to keep your diversions on lock down.
Hire out people to take care of the stuff that you don’t want to do – or that wastes your time. One of my smartest investments is my very lovely tech gal. She saves me a LOT of time. I used to waste hours trying to learn that stuff when I could have been writing or working with clients!
At the end of the day, write your to-do list for tomorrow before hitting the sack. Keep it small – only three big impact duties a day. You’ll be surprised at how this helps you to stay focused on what really matters for your business. I learned this from Racheal Cook of the Yogipreneur. (Her Fired Up and Focused Challenge is the BEST.)

Lastly, stop making excuses or looking for someone to give you permission or motivation to get stuff done. You’re not in grade school…you’re running a business. Step up to the plate and run your empire like you mean it.

Here’s to less fiddling and more progress!

Blessings,

Theresa