Business owners all have one thing in common: there is always so much to do and finite time to do it. The famous quote “We all have the same number of hours in a day as Beyoncé” may be true that we all have 24-hour days, however, we don’t all have the luxury of the support that Beyoncé has. It’s what you do with the hours you have available that actually matters.
Some of the cracks start to show when the to-do-list starts spanning 2, 3, 4, 5 or more pages. You’re not alone. That’s going to be overwhelming for anyone.
Overwhelm leads to inaction and distractedness. Add to the mix the constant juggle of family time and trying to finish work on time or early. Add school runs, home-schooling (a la Covid) and the constant pressure to do more, be more and get more done.
What’s worse, is that we are more connected than ever and there is a more common expectation that you’re available beyond 6pm, oft stretching out to 8, 9 and even 10p for some. Our smart phones have done wonders for many things, but when it comes to productivity it has had the opposite effect for many. It can feel never ending.
Over the past decade I have used a rock-solid process that never ceases to fail – for myself and for clients. In fact, the only time it fails if it doesn’t get used. Here’s how to make it work for you, every single time. Get more done, in less time while being efficient and effective.
Dream
It might seem strange that one of the keys to getting more done, is to do less. Dreaming doesn’t have you sitting at the keyboard, tapping away incessantly, does it? Many business owners and entrepreneurs get caught up in the hustle. In the day to day push to tick more boxes, add more things onto the list and be seen by their peers as some kind of hero because they got less sleep than each other. “Hustle harder”, they cry! No. No. No. This is unhelpful! I’m all for the hustle, but only during a set number of hours and if it’s conducive to producing a sustainable result.
Take some time to dream about where you want to be in the next 12 months. What does that look like for you and your business? What are the goals that you want to hit? Is the path you’re on right now leading towards you achieving that?
Plan
The tendency to launch straight into action is huge once you’ve had some time to dream. It’s time to practice “Patience young grasshopper”. First, you must plan. When you look at what you want to achieve over the next 12 months, it’s easy to slip into overwhelm when you think about all the tasks that need to be done.
First, break down your 12-month dream into a 90-day plan. What can you do over the next 90 days in order to get a quarter of the way towards your goal? What are the specific projects you need to work on to get there?
From there, it’s time to break that 90-day plan into a 30-day action plan. What are you going to do specifically over the next 30 days? What key projects can you tackle or undertake over the next 30 days?
This becomes your 30-day focus plan. All you need to do now, is break this down into 4 sections of focus for each 7-day block within the month. You now have a weekly action list that you can implement each day for the next 5 workdays. Easy peasy!
Smaller, bite size focal points make it easier (and faster) for you to implement because you only need to focus on getting those specific things done.
You’ll repeat this every month in each quarter.
Accountability
This is the cornerstone to getting things done. Find someone who will be your accountability partner (or an accountability group). This could be a peer or a mentor. It’s crucial that you have someone that you can report to and who will kick your butt if you haven’t done what you said you were going to do!
Take massive action
When you put in place this strategy and you focus on bringing each task to completion every day, you will triple your productivity and likely your results. The only way to create a result is to take steady and consistent action.
Follow these steps and I know that you will achieve your goals sooner than you could ever dream of, with a lot less overwhelm.
Nicola Moras is an online visibility expert, author of Into The Spotlight, a guide to help you step up your online visibility, become a Rockstar in your industry and make your business thrive in the simplest way possible. Find out more at www.nicolamoras.com.au