Author: EvieBurke

Productivity for Solopreneurs: Insights to getting things done #125 / Feeling Behind

Feeling behind

by EvieBurke, posted in video

In the past couple of weeks, I’ve talked with several business owners, and I’ve noticed a subtle trend.

They’re feeling behind or feeling like they should be further ahead of where they are.

The side effect of this is feeling like they need to do more or be more NOW.

They’ve come for help on how to get more done faster to get to where they feel like they should already be.

There generally are things everyone (including me) can do to be more efficient with our time and efforts.

The thing about feeling like you’re behind or should be further along is you can make improvements, but you’re probably still going to feel like you’re behind.

The problem isn’t that you’re not already doing enough. My guess is you are doing a lot.

The problem is you don’t recognize how much you’re doing and how far you’ve already come!

In one conversation, in particular, I listed back some of the things she mentioned she’d already accomplished and pointed out that those things were a lot of work.

Once she could take a step back and see it, she laughed and agreed. She had been accomplishing a lot!

She was so focused on her incomplete tasks and where she felt she should be, that she didn’t notice how much progress she had made.

That progress needs to be noticed and celebrated!

When you focus on where you think you should be and feeling like you’re not doing enough work fast enough to get there, you can end up beating yourself up and running yourself into the ground. And you start sacrificing time with family, with friends, and for self-care in an effort to do more.

Instead, take a step back and notice how much progress you’ve made!

And give yourself space to breathe.

PRODUCTIVITY FOR SOLOPRENEURS: INSIGHTS TO GETTING THINGS DONE #125

Productivity for Solopreneurs: Insights to getting things done #124 / One thing you probably missed in your 2020 planning

One thing you probably missed in your 2020 planning

by EvieBurke, posted in video

The other day I was on my way to a networking event contemplating what I wanted to share in my 30-second elevator pitch.

It’s something I recently added to my yearly planning that changed my approach to this year.

What is that thing?

Looking at what skills you need to improve or create.

Take a look at the goals you set for this year or quarter (later you can do this for your year, quarter, AND month goals, but for right now, just pick one time frame).

What are the skills that you need to achieve those goals?

If you’re planning on hosting a workshop some skills you might need are: speaking, selling from the stage, how to smoothly transition from content to selling, promoting, or marketing.

Beyond that, you might need skills around having a sales conversation, asking for a sale, or doing any of those things in a way that feels natural to you.

In your 2020 planning you might have missed looking at what skills you want to improve to reach the goals you’ve set with a bit more ease.

To identify those skills, look at your goals and think about what skills you need each step of the way.

Another way is to look at your goals for last year. Think about what goals you didn’t hit and which ones where the near misses or just barely hit.

What skills would have helped you achieve those goals or achieved them with more ease?

One last thing to look at is there a step in reaching goals or completing projects that you regularly find yourself avoiding, procrastinating, or just not doing?

What skills might you develop or practice that would make that step easier for you?

Knowing what skills you need to develop are gems of insight into your business that can make a huge difference in your results.

PRODUCTIVITY FOR SOLOPRENEURS: INSIGHTS TO GETTING THINGS DONE #124

Productivity for Solopreneurs: Insights to getting things done #123 / I read it, but I didn't put it in my brain

I read it but…

by EvieBurke, posted in video

“I read it, but I didn’t put it in my brain.” – Faye Burke

This is something my mother in law said the other day that I LOVED.

In the video below I share what happened that led to that comment, why I love it so much, what it means, and what it might mean for you.

PRODUCTIVITY FOR SOLOPRENEURS: INSIGHTS TO GETTING THINGS DONE #123

Productivity for Solopreneurs: Insights to getting things done #122 / Two common to-do list mistakes and what to do about them

Two common to-do list mistakes and what to do about them

by EvieBurke, posted in habits, Task List, video

How effective is your to-do list?

I’ve found that most people have one in one form or another.

And sometimes we assume that everyone puts together a to-do list the way we do.

I’ve found that people are generally making one or two mistakes with their to-do lists and we’re going to talk about that today.

Mistake 1

Your to-do list is on whatever piece of paper or notebook that happened to be near you when you needed to write somethings down.

A side effect of this to-do list method is you keep thinking about all the things you have to do. Your mind is a constant stream of things to do.

This is because your brain is super smart (really it is) and it knows that you might not find that piece of paper or notebook when you’re at your desk ready to do that work.

What to do instead

Have ONE place you write your to-do lists.

You’re not creating your WHOLE planning and tracking system here, you’re starting with ONE small tweak that will help you develop a habit that supports your future planning/tracking system.

You might start with a smaller notebook that will easily fit in your purse or an app on your phone.

I’d suggest starting with a notebook and seeing how that goes for a bit.

Mistake 2

Your to-do list is in ONE place, but it’s a list of EVERYTHING that you need to do.

This is actually a good problem to have because it means that you’re writing things down (physically or digitally) and you know what needs to be done. 

What to do instead

Create a list of only what needs to be completed today or this week. The other things can be done in the coming weeks.

This allows you to set your priorities once a week and then you won’t have to decide on a daily or moment-to-moment basis what your priorities are.

Ideally, these things tie to your goals for the month, but again, it’s about doing one small tweak so that you start creating the habits that support your future habits and systems.

Now, you might be wondering why I’m not suggesting that you start with creating a planning/tracking system right off the bat.

My question for you is: have you tried jumping right into a planning system or goal tracking system before? Yes? How did that go?

What I find with my clients is they have a list of things they’ve tried (and planners in the closet with maybe a month filled out) and then something popped up, they got busy, or there was some other disruption.

The new system took a lot of time and effort to keep up with because the habits around it hadn’t developed yet. So, it all fell apart.

Instead, look at the small steps you can take or one habit you can develop that will make a difference. When that step is completed or that habit developed, then you can add something else.

If you want to know a couple of small tweaks that will make a big difference for you, reach out to schedule a complimentary session with me. You can do that by commenting or filling out the Contact Me form on my website here: http://www.oneinsightcloser.com/contact-me

PRODUCTIVITY FOR SOLOPRENEURS: INSIGHTS TO GETTING THINGS DONE #122

Insights to getting things done #121 / What to do when you don't feel like setting goals

What to do when you don’t feel like setting goals

by EvieBurke, posted in comfort zone, Goals, video

Have you ever had a period in your business where you didn’t have any goals?

You were just trying to figure out what worked and what didn’t and you’d set your goals when you had more information or data.

I know I have and I’ve seen some of my clients go through it.

It can come from having too many weeks or months of not meeting the goals you set for yourself. So, you’re not feeling a sense of completion and maybe even wondering if you’re cut out for running a business.

Feeling like that or going through those times does NOT mean that you’re not cut out for running a business.

What it does mean is that you might need to tweak a couple of things.

This can be:

  • Evaluating the things you’re doing and noticing what’s working, what’s not working, and what could be working better
  • Noticing the things that are on your do-later list that you actually want to be doing now
  • Noticing the things that you’re not doing because they’re outside your comfort zone
  • Setting a super doable goal for yourself this month so you can feel that very important and confidence-building sense of completion
  • Noticing any patterns around where you tend to stop moving forward
  • Looking at the goals or intentions that you’re not meeting and asking what information, skills, or connections do you need to more easily meet that goal

When you’re feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, or like things just aren’t working out for you give yourself some grace. Acknowledge what you’re feeling and get curious about what might be going on.

Having someone else to talk to through this can be super helpful.

If this is something that’s happening for you right now, reach out & let’s talk. The easiest way to do that is to leave a comment or fill out the Contact Me form here http://www.oneinsightcloser.com/contact-me

PRODUCTIVITY FOR SOLOPRENEURS: INSIGHTS TO GETTING THINGS DONE #121