How does your day usually start?
Not the getting out of bed part of your day, the business part of your day.
How does the business part of your day usually start? Do you have any habits? What are you thinking? Are your thoughts your habit?
So, do you start your day stressed out, worrying about how you’re going to get the long list of tasks done. Maybe doing a couple really quick ones just so you feel like you’re making progress, and maybe avoiding the more important and intimidating task?
What are you thinking about that list of tasks?
What if you were excited by them instead of feeling like you have to do them?
What if instead of feeling constantly behind by everything you should be doing or should have accomplished you were excited for the things that are happening in your day and business?
What if you didn’t worry about what you’ll find in your email today, but were excited to hear from people? To find out what they needed? Or out how you can help them and how that works into your schedule?
What if instead of being annoyed that someone asked you to do something extra, you were excited about the prospect of helping them?
Would if feel like work then? How would that change your business? How would that change your life outside of your business?
Does even thinking about that possibility feel foreign to you?
I know there was a time in my life where I would have read what I wrote above and said, that’s great, but I’d rather not live with my head in the sand to all the work that needs to get done. And then pile on more things to do because I’m so busy being happy by all the extra work people are sending me.
So, let me be clear – I am not suggesting that you accept every request with happy abandon.
I am suggesting that it is possible to be happy about those requests AND have a plan or process for them.
So, you’re not just happily saying yes when a client emails you with a last minute request – you’re using the processes you already put in place to tell them that you’d love to do that with/for them, but last minute rush jobs cost this much extra. Or I can do that for you in two weeks because I want to honor the commitments to my current projects.
There are boundaries and processes you can set up so it’s easy for you to navigate requests and you’re teaching your clients (and others!) how you work so you have fewer of those requests coming in.
If this is something you’d like to explore in detail, let me know!
How does your workday normally start? And how do you want it to start?
Share in the comments below!
When I don’t have a morning networking event, I like to start my day with a cup of coffee and Feedly. It helps me “ease” into the day instead of attacking it head on.
Of course, there are some days that need to be met head on, but that helps me appreciate my “coffee and newspaper” mornings all the more.