3 Tips to Get Yourself Back on Track and Organized
It can constantly feel like you are getting your business back on track with everything that yo
u have to do, especially if you are an Entrepreneur. And this doesn’t take into account your spouse, children and household – their needs and requirements. Keeping it all together can seem fruitless, overwhelming and cause a ton of stress which, in turn, affects business and your family life. So how do you get yourself back on track? Here is what I do – after all, I’m human! It happens to me too.
Take a minute for me – just me! Let me rephrase that….take time for me, not just a minute. I schedule out some downtime in my calendar to slow down and think of a few things:
1. What are my deadlines?
2. What is really important to my success?
3. Where can I fit this in?
Truth be told, your attitude about what is on your To Do List will affect what you accomplish on your To Do List. So stop thinking negatively about what you have to get done. Instead turn it around and be happy that you have a list! What would it feel like if you had absolutely nothing on your list? You would either be out of business or be bored to tears. Be happy that you have deadlines to meet. After all, life is a series of deadlines. Usually you have a deadline to get up in the morning, a deadline for the children to get onto the bus (or get the children to school if they miss the bus), a deadline to open your business (or you won’t be in business) and a deadline to get done what you must get done. And typically, there are consequences.
So, how do you get yourself back on track if you are missing deadlines, feeling frustrated and everything feels out of control?
1. Think about your deadlines. What is it that you absolutely have to get done today – or suffer the consequences? The consequences of not meeting deadlines could be huge. It could cost you money, cause frustration, cause anxiety and other health issues and affect your family dynamics and relationships. Once you have recognized what your deadlines are, take care of them. If necessary, write down a list of what needs to happen in order for you to meet that deadline and then take action immediately. I’m willing to bet that it won’t take nearly as long as you think it will to meet your deadlines – if you will just step forward and take action.
2. As a business owner, especially an Entrepreneur, there are certain things that we enjoy about our business more than others. We can wear every hat in our business. The marketer, bookkeeper, writer, manager, public relations specialist, CEO, CFO and COO all at the same time! I recently worked with a local HVAC company who was experiencing this exact situation. The owner was responsible for the dispatch, receptionist, scheduler, bookkeeping, general office duties, HR, quotes and is the office manager. It was daunting. We had to take a serious look at what had to be done on a daily basis. What could be delegated out to staff (of course, it helped greatly that there were already policies and procedures already in place) and what was the most beneficial use of the time of the Owner of the company. Together, we took a look at how (and what) the owner could streamline in order to allow for success. We started with simplifying daily systems to make it easier for the owner to handle everything, cut costs (time) and be successful.
3. Just about everything in life has a front-end load attached. Something has to happen in order for something to happen! This is usually a 4 letter word (work). If you are having trouble fitting everything in take a look at your schedule management. My good friend and colleague, Melanie Yost, owner of Melanie Yost.com gave me my biggest insight into this topic. The term Time Management has been thrown around so much, but reaching your goals and creating success really isn’t about managing your time. It is about Managing Your Schedule! You can’t invent more time. However, you can manage your schedule. First, identify where you are losing time. What is costing you hours of unproductivity? It could be the phone or the internet, Facebook other social media. You may quickly find the time you have been looking for! And, if you are already well-balanced with your time, maybe (for a short period of time) you will need to start an hour earlier. If it is the key to your success, it would be well worth it…don’t you agree?
I hope this helps you get yourself back on track, whether it is in your personal life or in your business. Let me know how I can help. Attitude is the key to your success!
Linda Clevenger, Consultant and Organizer
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