Let’s face it, we’re all busy. We all have a zillion things to accomplish on any given day and most days we aren’t even able to complete that long list of to-do's. It can feel brutal at times. After all, we are entrepreneurs.
But that has me thinking about systems and processes… have we implemented a structured day planner that accumulates the to-do’s, but also creates organization to the order? Or are we just keeping "it all upstairs", hoping one day the list will be completed?
I’m not going to lie and say we have every i dotted and t crossed here at Holistic Fashionista. It’s a juggling act for sure, but programs like Trello and EmailMeForm, are simple platforms that we do appreciate and use for nearly all our product launches, collection of data, and of course those long days that are packed with a bunch of details.
But, even the most organized person has those days where they just can’t take it anymore. The list is too long and there is too much to do— we want to blame someone else for the madness.
That’s where we have to check ourselves (and our egos) before we piss off those close to us.
The last thing you want to do is piss off your team or snap at your mentor. The bottom line is the chaos is your fault. That’s because you are in charge. You’re the lady boss. You’re the CEO. You’re the one who started this business! Take responsibility.
Here are 3 tips to help you tame the madness and tackle the to-do list, all while increasing your revenue (yup, you heard me!) and get your finances back on track.
You’re busy, but your bank account isn’t showing that the “busy work” is paying off. What gives?
STOP BEING BUSY
Being busy when you’re high on caffeine can be fun from time to time, but being busy just to be busy, well that’s not productive. Most of us find distractions in the most mundane things— anything to keep us from tackling what really needs to be done— you know what I’m talking about:
- Countless hours on Facebook
- Staring at your phone like a real Instagram whore
- Pinning and looking at others' gorgeous boards
- Reading and writing emails
- Writing blog posts/articles
So do yourself a favor right now and stop kidding yourself that your "busy-ness" is making you more money-- because if you look closely, it probably isn't! Even if you consider social media and creating content “marketing,” money-making activities, I assure you it’s a passive tactic towards making more money— and it doesn’t usually translate to dollar bills.
Instead, try being assertive in your distractions. If you’re going to hang out on Facebook, ask for the sale (don’t just hit at it). If you’re going to write an article, make sure you do a Facebook boosted post to draw more attention to your business (and don’t forget to include a call-to-action at the end of each post!). Be strategic with all the “busy work”. Deal?
STOP BLAMING YOUR TEAM
Your team is there to support you and if they aren’t holding up their job description, perhaps it’s time to sit them down and have a chat. Put on paper (if you haven’t already) what their duties are and what is required in their position. If you haven’t been clear about what their duties are, how can you expect them to read your mind? You can’t. And that means you can get pissed at them either, because it’s really your fault.
Every week put together a Monday team building meeting and map out what needs to be done to reach your weekly goals. Don’t have weekly goals set in place yet? Map those out weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually. The only way to assure everything gets completed by your team is to have goals and a list of what needs to be accomplished. Keep the communication flowing!
Apps like Trello and sharing Google docs is a great way to keep your team in the loop of what needs to be done, when it needs to be completed by, and who is doing what. Put systems in place so your team can win at their job! And then take them to happy hour to show your appreciation! Gratitude is a great strategy for keeping the family happy and accomplished.
STOP PISSING YOUR MENTOR OFF
Look, we’ve all hired a mentor at one point in our business, but how many times have you blamed your mentor for the lack of success in your business? Come on, be honest. What about those late payments you still haven’t paid and now you’re wasting your time being pissed that she finally cut you off. It’s not her fault, it’s yours.
When you are “busy, being busy” even the most holistic entrepreneur has a tendencies to play the blame game. It’s not cool and actually makes you look nuts. It’s time to start paying a closer attention to details and when I say details, I’m talking about your finances.
Your mentor is there to support you and lift you higher when times get crazy. Mentors deserve a pat on the back from time to time, and when you’re disorganized and not following protocol, you’re clouding your judgement and acting out inauthentically, when you should be implementing more systems into your life to make sure you can complete your assignments, and at the very least, pay your bills/investments on time.
In closing, you’re responsible for the success of your business. Not your team. Not your busy work. And not your mentor.
If you can’t get out of “busy work” and into creating systems to improve your business, you’ll never be successful. In fact, you’ll burn a lot of bridges-- bridges that could have been mended if you took responsiblity for your responsibilities.
Busywork is a trap and if you’re stuck in its spiral staircase, get off right now and take the elevator downstairs and regroup. Put an action plan together to get off the hamster wheel and start creating productivity system with money-making tasks that ask for the sale, instead of just hinting at it.
Time is money and busy work is not time well spent. Don’t waste another hour on tasks that don’t produce real results, the result I'm talk about is MONEY.
