Some days, you start the day with a whole list of things to do and you try to work very hard on getting them done but then you get to the end of the day having done… absolutely none of them!!!!
How does that make you feel?
A bit overwhelmed?
I know that feeling. That feeling that arises from lots of things started and nothing actually finished. How tedious is that? Being a parent with kids all around, you may start to feel like your kids are a permanent distraction to your ability to get things done, especially if you work from home. Not great!
Suddenly, one of the main reasons you set up to work from home (Your Family and children) is beginning to feel like the enemy. And guess what?!! They do not feel too great about that either.
So what can you do about it?
Here are 4 options for getting things done and also getting the RIGHT things done
-
Just Do It
This is the way everyone starts. You decide you are going to get things done and you are going to do it to completion. Great! However, the issues arise when you try to multi task all your activities. So you start up with a list of things to do and you start to do a little of this, and then a little of that, and then back to the first thing, and then you go pour some juice for your child, and then you start something else on the list and guess what? You are just plain confused and at the end of the day, nothing was done well.
If you are going to do your list, focus. Focus on doing one thing until it is completed. Yes, you may have to respond to a child in the middle but come back and finish whatever you started. It is better to have completed ONE Main thing than to have started 20 incomplete things.
-
Is this actually necessary?
When considering your list of things to do, first of all, get them all out of your head and write them down. A lot of my clients are petrified by the though of all the stuff they have to do – the moment they actually write it down, they realise it is not so scary. I always suggest writing it down – A lesson I remind myself of daily.
OK, so now you have a list, look through it, be brutal. What is absolutely not necessary to do? What is just busy work? Remove it from the list immediately. Feel the relief as you realise you have one less thing to do.
-
Can someone else do it?
Too frequently, you can get caught up doing tasks that 1. you do not enjoy and 2. you do not do efficiently.
Choose to delegate what needs delegating. What is your time worth to you? Could it be better served doing an important task rather than this administrative work that someone else could do better than you. This is one of the main reasons people stop enjoying their business. They get bogged down with all the little jobs that are not fun. The truth is, some other people out there love to do these tasks and ARE BETTER AT IT THAN YOU!
Be wise! What can you outsource to someone else? I know you might feel you cannot afford to pay for it? Let me tell you now, you can more easily find a way to build your business when you are not so caught up in the mundane stuff that others can do better. Treat your business like a business and delegate some tasks.
-
Put it Off
OK, so maybe you have made the list, got rid of things you don’t need to do and delegated all the things you can; Well, now it is time to decide what needs to be done now and what needs to be done at a later point. Some things are not time sensitive and it is okay to put them off. Deferring them is a perfectly suitable option. We sometimes get into thinking everything needs to be done right now and you know what, that just leads to overwhelm. Having the wisdom to know what needs to be put off is an essential skill to cultivate.
Learn to shut down the voice of guilt and make decisions free of unnecessary emotion.
On the 25th February 8pm UK time, Join me for a webinar which will enable you make better choices about how to spend your time – Time Management – Move from Angst & Overwhelm to Action, Peace & Productivity – As you focus on getting things done, pick up essential tips that will move you along and bring back more peace in your life and more profits in your business. For £1, what more can you ask for?
