Finding the time to do everything
This is one of the things I often hear social enterprises ask, or wonder: “How do you find time to do everything?”
I often hear, with my clients, how they’re feeling so overwhelmed and that there’s so many things to do and you just don’t feel like you’re making progress with any of them.
I’ve totally been there, starting out as a social entrepreneur but I decided pretty quickly it didn’t need to be or feel like that.
Did I create more time….no that is literally impossible to do.
But I did change the way I think about time which really helped.
I get it. There’s A LOT to do when you start a new business (social enterprise or not). If you’re starting on your own you wear a million and one different hats from CEO, to operations, to sales and marketing, to social impact, measurement, admin, and everything else!
There is always so much to do. And it’s easy to fall in to the trap of overwhelm where you’re just left wondering how do I ever get all of this done, and make progress.
So here’s my 6 top tips for helping you rethink your role, time and the things you “have” to do:
#1 You can’t do everything so stop trying
The most important shift is to recognise there will always be a list of 100+ things to do, that’s the reality of running a business and the fact there’s always something new, or different to do or try. But remembering this doesn’t all have to be done now, today or this week.
If you just let go of the need to stop doing all the things now, it’s a huge weight off your shoulders.
Think about how you can even change the way you talk about it…. “I’ve got so much to do”, or “there’s always so many things to do” to saying something like “today I’m going to focus on completing 3 tasks” or “I have these 3 things to do today”.
#2 Prioritising actually means picking just one thing to focus on
The whole definition of prioritising means you have one thing to focus on, you can’t have multiple priorities. Something is either a priority or it isn’t. This doesn’t mean other tasks aren’t important but today or this week / month the priority is “x”.
Start training yourself to actually prioritise one thing.
#3 Identify what you do best and is the best use of your time
One of the key aspects of productivity is working in your zone of genius, doing things that come naturally or easily to you as well as things that give you energy rather than drain it. Yes we all have to do some things that aren’t in our zone of genius as CEOs and leaders but there’s often a lot of things we can let go of too. So have a look at all your tasks and decide which might be better use of your time to delegate or outsource.
Even if you can’t afford to grow your team at the moment are there ways to automate or simplify your systems, processes and repetitive tasks - this can be a real game-changer in any business.
#4 Acknowledge the areas you are procrastinating around which actually may be the key to shifting in to a feeling of momentum & progress
Are there areas of your business or operations where you feel you’re procrastinating or getting stuck?
Sometimes we need help with these areas and sometimes we just need to acknowledge them and get the things done. I’ve noticed that when I focus on and then commit to doing the things I’m procrastinating on first, the progress & momentum I feel after finally completing them is huge.
This is not surprising as there’s often a lot of subconscious thought and energy going in to the things you’re procrastinating on.
#5 Recognise what time you do have, decide what you want and ask for help when you need it
I work a lot with my clients on this at the very early stages of our engagement. I feel it’s really important to be clear with yourself about the time you have available or want to commit to working, and create boundaries around this.
I find not only does this help focus the mind but it also ensures a change in the way we start to schedule work and acknowledge what can really be achieved in the hours we have available. It helps us pace our workload and learn to plan better.
This often includes saying no to things or being realistic about when requests can be completed…notably everything doesn’t need to be done now, this week or indeed next week.
For example, my boundaries mean I often can’t book things in to my diary for 4-6 weeks from now. I have a boundary about my time but also how much of that time I “give” to others in a week. A new practice that has really helped me not drain my energy and allow me time when I can just work on my business without distraction.
#6 Celebrate all progress along the way
This is really key to acknowledging how far you are progressing every day, week and month. I hear so many people say “we’re just not making progress” when they absolutely are, huge progress in fact. It’s just that they haven’t taken the time to acknowledge how much they have done and how far they have come.
So take the time to celebrate all the small actions along the way. It will make a big difference.
So there you have it. My 6 simple things to help you think about time and “all the things” differently.
You can listen to a short video I did on this topic inside my Facebook Group - The Impact Entrepreneurs Club here.
(If you’re not already a member you will have to ask to join in order to access the video).