“Help me! I’m too busy and something needs to change…”   How many times have you said this to yourself in the last month?

 

I totally get it and I’ve been there too, very recently in fact… Last month, the balance of work and life started to go seriously off-kilter. The demands on my time meant I’d been spending more hours in the office than with my family and it was starting to affect us. I was just too bloody busy! So, I did something I’ve not done for a while – I took my kids out of school for a few days and we had a family trip to Lego Land. It was a well-needed break. No phone or laptop, just unbridled fun (ok, the phone was with me, of course it was – but no work calls were made, I promise, and when I say ‘unbridled fun’ what I actually mean is ‘I gritted my teeth, put on a smile and rode those rides’, even though I’m not a massive fan)..

 

The realisation as I stood in the hour-long queue for Flight of the Sky Lion (if you know, you know) was that being ‘too busy’ just isn’t sustainable long term. It doesn’t work for my family’s well-being and it doesn’t work for my business.

 

Can you relate? Here are some truth’s…

 

• Being ‘too busy’ will get in the way of you growing your business the way you want to.
• Being ‘too busy’ will get in the way of you living your life.

If you feel the same as me then don’t panic, there’s good news! It’s fixable!

 

I’ve come up with 4 simple questions you can ask yourself if you’re feeling overwhelmed, to help you get things back under control.

 

Grab your to-do list and let’s have a go…

 

Question 1: Does this really need to be done? (If yes, now or later?)

We often have things on our to-do lists that either:

 

• Don’t need to be done at all – they are ideas, maybes or “wouldn’t it be nice if’s”. They are things we are thinking about, but that we haven’t actually made a firm decision on yet. Ideas are not to-do’s – create a separate idea list and get those things off your to-do list! Or…
• Don’t need to be done NOW – if you aren’t strategic about planning ahead, then as a default everything on your to-do list feels like it needs to be done NOW. Work through each item and ask yourself – when does this really need to be done? Could it be put off until next week? Maybe even next month or next quarter? Take your list and put realistic due dates beside each item. (As an OBM I always start by creating a plan like this for my clients, so that we can be clear on realistic timelines and not feel like it all needs to be done ‘now!’)

After answering this question, you should be left with a list of things that are due in the next week or so – and a list of things that aren’t due yet (or are ideas and are no longer on the list!)

 

Question 2: Do I need to be the one to do this?

If you are like most business owners I know, as a default you feel like you must do everything. You are good at what you do. You are used to being the one to get it all done, but now things are starting to fall behind and slip through the cracks.

 

Run through your list again and ask yourself – could someone else do this for me? Be aware of the following when you answer:

 

• “Well yes, someone else could do this for me but I’m the only one here so I have to” If you don’t have anyone working with you right now this could be true, and you also have the power to change that. Growth dictates that you will need to hire help at some point – when you do it is up to you.
• “But no one can do it as well as me – so I have to be the one to do it” This is a dangerous spot to get stuck in, because as long as you believe it to be true, it is… and it could be your biggest barrier to growth. Yes, you may be the best at doing something but that doesn’t mean you can’t train another person to be as good as you or find someone who does it already and bring them on board. Check out my blog ‘How to bin the fear and delegate effectively’ for more tips on this!

The goal here is simple – identify the things that others could do for you. It doesn’t mean you have to hire a bunch of people tomorrow, but at the very least you can look to give more to the people you have already and plan ahead for getting more support (which becomes a light at the end of the busy tunnel!)

 

Question 3: How can I create more space?

At this point you should have a realistic list of what needs to be done in the next week or so. Now you want to ensure you have the space and time to get it done. Here are two of my favourite tips:

 

• Plan ahead –book the time in your schedule to get stuff done. You might book in specific tasks, or you might book in time for types of tasks (ie: writing time, client time).
• Set boundaries – distraction is the death of productivity. Be it team, clients, family or social media – every time you get distracted it takes you off track, and for many people it happens all day long! Shut your door. Close your inbox. Turn off your notifications. Let people know when you aren’t available and when you are. And get really good at saying no (because they will test your boundaries!)

Question 4: Do I need to renegotiate any deadlines?

If you are truly in over your head and can’t get everything done, then you need to revise your deadlines with clients, team members or whoever may be waiting on you. You may hate having to do it, but it’s better for you to make people aware ahead of time vs. having people get upset with you because they are waiting or asking.

 

Even if they are frustrated, people will respect you for stepping up and being real with what is going on – and quite often they are OK with adjusted timelines if they know ahead of time.

 

Did you find that helpful? I hope so!

 

The beauty of these 4 questions is that you can use them over and again. Work through this process every time you find yourself too busy, and over time you’ll learn how to reduce the overwhelm and re-balance the work and life pressures that are holding you back.

 

As an OBM this is one of my zone of genius. If you are looking to get off the hamster wheel of always being ‘too busy’ – let’s talk. Book in a coffee chat and let’s identify 5 things that could come off your plate immediately.

 

I look forward to hearing from you!