If every day is a clean slate, then why is it so packed before my feet even hit the floor by my bed?
I was recently having an online conversation in the private Facebook group I manage for the How to Prioritize When Everything is a Priority: 7 Day Solution.
One participant shared how she likes to space out appointments and consciously give herself enough time between client commitments. Yet even with all these careful calculations she said: “Sometimes I get completely booked up and wonder what the heck happened!”
Can you relate?
You would think that being a self-employed business owner would make the days of wayward, triple-booked calendars a thing of the past.
Yet I have many-a-client tell me that their to-do list feels like someone jumping them in a dark alley.
How did that happen?
Typically it is either:
You keep trying to work harder and force your schedule into something that is unrealistic, bloated with unnecessary tasks, and chaotic.
Or
You consciously create your schedule but every now and then something sneaks up on you and you find things out of whack.
Which camp do you fall into?
In the first case serious prioritization needs to happen. Then the age-old process applies:
Do it
Ditch it
Delegate it
There’s wisdom in those sound bites.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Does your to-do list feel like someone jumping you in a dark alley? #productivity” quote=”Does your to-do list feel like someone jumping you in a dark alley?”]
In the second case which happens to the best of us, you need to start surrendering to what is.
There is a word in Buddhism called Tathata which is translated as “thusness” or “suchness”. It means we can look at something and say “that is the way things are” without freaking out trying to add judgment of good/bad, right/wrong, or suffer needlessly about it.
When it comes to how to navigate each day in business, there are simply some things that just ARE. You will experience:
- Uncertainty
- Fear
- A Chaotic Out of Control Feeling
- Overwhelm
And a million others.
You can choose to be swept away and derailed by them, or accept them as “the way things are”.
Acceptance doesn’t mean falling into a pool of helpless victim-like passivity though. Instead, it gives you self-awareness and insight into how to make a wise choice about what is most important right now.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Acceptance doesn’t mean falling into a pool of helpless victim-like passivity.” quote=”Acceptance doesn’t mean falling into a pool of helpless victim-like passivity.”]
You start to see through the stories you tell yourself like:
“I couldn’t possibly let that team member/employee go because I’d feel bad.”
(So what? If it is the right business move, take action with kindness and get over yourself.)
“I couldn’t possibly take a Wednesday morning to work on my business. My clients might need me.”
(Put your big girl/boy panties on and get serious about your business.)
“I’m being a more responsible business owner if I am sitting at my desk spinning my wheels or distracting myself online than if I simply give myself permission to step away.”
(Wake up! Listen to the whispers of what you really need – a break, time to think, a shift to completing easy tasks, etc. and give yourself permission to do it!)
You’re Not Behind
There’s no such thing as being behind. The very concept of ahead or behind relies on comparison exist. You may not have yet reached a goal in the time you hoped, but that is different.
Where you are right now is exactly where you need to be to get where you need to go.
If you accept this fact, then you can apply the principles above to better align your day with who you are, how you work best, and what you most want to feel.
Then instead of always feeling “behinder” and “behinder”, you can have that leisurely cup of coffee and 15 minutes to hear yourself think whenever you need it most. In fact your success depends on it.
Click here to stop feeling behind and start getting the right things done while enjoying the journey.