Too Busy? 4 Questions To Ask Yourself…
“Help me! I’m too busy and something needs to change…”
I get it. Being ‘too busy’ is really not sustainable. It won’t serve you nor your clients. Being too busy may even be getting in the way of you growing your business.
The good news? You can still fix this by asking yourself the following questions.
Question 1: Does this particular task or tasks really need to be done? (If yes, now or later?)
Isn’t it true that as business wonders, we often have tasks on our various to-do lists that either:
- Don’t really need to be done at all if you think about it – they are just ideas, “what ifs”, maybes or perhaps, “wouldn’t it be nice ifs”. They are the kinds of things that we are thinking about, but that we haven’t really made a firm decision about yet. So what you do is you just separate your idea list from your task list because they are not the same.
- Don’t really need to be done NOW, they can wait – You have to have a strategy when it comes to prioritizing the things on your to-do list, otherwise, everything in there will feel urgent and should be done now. Look at each item on your list and ask yourself – At what date should this need to get done? Is next week okay? Maybe even next month or next quarter? Beside each item on your list, write realistic due dates. (As a financial advisor, you can always start by creating a plan for your clients, so that you can be more clear on realistic timelines and won’t feel like it all needs to be done right here and right ‘now!’)
Once you accomplish answering this question, you’ll be left with a list of tasks that are soon due and those that aren’t due yet, or those that got crossed off the list because they are just simply ideas.
Question 2: Should I be the one to do this?
Jus like most business owners, you might be feeling a little too overwhelmed with everything. You are good at what you do. It has always been you who do everything in your business. But now, things are piling up and things are falling through the cracks.
Go through your list again and honestly ask yourself – Can this be done by someone else other than me? When you answer, be aware of the following :
“Of course, technically, this can be done by someone else, however, I am a solopreneur so I have no choice but do it all myself. If this is true for you, know that you also have the power to change this. Growth dictates that you must hire help at some point – the sooner the better.
“No one can do it as well as I can do it – so I have no choice but to do it myself.” If you are in this situation, and you happen to believe it to be true, this will be your greatest hindrance to business growth. You probably are the best at what you do, but that doesn’t mean no one else can be trained to do it as well as you. We can help you delegate the tasks on your to-do list so you can take care of that aspect of your business that can help you scale and grow.
We have a simple goal to reach – be able to identify the things that you can delegate. You don’t have to do it now or tomorrow but the sooner the better. Plan ahead for getting more support (which becomes a light at the end of the busy tunnel!)
Question 3: Is there a way to create more space?
I have two tips for you:
- Make a plan for the future. Schedule them on your calendar.
- Set boundaries for yourself. Don’t be easily distracted by things around you. Distraction will slow you down. Close your door. Shut your inbox. Turn off your notifications. Let people in your circle know your schedule and availability. Practice saying “no”.
Question 4: Are the deadlines negotiable?
If it really is needed, revise deadlines with your clients, or team members, or whoever may be waiting on you to finish a certain task. Owning up to something ahead of time is better than upsetting people who are waiting.
Asking these 4 questions is reusable. Answer them anytime you feel overwhelmed by the day-to-day tasks of your business. Should you need help delegating tasks and making sure you only focus on growing your business, check out how we can help you here: https://yourvirtualservices.com/services/