One of the things I love about my clients is that they are entrepreneurs. They’re excited about their work and passionate about their ideas. They love their businesses (sometimes) as if they were one of their children. And they spend a lot of time working.
That’s the good news.
The bad news is that many entrepreneurs don’t always feel like they’re getting anything done … despite the long hours and hard work. They’re pretty sure they’re being inefficient and feel like there’s never enough time.
And that’s exhausting.
The antidote?
1. Get clear about what you’re trying to accomplish. I see clients every day who are heading in 15 directions all at once. They jump from one thing to the next and back without any clear destination, always chasing the next shiny object.
The best way to do this is to take time to make measurable goals that are easy to articulate. For example:
- “In 2023, I will increase my revenue or profitability by 10% in the next six months.”
- “I will acquire five new clients within the next three months.”
- “I want to delegate 10 hours of work per week to an assistant.”
2. Make a plan that supports your goal. If your goal is to increase revenue by $30,000, identify five or six activities to support that objective. This might include raising prices, additional public speaking, attending more networking events, writing a newsletter, publishing on LinkedIn, etc.
Be deliberate about how you are going to spend your time.
3. Set up support systems. In order to know whether you’re carrying out your plan, it’s important to track what you’re doing. Part of my plan to increase revenue this year is to attend at least one networking event a month, meet with one new person every week, publish my newsletter every other week and speak at three events. There’s no way I could track my progress in my head, so I use Trello, a project management tool, to track my success each week.
Am I flawless in my execution? No.
Does it help to see what I’m actually doing so I can make mid-course corrections? Absolutely!
4. Don’t be afraid to say no. If you get a request not aligned with your goal, it’s important to say no. If you have a bright idea that’s not aligned with your goal (no matter how brilliant), it’s equally important to say no.
For example, one of my tactics for growing my revenue this year is public speaking, but with parameters, I offer one particular presentation. That’s the only one I’m willing to give this year. Spending a week developing a new presentation for each event is not an option.
Plan and set goals in a quiet environment. Also, do it separately from your day-to-day activities. Be clear in your language and remove any ambiguity. Stick with it, even when you’re short on time or energy. Be sure to make time to keep updating your systems.
In the end, you’ll feel more focused, get more done and enjoy your business more than you thought you could.