As entrepreneurs, especially if you are starting out and running a one-(wo)man show, finding enough time to do everything can be challenging (or downright impossible!)
To solve their time problem, many turn to “productivity” trainings available on the market.
Many of these “gurus” offer great tips and strategies, even an entire routine planned out. But frankly I never had much success with them…
Whenever they say – for the first 90 minutes in the morning, keep everyone out so you can meditate, exercise, make green juice, journal till you turn blue and set intention for your day – I laugh.
Reality is, my kids wake up at some ungodly hour like 5.30am and no, I don’t have it in me to drag my ass up at 4am to meditate.
Do the highest priority tasks in the morning? Fat chance – try that as you pack lunches for son and husband, while running after a 2.5-year-old who drops whatever he eats on the floor and demands food every 5 minutes, very loudly.
Do the income generating projects first thing? Yeah right – try it with Happy Feet in the background and “mommy play doh open” every 5 minutes.
I don’t follow the rules because if I try, I would fail miserably. Yet most people I interact with are impressed by my productivity.
It is a losing battle to squeeze some arbitrary routine designed by someone who knows NOTHING about my life into my life.
Adopt a Productivity Mindset
Everyday, I have exactly 3 hours 15 minutes to go head-down, pen-on-paper and be super-productive. And people are often amazed by how much I get done (typing fast helps ;))
During that time, I focus on income-producing activities: work with clients, sign new clients, do interviews, being interviewed, write newsletter, build sales pages, create products, promote products etc.
Before you start working on a task, ask if it will bring you closer to client/revenue/other business goals (e.g. you are working on getting more publicity in the local area.)
And it’s not just about forcing yourself to do stuff. It is also about protecting your energy from things that don’t matter so you can spend it on what matters.
Discipline comes in when you need to eliminate mental distraction so you can stop the worst energy drains, which come in the form of things that make you take your focus off your most important/income-generating activities and spin your wheels.
It also means having the honesty to call yourself out when you are hiding behind busywork so you can avoid THE thing that scares you, but really, needs to be done.
If we consider sitting around toiling our thumbs to be zero productivity, busywork can be negative productivity because it makes you expend time and energy on going down the wrong path.
Productivity is not about checking some random stuff off a to-do list. Productivity is getting things that MATTER to your business done. So you need to know what REALLY matters to YOU and your business – not what other people say what “should” matter.
The Number 1 Productivity Tool
DISCERNMENT
We are tempted to do stuff because the “gurus” say so, or our competition is doing so. But is it right for YOU? Will it take you where YOU want to go?
Do you know what your big WHY is? Do you know what your business is about? Do you know who you want to BE in your business?
If you are able nail that Ultra-Clarity, Identity and Conviction that are deep inside of you, they will become the guiding light and the filter you use to decide what actions to take that will bring you closer to alignment. (Misalignment = time, money and energy leak)
This discernment will help you stop wasting time, energy and money to chase after the Bright Shiny Objects. It will help you dig out of the Comparison Trap so you can stop rubber necking and actually keep your eyes on where you are going.
Awareness is the key – check in often to make sure you are doing what you are doing not out of fears or conformity – they often take you further away from where you truly want to go.
What If… Time Management Is Not About Managing Time?
We can “produce” enough if we have enough time. But do you? Maybe, your Time Management problem may not be about managing TIME – have you considered that possibility?
Chances are, it’s not because you don’ have the discipline or the willpower…
The Rocket Fuel Behind Your Productivity
What is your Drive – what moves you into action? Do you have the clarity to guide you to do what matters? Do you have a big CONVICTION that will pull you through and make distractions lose their powers?
Is the drive to get what you want bigger than the pull of fears (which results in self-sabotaging behaviors like procrastination or hiding behind busy work)?
Do you have that CONVICTION that leads to COMMITMENT that will fuel the GUMPTION so you can stick with it and stay on task?
How are you going to change your productivity mindset? Leave a comment below and share your insights:
Ling Wong
Ling is an Intuitive Brainiac. Through her unique blend of Business + Marketing coaching with a Mindset + Psychic Twist, she helps the multi-talented and multi-passionate maverick solo-entrepreneurs distill ALL their big ideas into ONE cohesive Message, nail the WORDS that sell and design a Plan to cut the busywork and do what matters, through her intuitive yet rigorous iterative process born out of her Harvard Design School training and 10 years of experience in the online marketing industry. Ling has the superpowers to help her clients optimize the space between individuality + originality vs. “tried-and-true” marketing so they can express their WHY unapologetically and profitably without reinventing the wheel. Find Ling and grab her free “How to Find YOUR Winning Formula” Training Series here.
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Great Post Ling Wong!!! Discipline and Awareness is a must and calling ourselves out is crucial to our awareness.
Thanks – I am glad it resonates!
Great Post ling!!!
Thanks Tara!
Yes I agree that awareness is key. You build everything around that! Thanks for your ideas.
Thanks Alecia. Awareness is also a challenging piece at the beginning. It takes practice and is not something you can “set it and forget it.”
This is GOLD! You have great information here! These are tips that everyone can use. I’m posting my own blog on this today, but these tips are so great, I’m sharing them as well!>
Thank you Leslie!
yeah… pretty good 😉 the mind… gotta start there first.
Great post – love the reality … instead of the theory that so many “gurus” spout.
Thanks Sue! Of course we have to keep learning but more importantly, discern what is right for us and our circumstances so we can make the “theory” work for us.
The truth of this resonates. I’ll visit this when my meditation gets interrupted…again..and again…:)
Awesome post thanks for sharing!!!
Glad to hear, Tia!
This is what a lot of people need to hear Ling!
Thanks – glad it resonates!
Great post! Finding your Ultra-Clarity, Identity and Conviction deep inside will definitely be your guiding light and filter to use when deciding what actions to take in your business. This will definitely help me. Thanks!
Glad to hear, thanks Jeanna!
I love how down to earth you are. I’m learning daily about internet marketing and how to leverage my time, it’s refreshing to read a blog that speaks to me and not at me. We work from home to have flexible hours so it seems odd to be told when things should be done. For the most part, I agree that “Productivity is getting things that MATTER to your business done.” The time of day you do it isn’t the critical part. Thanks for such a easy read.
Thank you Meiko, I am glad you find it helpful!
Great post Ling, awareness of what matters is crucial and adopting it to individual situations . Thanks for sharing.
Thank you! I am so glad it resonates!
Great article. Your why is a big driving factor for your business. If you are clear on your why, you will work more efficiently and productively. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you like it, Donna. Our WHY can be a very powerful filter indeed.
I am loving this blog on Mindset Upgrade To Boost Productivity…You had me laughing my head off on what you were saying my friend, because what you are preaching is so true.
What works for some just may not work for other’s. You have to find your own happy spot and take massive action.
Thanks for this blog. #BOOM!
Thanks John! Glad it resonates 🙂 Yes, it’s so important to find what works for us.
Ling I love, love, love this post! I get annoyed when I hear or read the “one size fits all” approach to getting stuff down. My family is now grown up but I remember those crazy mornings very well. My husband and I had a brick and mortar business and I learned to work my own schedule. In my observation some of the people who have limited time like you get more done. Oh and I will say it one more time – I love this post. 🙂
Thank you Sue! It’s important that we don’t live in the land of theory! And so true, when I am pressed for time, I actually get more done!
Fantastic post Ling, some thing I can highly relate to, being that my hours are some what limited. And admit some times the work I do now does at times help me avoid, what I should really be doing. Especially on the income-producing activities.
Thanks. We all have 24 hours a day, so it’s really about prioritizing what matters then mustering up the guts to do it (if it’s challenging)
Great blog post Ling – thanks for sharing… Iwill be coming back to this.. 🙂
Thanks, glad it’s helpful.
This is excellent and I read it at the most perfect time. Just what I needed to hear. Or read. 🙂
Thanks – glad to know 🙂
I needed to read this because I also suffer from my lack of focus thing and then I seem to get nothing done.
L
Thank You for writing this post
Thanks Todd, glad it’s helpful!
Makes me aware of the lack of discipline I have now. Thank you for sharing
Thanks, and glad it helps.
You are right LIng! It has become so much easier to be productive and get real work done in my business since I took the time to get a crystal clear and solid vision of why I do what I do. It actually does become a guiding light of sorts for me! Thx!
Thanks for sharing your experience, glad it resonates.
Hi Catherine! I’m working on my business, but I want to thank you for the bonus, gift #1! Great piece, that will help out a lot! Plus what a FANTASTIC photo, of you “In Action”! Thanks A lot , and I’ll get to the next Bonus later! That was a great way to start the morning here! So, for now,thanks again, and a very Good FRIDAY! had! //JPF2.
Hi,
Thank you for your inspirational messages!
I aggree that the Time Management is a very Smart Approach to stick on it daily ;
Focusing first on the most important tasks when you get up the morning,
Avoid any kind of distraction to wash away your oriented awareness to hit the target.
All allow you to reach your goals faster.
Ling, Thank you for writing this post. Almost everything in it spoke to me IN A LOUD VOICE. I needed to read this. Thank you for sharing in #8FM.
Thanks Paul – glad to hear it’s helpful.
Well Catherine the first, way I am going to try and change my mindset productivity us buy reading these articles that’s on your blog. Everything you said in your article is oh so true. Believe it or not I used to be that productive. I just don’t know what happened. But the way you lay it out make’s it sound easy. Thanks
Hi ling,I am ex-military and thats the way to go in any business so keep up the good works its edifying.to the prospects thank you.
Thanks – glad it resonates.