Do you suffer from a lack of time? Do you have too many items on your to-do list that you are ever able to tick off? Do you blame yourself for not being productive enough?
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If you said ‘yes’ to one of these questions, that means that you should read this information prepared for the attendees of WBL’s Mastermind by a professional coach, Ola Molade.
What are time drains?
Time drains are the obstacles to our productivity.
Perfectionism is wanting things done your own way. As a result, it is very hard to delegate or let others help.
What can we do about it?
Tip 1 – consider that the reason you want things done in a particular way is that you really want the best for your customers. Then consider whether or not the person you are delegating to also has the best interests of your customers at heart.? As long as you both have the same objective all that remains is to trust that they are working for the best.
Tip 2 – (for “technical” tasks – e.g. accounting, social media, etc…) Consider how long it will take you to carry out the task and contrast this with how quickly an expert can do the job – freeing you up to focus on things you actually enjoy or are good at.
Procrastination is - putting certain jobs off, sometimes this is done unconsciously by creating lots of “busy” jobs as an excuse.
What can be done about it?
Tip 1 – (if it is a job you do not like) – outsource it!
Tip 2- (if it seems overwhelming) – break down the task and only commit to doing little chunks at any one time. Remember small steps.
Tip 3 – (if it is a strategic/important task that you are struggling with) – this requires some self-examination. Think about the outcome and check if there are any parts of the outcome that do not sit well with your spirit. For example – if the outcome you expect when you complete the strategic task is that your business becomes very busy – but at the back of your mind you are worried about spending time with your children… Depending on what you find it may be that you need to consider a different goal, and/or challenge which of your assumptions are valid.
Finance naivety – not sure if you can afford to delegate or engage a professional? Remember that indecisiveness about delegating and making plans costs money.
What can be done about it?
Tip – develop an honest finance forecast that shows how cash is flowing through your business this will provide visibility regarding what you can afford to invest. And if the picture is not positive, it provides a basis for determining how to address any shortfalls.
Dissonance or lack of alignment with your true values - some aspect of what you feel you must do does not sit right. For example – you observe competitors posting on social media in a particular manner so feel this is how you need to promote also – but you just never get around to it.
Tip – listen to yourself! If you don’t like social media then don’t do social media. Explore what other tools might work – ask your customers what else influences their decisions. Focus on what you feel is a good fit for your style and spirit.
Personal (non-business) distraction - family, relationships, and other stress that takes up energy that could have been expended on the business.
Tip – Personal relationships come first. It might seem like the business will suffer if you do not work at it all the time. But, actually, by spreading yourself so thinly you are not achieving your business goals anyway AND, you are adding to your stress – a lose-lose situation! Take time to address the cause of stress. You will then be in a position to return to the business with more focus (and who knows, maybe the team you have delegated to in that time have proved themselves beyond your wildest dreams)
(Tip on the tip – sometimes this means facing up to personal stressors that we have been ignoring or avoiding for too long)
Even the most productive person suffers from occasional time drains, the solution is to identify what the problem is and then look at the tips on how to tackle them.
If you would like more information on the subject or other areas of personal development, please contact Ola Molade at:
Arrange a call :https://calendly.com/gr8newme/let-s-chat
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ola-molade-transformation-coach/
