 Over the past few years I’ve talked to a lot of business owners who are struggling with how much they have to get done, and let’s face it, us business owners have a lot of ‘stuff’ to do. So much stuff and all of it urgent. A bulging inbox controlling our day, forcing us to react, impossible to prioritise.
Just overwhelming! Of course, everyone has days like this – where you can’t see the wood for the trees, where your to-do list for the day is so long it will take you to the middle of next week just to get through half of it. Those days when you don’t feel like your life is your own; when you’re working to other people’s priorities and everyone wants a piece of you; when you feel completely chaotic and out of control. As one-offs, these days are manageable – there are simple tools and techniques to get you through them, to deal with them, and still get stuff done. But it’s when these days start to merge, when as a new client said to me, ‘Overwhelm becomes the norm’, when you forget where the hell you’re going, let alone how you’re going to get there. That’s when overwhelm has become a real issue. That’s when you lose focus on your vision; when what’s really important to you seems a million miles away. So what do you do? You go chasing off down rabbit holes looking for the answers – in time-management programmes and apps. You start subscribing to lots of ‘successful people’ – you know, those people who seem to have it all – looking for the magic pill that’s going to bring you their success. And of course, that’s exactly what it is – their success. You start to believe that success only comes through long hours and even harder work. You lose sight of what’s really important to you; what success means to you; what your ideal future looks like. Arghhhhhh..... So, what can you do about it? Well, you can start by asking yourself this one killer question: What am I trying to achieve, and why? I’m a pretty organised person these days, and this one question (ok, technically two) still has a massive impact on how focused I am, and how much I get done on a day-to-day and month- to-month basis. It’s a powerful question, whether you’re thinking about the next year, or the next hour. To find your answer, go back to what I talked about in this blog a few weeks ago, when I asked you to look at your personal vision – what you really want for yourself – the Big Dream. Are you really clear about what you’re trying to achieve, and why? Because when you are, you’re ready for the simple exercise that will get rid of overwhelm every time it raises its ugly head. And here it is: Step 1 Decide on the timeframe that’s overwhelming you. Is it what you have on today, tomorrow, the coming week, the coming month? Step 2 Next, get yourself a big sheet of paper and a pen. Step 3 Write down everything – and I mean everything you believe you have to get done in the coming week: personal, business, everything... Step 4 Once you’ve done that–once you’ve exhausted everything – and you’re sure you have it all on that sheet of paper, grab a big, black marker pen. Step 5 Go through your list and cross off everything that doesn’t move you towards what you’re trying to achieve; everything that doesn’t move you towards your big vision. Be ruthless here, look for other people’s priorities on this list and get them crossed off. Look for things that are easy to do, or that feed your inner procrastinator – like setting up a to-do list app, or reading through all those emails you’ve subscribed to – and get those crossed off too. Cross off anything that doesn’t move you to where you now know that you want to be. Ruthless is the key word. Step 6 There will be things on your list that do have to be done, but most of them should not be done by you; things like book-keeping, expenses, managing your database. These things can stay, but they get moved onto a second list, called ‘Delegate’. Add all the things that need to be done, but not by you, to this list Recognise those things that you may be busying yourself with that are not moving you, or your business, or your life in the right direction. What you are left with after this exercise are three lists:
In a future blog we’ll talk about who to delegate to, and how to delegate effectively, but for now, just give this a go and see what it does for your overwhelm. I promise you, it works like magic. You have to be ruthless though, and you have to get over your guilt about ditching other people’s priorities. Just remember that’s exactly what they are – other people’s priorities, not yours! You have plenty of your own to be getting on with. Do One thing today: Your DO, DITCH OR DELEGATE exercise! [This is an excerpt from Marianne’s new book, Simple, Logical, Repeatable, available now on Amazon at: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1781332266] For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk
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 Does your spouse complain that they see too much of you?
Do your kids groan at your taking them out for the day, again? Are you the number one invite on your friends’ social calendar? Do you never take your laptop on holiday with you? No? So you’re telling me you don’t have all the time in the world? Then let me ask you this… do you own your business, or does it own you? We had a meeting with a new client, John, recently, and we asked him how he felt about his business. He paused for such a long time I can remember thinking ‘this is going to be a loooong day’, and then he said just one word: ‘Resentful’ ‘This ‘job’ - that’s what I call it that now, totally owns me. It dictates my mood; my appetite, my energy levels. I think about it all the time. I lie awake fretting about it. It feels like my entire life is being sucked into a big black hole. I went out on my own to have more freedom - to spend more time with my wife and kids, and look at me now - working every hour God sends. Everyone told me I needed a team, but all that’s done is increase my workload - the tax, the paperwork, keeping on top of them. I’m sure right now they’ll be glued to their phones cos I’m not there. Arghhh… the thought of it brings me out in a rash.’ Of course John’s not unusual. In fact he could be a poster boy for the small successful business owner! Maybe he’s just like you? You started small, right? Built a really great business, had loads of fun doing it, started taking people on. It was all ok for you too at first, and then…the wheels came off. You lost your consistency, you lost your belief that people would perform for you, you began to work longer and longer hours to keep on top of everything. But, and this may surprise you, even ‘the youth of today’ don’t come to work with the sole purpose of pissing you off. Nobody plans to have a bad day or do a bad job, especially not the people you hand-picked for your business. The change you’re looking for doesn’t start with your people, it starts with you. You want freedom, particularly time freedom? Then build strong foundations, that free your people first. Strong foundations built around: Your Plans - showing your team what the destination is, and how you’re going to reach it together - the route map for them to follow Your Processes - having a set way of doing what you do - a system for everything Your People - only hiring people who match your values, and fit your team, and then training them to follow your set way of doing things Your Performance Management - taking every opportunity to give constructive feedback, to correct, to praise. Having regular performance reviews that reward excellence Successful business is built on the consistent performance of high performing teams who know where they’re going and follow the business systems to take them there. Look to McDonald’s, to Virgin, to Apple if you doubt what I’m saying. And you can have this too. Put your energy into building your foundations, and you will find your freedom. For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk  One of my simple pleasures at this time of year, is the return of the Great British Bake Off. I don’t profess to be any sort of baker (I did once beat the bottom out of the bowl making fairy cakes!) but I do love watching other people have a go. I love Mary Berry too; can you imagine having a friend who always had cake on the go when you called round?
Like many other reality shows though, it must take some planning - making sure they have the right people in the tent - a good mix of contestants with different skills and personalties; making sure they have all of the recipes and instructions prepared for 11 weeks ahead; all of the ingredients, and all of the equipment to hand; everything working as it should, particularly the ovens. And of course, having the four essential ingredients of the show - Mary, Paul, Mel and Sue, booked for the duration. Yes, It must take some planning. The contestants have to plan and prepare too. Their first challenge is always to bake something that they have been forewarned about just to ease them in. So you know they’ll have been at home perfecting the process, getting their timing just right - practising over and over again until they could do it with their eyes shut. They have to know the best order of doing everything - understand their critical path - to make sure that everything comes together perfectly at the end. Preparing the cakes and having them cook and cool while they get on with the fillings would be a good example of this. Sadly, there were two great examples of failure to plan the critical path in the first episode, which both led to minor culinary disasters. The sea of muddy mousse washing away a layer cake, because it hadn’t been made and allowed to set in advance. And the young girl who went to put her cakes in the oven only to find she hadn’t switched it on because ‘we have an aga at home that’s always on’. Having an aga myself this did make me laugh, but I wondered if many would sympathise! Both demonstrated the importance of planning and having a process to achieve a consistently excellent performance, as measured in this instance, through the KPIs of appearance, taste and texture. Who would have thought it? The Great British Bake Off demonstrating the Bright7 Cornerstones of Planning Process People and Performance! Want to learn more? Do one thing: on your marks, get set… visit our Free Stuff page and download one of our 4 Busy Business Owner’s Guides ps: Always remember - forward planning can prevent a soggy bottom… For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk  ‘Sorry my train was delayed’
‘Sorry I had to take an important call’ 'Damn and blast - I didn't get that done when I said I would...again!' Are you the White Rabbit? Are you always singing ‘I’m late I’m late for a very important date’ or rushing around using much stronger language? Are you someone who has a reputation for lateness…for keeping people waiting? This can be annoying to friends and family, but in business it sends a very clear message that your time is more important than the other person’s, that you don’t think the meeting is that important, that you don’t think they are that important. Imagine if that’s the first impression you give a potential client; imagine how important your team member thinks their review is when you saunter in ten minutes late. Someone once said to me, that telling someone you’re going to be late, before the start time of a meeting is a reason, telling them after the start time, is an excuse.’ It’s the same with deadlines. Are you a last-minute-Lou? Someone who needs that last minute adrenaline rush to spur you to deliver your best work. I know I am, and it’s great when you have one, maybe two competing deadlines. But when you have several… Miss one deadline…even a self-imposed one, and you can forgive yourself; start making it a habit and your Customers won’t forgive you, even if you can. Sometimes we impose unreasonable deadlines on ourselves because we don’t start with the end in mind and work backwards. If you have an aim for the end of the month and work backwards to understand what you need to have achieved each week, by the time you get to week one you'll quickly realise that you’d have to work 24/7 to get everything done. Yes of course give yourself challenging targets but don’t set yourself up to fail by being totally unrealistic. If you are in 'the white rabbit habit' here are a few tips;
Do one thing: Even if you’ve had the ‘White Rabbit habit’ for a long time, commit today to creating new habits that respect other people…and keep your blood pressure down! For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk  Did you know that the biggest participation “sport” in the UK is fishing?
Seriously! I couldn’t believe it either! I tried fishing once, and nearly put my sister’s eye out with a hook but that’s another story. Finding and keeping new customers can be a bit like fishing. Deciding what bait to tempt them with, getting them to bite and then gently reeling them in. Pull too hard and they’ll escape, keep your line too slack and they’ll escape, choose the wrong bait and they won’t even bite. It’s a ‘reel’ skill (sorry) and can cost you and your business a lot of time and money while you learn it. If you’re doing a lot of fishing, and have also reeled in a number of fish, big and small, it’s also important to think about who’s holding the rods? Is it you? Are you holding all the rods in your business - holding onto and controlling responsibility for every aspect of your operation - or are you trusting your team to look after them for you? Answer yes or no to the following statements if you're not sure:
If you micro-manage and the team can’t take responsibility will they grow or suffocate? If you check everything they do, will they take any responsibility for getting it right? If you’re holding a hundred fishing lines how special does that hundredth customer feel? And if you’re hanging onto all those lines, who’s casting fresh ones? The worst case scenario – you lose existing customers, don’t gain new ones and potentially have high turnover or a seriously unhappy team. Trust is at the heart of every successful business. If you started out on your own and you did everything, it can be hard to let go of 'your baby' but once you expand and start building a team, you have to let go. Of course you’ll always have ultimate ownership of every aspect of your business, but each team member will also have ownership of their part and feel they are making a valued contribution to every success. You've heard the saying, 'Teach a man to fish'? Well your job now is to teach, to build simple systems and show your team how to use them, to allow them to grow, and in doing that to allow your business to grow. To teach, and then to trust. 'We win or lose as a team'. The good news is that trust is a fairly easy issue to address once you have the will to address it. Do one thing: Answer the questions above honestly and then decide: What am I going to delegate? By when? How? Who to? Where? With the plan–review-improve cycle in mind, decide how you’ll measure success and how often you’ll review. Then, when you've done that, decide what you’ll do with your freed-up time! Fish for more clients… or just go fishing? For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk  Last week I asked you to kill a snake. Continuing on this blood-thirsty theme, I'm wondering how much time you spend killing moles?
You must have seen the arcade game Whack A Mole which is all about smacking cute little moles on the head as they peep out of their holes. Fun game! Just as you knock one back another appears and another, and another...until your time, or your money runs out. Fun, but infuriating! Do you ever feel like that game mirrors your work - maybe your whole life? Always fixing the latest problem, always dealing with mini or sometimes major crises? Of course, for those of you in love with the struggle this is all part of the game, part of what you love about being in business. Fire-fighting can be fun! A crisis occurs and we rush in and save the day. It’s high octane, high energy and a great adrenaline rush. Aren't we the hero! I'm sure you're not old enough to remember public service broadcasts! They were like ads only non-commercial, aimed purely at educating and informing the apparently 'not too bright' population of Britain at the time. Anyway, there was one about a family whose water pipes had burst. It showed how the father had all the family trained to go through a well-rehearsed, well-drilled process of dealing with it - turn off stop cock, get buckets under leak, mop up water with old towels... At the end of the ad a smug father and his family stand there proudly, crisis overcome. And just as you’re thinking that it's their well-drilled 'crisis management' that's being recommended, the voiceover says, “Well done Mr Mole…..but what a pity you let it happen in the first place….” Fire-fighting can be fun. But... What if our time or money run out? It isn't sustainable, it's a waste of our resources, and it's certainly not good for our reputation - with our team or our customers. Yes, some fire-fighting is inevitable; there will always be the knowns and the unknowables, the controllables and the uncontrollables. No matter how much we plan or anticipate the future there is always uncertainty. But – if you're constantly fire-fighting - if every business day is a game of Whack A Mole, then maybe it's time to call in Bright 7 pest control and get some preventative systems in place. We don’t kill moles, but we do prevent them from digging up your business. For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk  It’s been a tough old week this week…12 days long so far! But it’s given me two really good reminders that I want to share with you.
The first is that overwhelm happens to everyone at some time or another.We all have our days where we feel completely swamped by how much we have on our plate, and the little time we have to get it all done. I had two days like that this week…I’ve just started with a new big client, so obviously I want to make sure everything is just right for them…my new e book is at the final stages, so needs checking…the online version of my Systemise programme needs some final tweaks…the stuff I learned last weekend at the small business conference needs implementing…bills need paying…oh, and Christmas is just around the corner, and I’ve got the family coming! Arghhhhh…debilitating! I didn’t seem able to get anything done effectively, because there was so much to do. You know the feeling! I needed to take myself in hand and remind myself what I teach other people about how to overcome overwhelm. Do, Ditch or Delegate! So I got out my blank sheet of paper and I wrote down everything that I believed I had to do, and by when.I looked at whether or not it really had to be done, and if it did whether it really had to be done by me, or if I could delegate it. I realised that much of my pressure was self-imposed…that I’d given myself needlessly tight deadlines…that not everything I had to do needed to be created from scratch…much of the work was already done. I crossed off everything that didn’t need to be done by Christmas.I dedicated some of the time I was spending on doing stuff that could be delegated, to finding someone to delegate to.I created my mind map of what absolutely had to be done before Christmas…a much smaller map than I’d started with…and I breathed again. Having come through that temporary blip and enjoyed a very productive end to my week, I then gave myself the second reminder… Reward is important.And when you’re the boss, no-one’s going to reward you…you have to reward yourself. Remember the old saying, ‘all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’? Well my version is ‘all hard work and no reward for a job well done, makes Jill less motivated, and less at the top of her game for her next 12 day week!’ So here I am writing this in the lovely local surroundings of Harrold Country Park, enjoying a delicious bacon sandwich, grateful for the blip that sent me here. How are you going to reward yourself this week? For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk  Pardon my frankness, but there’s a lot of hard-core, macho bullshit out there at the minute. Loud, shouty voices telling us that hard work is the only route to success...that we’ve got to put the hours in, that business owners don’t have free-time or time for holidays…that we have to show that we’re “committed”…that if we don’t start work at 5am and are still going at 2 the following morning, we’re pussies, and don’t deserve success…
Well, I guess that depends on what you class as success, doesn't it. For me success is about understanding your true priorities - the things that are really important in your life; things like your health, your relationships, financial freedom, leaving a legacy, making a difference - and consciously working on all of them, every day and every week…reminding yourself why you’re doing what you’re doing, what your ideal future…your version of success…looks like. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in working hard…and I do, it was the way I was brought up.I’ll work hard when I have a deadline to meet, a commitment to keep, a client to deliver for.But I won’t just work silly hours for effect…to boast about it on social media…or because I think that’s what entrepreneurs should do. I’ll put systems in place to make my life easier, and get help when I need to…when hard work needs to be done…but not necessarily by me! There are too many examples of people who burnt themselves out, took to drugs to keep themselves going, have a life littered with failed relationships.People who worked bloody hard to make money and failed to make a life. Life can be simple and you can be truly successful when you get conscious about what’s really important to you…when you stop to smell the roses or the coffee now and again…when you take a break and spend time with people who make you laugh or people you love. Life is short, and it’s for living today…making every day of it count. For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk  Distractions…those things that move our focus from one thing to another…are keeping you overwhelmed, doubling your workload…and keeping you poor.
Distractions overcomplicate our lives…and they are completely avoidable…we CHOOSE to be distracted. While a few distractions are unexpected, like the phone ringing or someone at the door, the majority begin in our mind. We distract ourselves to overcome fear, boredom, feelings of inadequacy, resistance to doing something particularly difficult or challenging. And there are lots of ways to distract ourselves. Just think about your average day…how do you distract yourself? …answering e mails, chatting on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, taking calls, having a meeting you don’t need to, being tired or hungry? The 3 biggest time-stealers and focus-takers, are rarely even recognised as distractions: - Subscriptions to other people’s stuff - Shiny objects - Personal development addiction Subscriptions - How many e mail lists are you subscribed to - personal and professional? How many people are you following to see how they do things…to get ideas? Have a guess! You’ll be amazed! Shiny Objects - How many new things have you bought in the last 12 months…physical products, replacement kit that didn’t need replacing, new bits of software that you then needed to install and learn how to use? Personal Development addiction - How many programmes have you joined…training sessions attended…Mastermind Groups are you part of? How many different mentors do you have, focusing on how many different things?Have you moved from one development programme to another…for how many years? These are the really serious distractions that double your workload and stop you from making money…and now is the time to recognise that and take action to eliminate them. Unsubscribe from anything and everything that doesn’t move you towards your Priorities. I did this myself again recently, and you’ll be staggered by how many lists you are on, both personal and professional…and how long it takes you to filter them out of your inbox! But it’s an exercise well worth undertaking. Get conscious about the shiny new objects that you are attracted to, and take another look at the personal development you’re involved in. Are you hanging onto a Mastermind Group for example that is costing you a fortune and distracting you from your real Priorities…your ideal future. Find a mentor who will help you to develop a simple plan that will keep you focused and hold you accountable. Someone who is right for you right now. It’s a solution that continues to work for me…and it will work for you too. Ultimately, it’s your choice…focus your energy on what’s really important or on distractions. But remember… This is YOUR time. 2014 is YOUR year. You want to make every single day of it count! For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk I come across a lot of overwhelmed and frustrated business people these days. I guess that's partly because I go looking for them knowing that I can help...but still, there are a lot. People who can't see the wood for the trees, who feel that the work, or the challenge in front of them is too great, who don't believe they have the time to get the stuff done that they need to.
The dictionary will show you that there are two levels of overwhelm - on any given day, many of us can find ourselves swamped, inundated, clogged, submerged or overburdened...it's a temporary if stressful feeling, and it can be overcome pretty easily when you know how. Those who don't know how, who can't find a way out, and who don't get help, move into stage two, and find themselves out of business... conquered, beaten, crushed, and clobbered (great word). These are the people for whom overwhelm becomes the norm. People who are always in chaos and in crisis. People who have lost sight of what is really important...in their lives, as well as in their business. Priorities are the antidote to overwhelm. So few people know what is really important in their lives...an even smaller number can articulate their priorities, and in my experience none are consciously planning their time around them to Get the Right Stuff Done. People will tell me that they want to be healthy, to have productive relationships, to have a great business...but what does that look like? What does being healthy mean to you...able to run a marathon, or simply able to get out of bed? And what about that great business...do you want to make £10m every year, or have a business that allows you to work one day a week and still support your lifestyle? When you are really clear about your priorities...about what your ideal future looks like...about what your heart and mind tell you is important. And when you can answer the question WHY. You will never be clogged, crushed or clobbered by overwhelm again. What you define as your ideal future, will drive your performance today. You want a great relationship with your children when they're grown...you make time to build that relationship...today. Want to be healthy into your old age...get off your butt today and go for a walk...today. Want to work one day a week...find someone to do your books and other admin...today. Ask, 'What am I trying to achieve...and why?'...ditch or delegate anything that does not move you towards your priorities...and have a productive day, focused on what's really important in your life and Getting the Right Stuff Done. This is YOUR time. 2014 is Your year. Make every single day count. For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk |
AuthorMarianne is the author of three books, and is currently working on her fourth, whilst regularly writing her blog, we hope you enjoy it :-) Archives
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