I am very old fashioned in the way I work, I believe in actually "doing" the hard work and not just complaining about it. Sounds harsh, well if the truth hurts maybe close those tender ears.
Believe me I am busy, very busy, and I do have a personal life to take care of, I volunteer for various organizations and I like to curl up and catch up with Coronation Street on the TV. I do take time for "me" without feeling guilty.
Maybe it's because my success has not been easy. Every step of the way I had to slowly navigate through the many different phases of building two successful businesses, with no business background, no University degree, and just my instincts and passion for what I do, to get me by. In my early days people did not look at me as someone useful so why help me. But I am stubborn and if the need be I can do it alone.
What I am discovering more and more today when people get busy or busier, they can't cope. They don't see the point of giving that little bit extra, they don't recognize the opportunities out there are to benefit them, they are tired, overworked and feel quite sorry for themselves.
The wonderful thing is when people mistake opportunities for extra work, people like me grab those vacant opportunities and enjoy all the value added benefits that come along with them.
You will be happy to hear I do say "No" quite often, and it has been difficult becoming friends with the word "No" but making difficult choices is part and parcel of being successful.
I remember when I was four years into my speaking business, Motivational Steps, and the Small Business Community Network (SBCN) was one year old. July 2004 saw me marry my soul mate, October 2004 saw me undergoing a very serious and painful operation. Obviously I complained to anyone who would listen that I had speaking engagements to fulful in 2005, I had a business networking organization to run, how on earth could I spend up to 8 weeks in bed, and then take it easy for another couple of months? The solution was staring me in the face, I might not be able to stand up or walk around, but I could still use my brain and the internet. I could also do something I had wanted to do for a long time - write my first book.
2005 saw my book launch and that definitely helped my speaking business grow to another level. I was also able to keep up with my newsletters, podcasts, and all of my correspondence and telephone calls, and yes I did get plenty of rest too.
Since then I have had many personal challenges, mostly health related and I have still managed to grow two businesses and a lot of that is down to taking advantage of opportunities and not turning them away because I am too busy. Obviously the opportunities had to be snuk into my already busy schedule and I managed to do that, and still do by thinking outside of the box.
- Waking up 1 hour early enables me to begin my day the way I prefer, checking emails and taking care of social media activities. For someone in a different business that extra hour could be used to take advantage of a marketing opportunity, or a networking opportunity, as an example. Work done early in the morning can leave space the rest of the day.
- Using spare time effectively and being able to enjoy it does not mean we should close our eyes to opportunities. I can relax on the sofa and write a blog post and still be accessible to my family. I can nibble some cheese and drink a glass of wine at the same time. Who says this is extra work?
- When meeting contacts to get to know them, and if they need help from me, I ensure I set aside 2 days a month and schedule back to back meetings in a place of my choice where I can enjoy coffee, food, and even catch up with my emails due to the fact I have a laptop and an iPad. Even if you don't have those two things you probably have a phone that will enable you to catch up with emails and phone calls.
- When interviewing people over the phone for my two podcasts I am still able to access my emails, look out for urgent messages, and it's a relaxing process because I am sitting on my comfortable office chair, with a glass of orange juice on hand along with a bowel of fruit - who says that's hard work?
- Where Motivational Steps is concerned I do have a virtual assistant to take care of a lot of the administrative work, but I take care of 99% of the SBCN admin,social media and other such related tasks.
- Leave space in your calendar for those emergencies you are not expecting. Think of it like a window to an opportunity, if you have space in your calendar and you don't have an emergency you can use that time to do something you thought you had no time to do.
My point is if you are finding you can't keep up with all your business needs, then it's time to make some changes. Whether you out-source work or employ someone to work for you, a decision has to be made. If you continue to miss out on opportunities your business will suffer.
I turn deaf when someone tells me they don't have time, I can't hear that negative comment, it does not bode well with me.
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