The myth making good entrepreneurs feel so bad.
The feeling is palpable. More bitter than sweet. And not the arugula or dark chocolate kind of bitter. The “don’t eat those poison berries” kinda bitter.
Tired. Feeling like here just aren’t enough hours in the day.
Maybe you’ve done the first round of E-mail or Facebook before you get out of bed, only to be then swallowed by the social media vortex… where time and space shatter into a thousand tiny pieces, the black hole where productivity goes to die.
It bleeds into every crevice of our business, from the marketing plan, to the day to day tasks we need to cross off our list, to the quality of our sleep, to the feeling of joy and ease. It means we feel guilty when it’s time to play or be with our family, and it means we spend most of the day in overwhelm, trying to catch up. Always reacting.
Frustration creeps in… the lack of focus or traction, the feeling like you spent the day trying to work, thinking about work and everything related to work… and yet… yet… at the end of the day you realize with a disappointing thud, “what did I actually do to move my business forward? What money did I bring in?
“What happened to that calendar I bought and carefully colored with pink and green highlighters…why can’t I just stick to my own schedule?”
Confidence collapsing swiftly, “Is this going to work? Maybe I‘m not cut out for this entrepreneurship thing.”
It causes highly creative and dedicated entrepreneurs to start thinking that they are lazy or lack the self-discipline to achieve anything great.
For most, that’s not it; and trust me, if this is you… you are not alone.
After having a front row seat to the problems that plague entrepreneurs at every level, I can say with absolute confidence that this is something I see SO often.
It stems from a couple of things. The first: Not knowing exactly what you should be doing and when. Fixable.
The second is also fixable, but a little bit different. And it affects our ENTIRE life and importantly, the quality of it.
It’s understanding that: time management as we know it – is kind of a myth.
There. I said it.
Trying to manage your time is a losing battle.
We are not 2 dimensional and cannot be stuffed in a 1” x 2” box. There are too many varying factors. There is emotion and physiology and natural rhythms occurring throughout the day. Periods of creativity and periods of needed rest.
What we need to focus on is ENERGY MANAGEMENT.
Let’s take a look at a 90 minute block and some activities that we can accomplish during that time: Working with clients, networking, calling on prospects, writing a blog post… not the same as a 90 minute exercise class or playing at the park with the kids, or what about watching a movie on Netflix with your partner and a glass of wine at the end of the week.
All 90 minute blocks…none of those things hold the same energetic weight.
There is what I call an “energetic sweet spot” and some exercises to find it, along with some rules and practices to get there, so you feel accomplished, productive and moving forward, and at the same time can enjoy your play time guilt-free.
I am so passionate about this subject, I will be sharing more about it, along with some amazing tips and tools to help figure out your flow.
For today, I hope that it will bring some awareness to the subject… so if you are ever feeling like you are just lazy or lack discipline or drive, or that maybe you are not cut out for this, suspend that judgment. Regain faith. It may just mean some tweaks need to take place so you can get’er done with joy and ease.
With love,
XO
Sarena
