That’s a pretty big claim right?
I mean, we’re human so we’re constantly focused on how we can get more done in less time.
More, more, more.
And yet we are constantly fearful that there “ISN’T ENOUGH TIME!!”
How can these both be true? What’s really driving these thoughts?
Scarcity.
According to Webster’s Dictionary: Scarcity means “the state of being scarce or in short supply; shortage”.
And, when our minds are framed with scarcity, it focuses on the hear and now.
And with the trend of YOLO and “being present” our minds are tricked out to be fearful that there won’t be a tomorrow.
That there isn’t enough time.
And if there’s no tomorrow…
Why plan?
And yet… because you didn’t plan you’re not sure what you should really be focused on in your business.
You have a to-do list… but is it geared towards moving your business forward or is it busy work?
And if you never complete your to-do list how do you feel? Like a failure and unaccomplished so, you go looking for time management hacks… how to get “more” done in less time.
So, why would this be the death of your business?
Because, if the only way you’re determining your business success is with the number of tasks you are checking off your to-do list with no regard for how it’s moving your business forward then chances are you aren’t working on the right tasks.
You’re just doing “stuff”.
And lots of business owners do “Stuff” thinking they are moving towards something but in reality they are either treading water or slowing sinking.
And when treading water there’s only but so much energy to stay afloat before you get a cramp and drown.
What if…instead of time management hacks for getting more “stuff” done… you focused on creating projects and systems and then planning out the specific tasks that need to move your business forward?
Then there’s no wondering if the tasks on your to-do list are moving you forward. These tasks were generated from specific business growth projects and systems. Since I like examples I’m going to share one here. We’re going to launch a hypothetical podcast.
Launch a Podcast
You took a great course on How to Launch a Podcast and now you’re ready to go!
This is a large project but with batching and planning you could still launch it within 30 days with some fan fare!
First things first, start with the end in mind. On launch day how many podcast episodes do you want to be loaded? How many weeks ahead do you want to have episodes ready to go? Do you want to have a launch party or no fan fare at all? Where will the podcast be hosted? and more.
Once you’ve answered these questions you can start planning backwards:
3 episodes ready on launch day plus 3 weeks recorded and scheduled = 6 episodes
Hosted on Castos with it embedded into my website for #seo
Small launch party with a few people and a pop-up facebook group
Submitted initially to iTunes only
As you see, the big project has already started to breakdown into small projects and specific tasks.
Now, put the mini projects in order of what needs to happen first:
Plan, batch record, & upload 6 podcast episodes
Set up hosting and embed into website
Create pop-up fb group for launch party
Submit to iTunes
Launch!
Boom! Now you have small projects to work on. Once you’ve completed the one you’re ready to move on to the next one.
With each project you complete, you gain more traction.
No more half done projects, and no more wondering what do you do next. You’ve planned it all out! Way to go.
Here’s the thing with the timeline you set you can have this done in no time. If you didn’t want to have fan fare you could launch your podcast literally in a week. The point is now this important visibility project is now done for your business.
You’re podcast is now into “maintenance mode”. From here you create new project for called “Podcast Maintenance” and in it you focus on creating more episodes (in advance), scheduling regular promotions, and keeping the SEO up to date!
This is why projects and systems work… even if you are a creative brain like me.
You take these specific mini projects, break them down into specifc tasks and schedule those tasks into your calendar. If you’re like me then you might work better from a list. Then list the tasks in order of completion. Selecting no more than 3 to complete in a day initially. Truth is, on some days you may get in a groove and complete more than 3, and on other days, it might be a struggle to get through one. Even so there’s no question of if this is moving you forward… it is.
How do you determine what projects to take on? That’s for another day!
In the comments below, let me know if you use projects in your business. Why or why not?
