Dear Yogesh,

I have started my own business recently, and keeping up with the tasks has been one big task in itself. I’ve been trying to keep track of all the work but it’s going out of hand. I’ve recently transitioned from working with someone else to working for myself. Any suggestions are welcome.

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Dear Ritu,

I understand that a transition where you’ve been working on someone else’s business to working for your own business can be a tricky one. We think such transitions require stressful tasks and overwhelming oneself with never-ending to-do lists. However, we often forget that there is always a way to work and, in turn, live peacefully. 

I would love to start by asking you to replace the word ‘work’ with any other commitment in our life. It can be marriage or relationships, career, life, or anything else, and the dilemma would be the same. What I get from your request is that you require your focus to be at the right place. 

You sound busy, and I am pretty sure you might be experiencing stress, anxiety, and frustration. This can be sorted by aligning your life with your goals. Working for something which has no meaningful purpose will only make your life and in turn, work more miserable. So, here are simple tips that I’d like to suggest.

First, Change the Set-Up.

Since you own a business, I am assuming that you might be using tools like calendars, to-do lists, applications, and other software for the same purpose. And yet there are some tasks that should be on your top priority list still getting side-lined. 

One little habit that I started following was to carry a pen and pocket notebook with me wherever I went. I feel that there are times when the tasks and ideas written on my mobile phone or laptop get lost because of a wave of distraction that the blue light of the screen carries with it. There are a few minutes that I spend with the notebook as I wake up and a few when I’m about to go to sleep. 

My point here is that you need to learn to assess how you capture ideas best. If you are not in regular practice capturing ideas and revisiting them regularly, your tools are of no use. Try others. Get rid of distractors. Rearrange your office, apps, or wardrobe if necessary. 

Because, as they say, inspiration comes hard and goes fast…

Secondly, Say Yes.

It is important to start working on the ideas that you capture, and that you think might give you a better return. If you keep doing the same thing every day, you will get the same result as yesterday. Some days it might be rewarding, but mostly repetitive and similar. When you reflect upon your ideas, you get more ideas to work upon. 

The best thing to deal with these ideas is that you review them, tackle them, and plan them accordingly. It will be “get a digital marketing course done” that would turn into “register as a student” and “Become a writer” turned into “set up a blog and publish a post.”

Third, Say No. 

In order to compel the idea of saying yes to trying new and different ideas and possibilities, each day is to say no to other values, requests, and expectations. This can be achieved by saying no to unimportant tasks, requests, and at times, some unrequired people as well. I know this can be hard as the idea of a coffee chat can be really tempting. But, it is the art that needs to be developed. 

It is important that you embrace the joy of saying no to unimportant tasks and turn down the opportunity to gossip with your friends. There is another method you can follow which is the visualization process. You need to visualize how your life or business will look if you turn down this get-together. Or perhaps, you can start by looking at the time frame in which you might have to go out and the work you can do in those hours. 

To sum it up, there are essentially two things, if done successfully, can create the best strategy: 

(1) get clear on what you want to do or what you believe you should do, 

(2) manage your day-to-day so you can do more of those things.

Starting today, you can gain a lot by just changing a few things. Outcomes aren’t in our hands; effort and attention are.

Regards,

Yogesh Sood

The above is an adaptation of a blog written by Ryan Trimble on OCTOBER 20, 2021

https://cruciallearning.com/blog/some-field-notes-on-working-and-living-purposefully/