A rush of motivation races through your veins because you have another GREAT idea. You immediately stop what you’re doing and start investigating it online.
You spend the next few hours daydreaming about it. You may even head to the shops to buy yet ANOTHER journal or planner dedicated to this amazing idea that is better than ALL your other ideas.
Suddenly it’s night time and you realise that you actually didn’t do much work today. You’re behind on your to-do list yet again — and are not further forward on securing more work as you had planned.
So you get out one of your many bullet journals or diaries and you write out the most EPIC to-do list you have ever seen. You color-code it based on the brand or topic.
It’s about 100 items long and you feel so satisfied. You already have a sense of achievement. You think to yourself, yep I am going to smash this out tomorrow.
Tomorrow comes and you’re tired. You didn’t wake up with the same motivation that you had yesterday. You get distracted by some mundane tasks, you struggle to check anything off your to-do list and you decide to clean the house, go to the gym … but you just end up having a nap.
Does this cycle sound familiar? It is the curse of the ambitious entrepreneurial (and often creative) woman.It’s a cycle that can destroy any future potential you have. But it’s a cycle that can be easily broken with some simple tips:
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The 3 rule.
If you set out to achieve 3 things each day that are directly related to your current business(s) — especially client or income-generating activities — then you can reward yourself with doing ‘extra curricular’ things. Otherwise you stay on track with the 3 you need to finish.
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Keep moving.
Because your mind is always going, you need to make sure your body is also active. Without that, the mind will start to get flabby. It may be gym, a daily walk or swim… whatever it is — schedule it into your diary and STICK to it.
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Have two journals only.
One for your current workload and clients and one for all your great ideas that you can leave until the time is right to test or implement them. Don’t risk distraction by having the great ideas for the future in the same journal for the tasks you should be focused on now!
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Ride out the hype.
When you feel really excited and motivated about an idea, give yourself 24 hours to ride it out. This will give you tome to think rationally about what you are about to potentially do. Looking at the idea with fresh eyes 24 hours later — literally ‘sleeping on it’ — will give you the perspective you need,
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Get a mentor.
Fast-paced people need someone who can keep them accountable and also help them stay on the straight and narrow. You will need someone who has been there before you, so they understand where you are coming from.
Ambitious and entrepreneurial women are the movers, shakers and pioneers in the business community. And all that ambition and entrepreneurship regularly erupts in new ideas. But they need to be approached properly — and with focus.So don’t let the curse stop you from being all you were meant to be.
