The entrepreneur’s to-do list never seems to end.
You cross one thing off the list and add 10 more.
On and on it goes.
And the result is the pervasive feeling of having too much to do and insufficient time.
Other than creating systems for your business (this is a must), the next thing you can do is to stop doing some things.
I can guarantee there are things you’re doing daily that are not moving the needle forward for your business but are taking massive amounts of time.
The only way to know these things is to track your time.
Yep. That’s right. When I’m working with accountability coaching clients and they’re stuck moving forward, I may have them start tracking their time. What we notice from this simple habit is a world of insights. We get a picture of what’s going on and the time-stealers. The things they’re doing that are taking a lot of their time but need to be delegated, automated, or even eliminated.
So, what’s stealing your time and what can you do about it?
Step 1: Create a not-do-list.
A list of things you’re committed to NOT doing.
What should go on your Not To Do list?
If you’re not at the hiring stage, there are still things that you may be spending too much time on for example social media doom scrolling (including wasting excessive time staring at your competition’s posts).
If you’re at the stage where you have the resources to hire help (even if it’s part-time or contract), reflect on tasks you’re doing that are not your expertise. Common examples I see entrepreneurs spending too much time on are designing their own graphics, scheduling their social media posts, pulling their social media posts, etc.
Then, pick just one thing and decide today to stop. You can revisit your list every day (or week) and keep making tiny, incremental changes to your life.
Tiny steps scale mountains.
Sometimes we over-focus on the things we need to do when really, we would accomplish so much more if we stopped doing certain things. By habit, our days are filled with distractions and habits that probably aren’t serving us anymore.
Creating a not-to-do list helps you become aware of these time-sucking habits, and hopefully eliminate them.
What have you decided to stop doing?
