"Stress Relief for Busy People"

Attention Small Business Owners

Butterflies and Business

By Lisa Rickwood, BFA, CTACC

"The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough." ~Rabindranath Tagore

If you're an entrepreneur or small business owner, you know all too well about the TIME game. What's that? Basically, it's that feeling of trying to cross off every single thing on your to-do list before the end of the day.

So what do you do if you're trapped in the 'too much to do, too little time' game? Get smart.

Here's the thing - don't do everything on your list. That's right, life's too short. Yes, you may need to send that proposal to a prospective client, finish a report, write a letter, do some consulting, etc. but do you need to do everything on your list? How do you know what to do and not to do? This will vary depending on your business and lifestyle but there are some things you can do to simplify your day.

Try this:

1. Every day, start out with a plan. Be sure to have 3 key high payoff things you'd like to achieve. This will keep you focused and you won't have to have a to-do list a mile long.
2. Take at least 30 minutes every day and work undisturbed. Have your assistant answer calls, or turn on your answering machine.
3. Every day say this phrase, "Is this the best use of my time at this moment?" This phrase will keep you focused. Sometimes you will use your time to work on business, sometimes the best use of your time might be to take a walk or relax.
4. Write down your high payoff activities on paper. Every day, try to focus on these most and let the other things be dealt with minimally. High payoff activities might include: consulting, selling products, phoning past customers or current customers, etc. High payoff usually means activities that generate the most revenue.
5. Hire experts to do jobs that aren't your forte. This will free you up to do what you're good at. If you don't enjoy doing websites, why waste your time? Get someone to do this so you can focus on your real skills.

Our time on this earth is fleeting, much like the life of a butterfly. When we really think about this, we need to make the best use of our time in our business and life.

I invite you to think about your day today as you read this. How are you spending your time? Are there things you can eliminate? Can you add more fun to your life? How can you make your life better?

Take care and happy escaping!

Lisa Rickwood, "Small Biz Stress Buster," is a small business coach, visual artist and author of Escape The Pace: 100 Fun And Easy Ways To Slow Down And Enjoy Your Life and co-author of Power & Soul: 42 Successful Entrepreneurs Share their Secrets for Creating the Business and Life of Their Dreams. She helps small business owners ‘master stress for professional and personal success.’ Get your FREE e-book, 5 Critical Actions That Hurt Your Business and Add Stress to Your Life…and How to Escape Them, by visiting: http://www.escapethepace.com/

I look forward to being of service,

“Small Business Stress Buster”