How to Be a Terrible, Rotten, No Good Solopreneur
This past week I was just that. Follow these simple strategies and you can be one too!
- Do the Tasks You Love Most, first! Once you start doing work that matters it is SO easy to fall into this trap. We all know we should tackle the large, hard stuff first, but sometimes our passion for a project pushes logic aside, doesn’t it? I spent Tuesday doing a project that needed to be done but honestly could have waited until after Thanksgiving. If you keep doing this, you’ll progress right on to step two.
- Wait Until the Last Minute Like I have said in recent articles, we are quick to focus on our products and services, or those of our clients, and forget about marketing and promoting our own business. This resulted in multiple launches, and preparation for things to come in January, right now at the end of the year. Which we all know is the most
terriblewonderful time of the year, the holidays. I was up at around 5 AM everyday during the “thanksgiving break” in order to get work done before the wee one woke up. Which of course did not work out because toddlers can smell your schemes in the air and she woke up early. Someone call the wambulance for me.My Marketing Magic E Course (Free through the end of the year) is going to save all of us from making this mistake over and over again! Enroll Here.
- Don’t Do Tasks in Batches If I had been smart, I would have sat on Tuesday & Wednesday and done all of the large stuff, to give myself Thursday and Friday off to unplug and relax with the rest of the family. But, I didn’t. I was busy working on the fun stuff as noted in strategy 1. A friend of mine, Kevin, is smart and reminded me that December is not the time to set giant goals. His goal was to sit and write a bunch of blog posts for the beginning of 2015 so he could get ahead. That’s what I mean by batches. Do what he says, not what I did.
- Don’t Let Go of Little Things I also would have let go of some smaller things, but sometimes I get very stubborn and bullheaded. I must get those tweets scheduled! People will weep without my awesome posts on Facebook twice a day! I can get a little crazy after waking up at 5 AM during the holidays. I’m sure I’m alone in this. When times get crazy, let go of little things and focus on the most important, most return for your time tasks. Posting, responding, even writing, can feel like momentum but it’s just movement. If you’re going to spend energy during the holidays away from your family to work on your business, make it count!
- Don’t Unplug During Family Time With all the aformentioned solopreneur FAILS I was rocking last week, it was no surprise I was tired and grumpy for some of the holidays. I also felt sick, probably from lack of sleep and a cold I should have been fighting off with rest. I was a real joy to be around. Don’t get me wrong, we had a blast and enjoyed our Thanksgiving, but if you were to ask my husband, I’m pretty sure he’d tell you I was a terrible mompreneur last week and he’d like me to do things differently for our next holiday. And I will.
Kelsey, I completely love your post! I so relate. I think maybe I talk too much :-). My biggest FAILS are from avoiding doing the things I really, really don’t want to do. But those things are good for me to do. I’m trying to think of time as a container for things and to give myself structure this year. I’m working through your assignments and I feel like that is going to be a big help heading into next year. 🙂
Kellie we all put off stuff, don’t we? Next year we will be better! SO Glad to hear the exercises are helping! =)
Kelsey, I do SO ENJOY the honesty in your writing. And you’re brave enough to tell the world you’ve blown it. VERY refreshing! I think every reader can identify, just not everyone is bold enough to confess and admit it. Most people like to hide behind “how perfect” they are. Quite frankly, that makes me want to ‘barf’ – apologies if that’s a ‘bad’ word. Keep the encouraging posts and blogs coming, they brighten my day!
On another note, your book encouraged the topics at my last 2 speaking engagements, so, thank you!
Have a wonderful Christmas season in the midst of your family! Love, Dagmar
LOVE getting comments from South Africa! Thanks so much for your encouragement!