A Call to Action | Hampton Roads Business Owner

Hi!

Earlier this week I had a mini wake-up call. One I have not, admittedly, completely ingrained into my psyche yet-but I'm getting there. (Did I say "psyche?!" Yes.... it's that deep of a wake-up call I guess *sigh*)

 

On Monday my mentor pointed out a glaring issue in my business approach.

I have no long-term, purposeful, planned, movements.

Meaning I do what I want, when I feel like it, when I want to do it.

Don't get me wrong: I most certainly think things through before I do them and think long and hard before I commit to stuff. If you've met me you know I'm a control freak (which for the record I think is harsh title to carry, mkay?) so I never just JUMP into decisions and I usually need like 17.5 people's opinions and "okay's" before I commit to big things.

But what I realized (thanks to it being pointed out to me with a huge HELLO road sign convo with my mentor) was that I am listless. If I have free time I work. If I have 30 minutes I spend it planning out things on Pinterest (sometimes things I have NO date set for yet). If I have an afternoon I'll work on packaging or website or blogging or editing or or or or or. If I have 10 minutes I'll check in on facebook and try to respond to messages.

If I have time I will ALWAYS sit down to work on SOMETHING.

 

But I shouldn't be working on SOMETHING. I should be working with purpose. I should be working with direction and an end-goal.

 

Sure, editing a session has an end goal: when I send the images off to the smiling happy face of my client :)

But I do not set boundaries on myself with my work hours and I do not prioritize my work tasks.

This is changing. NOW.

With set time frames to do work I will be FORCED to prioritize my tasks.

Owning a business and being the sole employee for that business means there is ALWAYS something that can be done (hence why when I have a free second I have always been able to fill it with things for the business). This also means there is ALWAYS room for improvement on something or growth in some aspect of the business. Which translates into me ALWAYS thinking about what I can do with the few minutes I have waiting on my husband to be ready to head out the door (and what can you really do with just a few minutes?). 

 

But without direction it's like walking your dog in a field full of squirrels-- nothing gets done and you're off on this chase trying to keep your dog in line where in the end you're just tired and didn't accomplish anything (except maybe the dog had fun...).

  

So here I am. Committing to myself and my business that I will be purposeful with my time. I will be organized and goal-directed with my tasks. I will have planned out work time with specific tasks for those times each day (these planned work times will also include planned breaks-- because SURPRISE I also have trouble telling myself to breathe). And I will be intentional in my planning and execution of all things in my business.

First step: Purchase a year long wall calendar (dry erase because I don't like to be wasteful) so that I can plan out my business goals WAY in advance and therefore have every piece of work I do be purposeful towards that goal.

 

The time has come to get my act together and let my act(ions) have purpose! Here goes!

(Wish me luck!)

Best,
Sarah

Any ideas you have for staying focused and being purposeful in your actions? I'd love to hear them! Share them below in the comments!
 

What I ordered :)