Finding the Time, Energy, and Focus for Additional Income Streams
A common theme that comes up when I’m working with my clients is that they’re so busy. Who could find the time to bring in money online on top of all the things that we’re already juggling, right? Between jobs, family, and personal commitments, where can we possibly squeeze in another task?
This Navy guy that I used to work with, was telling me once about a meeting that he had with this female admiral. She was really highly decorated and had done all these amazing things, AND she had a family! He was really impressed. How did she do all that? So he asked her and she said, “the secret is that you can do it all……..just not all at the same time,” which I now realize is a Betty Friedan quote. I thought that was a really awesome story to share because it is a great example to show that it can be done if you put your mind to it and approach it strategically.
Balance is a Total Myth
A lot of people think that you have to have this perfect work life balance, but honestly, balance is a myth! Life’s all about ebbs and flows. It’s kind of like a symphony. Sometimes the horn section will be crescendoing and sometimes the woodwind section is crescendoing, but you can’t really do it all at once, because that would be super intense and chaotic.
For example, let’s say today at your 9 to 5 job you have a huge deadline and you have to stay late, so you don’t get to see your kids as much. Tomorrow, because you met your deadline, maybe you get to leave work a little earlier and now you get to spend a little bit more time with your kids. I guess you could think of it as balance, but that’s that ebb and flow that you want in your life.
There is a seasonality to motherhood and the ebb and flow is normal — go with it. Not every day the thing that you think should be your priority will end up being your priority. Just make sure that tomorrow, or a week from now, or a month from now, whenever you get a chance to come back to it, the thing that’s been ebbing for a little while then can have a chance to flow and you can bring more of that into your life.
From 2017 to 2019, I was getting my Master’s Degree and I thought I was busy before, but during that time, it was insane. It took a ton of my time! My kids were 8, 6, and 5 and I was pregnant again at graduation. Motherhood was definitely ebbing during that time. My husband watched the kids a lot, he was amazing! He’s always awesome, but he really stepped up while I was trying to get all of that stuff done. It’s hard to do all the things at once, so my focus was more on just getting through that.
Reminder Yourself There is Light at the End of the Tunnel
My mantra at the time was, “it’s only 2 years, it’s only 2 years, I can do this!” It is important to remind yourself that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. If you are trying to connect with leads for your business, you might have a goal to do Reach Outs for 1 hour each day. Just keep reminding yourself that it’s only 1 hour, it’s only 1 hour. Set a timer for yourself and know that the task doesn’t have to drag on forever, there is an end in sight.
Find the Small Pockets of Time in Your Day
Getting my Master’s showed me that there are pockets of time in your day. You might have to wake up a little bit earlier, or you might have to choose your side hustle instead of binging Netflix at night. If you find yourself aimlessly scrolling through Facebook remind yourself of what other more productive things you could be doing instead. You’d be amazed at how much you can accomplish with just a few mins a day! I promise you, there are precious minutes in your day and you can fit things into them..
For me it was automatic during my Master’s Degree because every week there were expectations and assignments. I just put one foot in front of the other, one assignment at a time and did them until it’s the end of that class. Then I did the next class and the next and before you know it, I was at the end. Then I had to get my thesis done and then bam, I graduated, right?
Whereas now as an entrepreneur, it’s hard because I have to figure out what I am supposed to even be doing? What are the tasks and then which ones are important? Which ones aren’t? What rabbit holes do I like to go down because they’re fun for me, but they don’t really move my business along? So, that part of entrepreneurship is a challenge for me and maybe you feel that as well.
A New Kind of To Do List
Something that can help with this is doing your To Do list in a different way. I’m a big “To Do list” person. I’ll be honest, I used to put way too much stuff on my To Do list because I felt like there are all these things that need to get done. My To Do list would get super long and feel completely overwhelming, I wouldn’t even know where to start and sometimes that leads to me just not doing anything. At other times, if I do a task that wasn’t on my To Do list, I’ll add it just so I can cross it off so I feel like I did something today. Anybody else do that?
So, one important thing that I have learned in all of this is that the tasks on your To Do list have to be broken down smaller — we’re talking micro tasks. Tasks that take longer than one day to do should not be on your To Do list. You want your To Do list to be things that you could knock out in a day. You don’t have to knock them ALL out in 1 day, but each task should be something that you can legit get done in a day. Break all of your tasks into small micro steps, so that when you pick something off your To Do list, you will be successful in knocking it out on that day.
Bonus: assign categories to your tasks. I’m talking 3–5 categories (like personal, professional, physical, family, etc.), and every day just try to get one thing from each category done. And simpler is better — 3 is perfect.
The Magic Three (to Five)
It takes a lot of pressure and stress off you when you only have to get 3 (to 5) things done today. Each of those things are hopefully things that are moving you forward towards your goals in those areas. And I’ve got to tell you, it feels so much more manageable and you don’t get overwhelmed.
Either before you go to bed at night, or after you wake up, while you’re showering, brushing your teeth, whatever works for you — think of your three things that you’re going to get done that day, write them down somewhere, and then go attack the day. Just focus on your three to five things. If you’re able to get more done, great! But as long as you get your 3 done, you are happy and everything else is a cherry on top, right?
Or is something else going on?
Finally, I want you to dig a little deeper. I don’t know about you, but sometimes for me, I make myself busy as an excuse when I’m actually afraid. I don’t want to do “the thing”, because “the thing” is hard, or “the thing” is scary. It doesn’t matter what the excuse is. It’s because I’m scared, and I don’t want to sit down and make myself do it. So, I’ll rationalize any excuse.
But you know what? If it’s important to you, you’ll make time for it, right? And that’s something that I have to always repeat to myself. “I feel like this is fear coming up. I need to just push through this.”
The Power of Action and the 12-Week Year
I will tell you, the one thing that is a theme through all of the courses I have bought and self development that I have done is that it all comes down to: you have to do “the stuff.” You can want it so bad, you can dream about it, and you can have plans. You can get super excited and your heart can feel just on fire and lit up. If you don’t take action and do the things you need to do, you are not going to get there and that would just be a shame, wouldn’t it?
The true magic happens when you take action. This is where the 12-week year concept has been a game-changer for me. By breaking down goals into smaller, more immediate, actionable steps, it fosters a sense of urgency and accomplishment that traditional annual planning lacks.
Transform your approach to achieving goals and enhancing productivity. Explore the 12-week year strategy that has revolutionized my approach and countless others’ to time management and success.
Conclusion: Manifest Your Financial Independence
Hopefully these tips give you inspiration to tackle all your tasks a little differently. I hope you are able to find small pockets of time in your day and utilize those pockets to get the few micro tasks on your list done. And whenever fear crops up and keeps you from doing the important things that have to be done to get your online business off the ground…I hope you are able to recognize that and push through.
If you would love some support in doing any of this — please join us over in our Facebook group community. Friends and family aren’t the supportive tribe you were hoping they’d be while you try to get your online business up and running? We are the tribe you’ve been looking for! You have the power to change your life, and with a bit of guidance and a lot of action, financial independence is not just a dream but a reality you can achieve!
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