Can I tell you how many system audits include someone saying, “I don’t even want to show you my email inbox, I’m so embarrassed” ? (Hint: all of them!)

Every time we keep an email hanging round, we have a Good Reason (or think we do). But most often we’re compensating for a shadow-self. Someone we’d never want to be … and you guessed it, keeping those emails around turns us into exactly that!

Here are the top shadow-selves lurking in our email closets:
1. The Good Student: I should have read that email to keep up in my field (or area of interest). Someday I will!

The shadow: The Bad (or Behind) Student: I’d never want to be the one who didn’t keep up or finish all my homework. What if someone asked me about the latest trends and I didn’t know?!?

The irony: I’ll get to it. If only having all these messages to sift through didn’t slow me down. Well, I’ll find it later. If I don’t get distracted by something else I discover in there.

2. The Good Friend: I’m supporting my friend’s business by getting on their list so their numbers look better!

The shadow: The Bad (or Uncaring) Friend: If I really cared about my friend, I would actually read everything they send so I keep up with what they’re doing. I’ll definitely go back and read them later. (Narrator: She did not, in fact, ever go back to read them.)

The irony: You never see it again buried in the list. When you meet them for coffee and they say, “oh I talked about that in my newsletter,” you mumble some defense about getting behind just this once.

3. The Good Shopper: No sense spending extra money. I may need something from these people soon, so I’ll keep on their list.

The shadow: The Spendthrift: I’d never want to waste hard-earned money I could have saved.

The irony: I know I got that JoAnn’s coupon last week — it must be in here somewhere. But I can’t find it here in the checkout line, so forget it. I’ll do better next time.

4. The Good Swiper/Trendspotter/Intern: I admire the way this person does their business, so I’ll keep all their emails to analyze later and model how they did it.

The Shadow: The Unworthy Voice: Nothing I have to say is actually worth hearing and I can’t say it well anyway. No one wants to hear the way I see things.

The irony: Either you model someone else’s voice and never do find out how your own would land if it got a chance, or you don’t write anything at all because you’re reviewing and analyzing your email hoard.

5. The Good Connector: I may want to refer clients to them someday. If I unsubscribe, I might forget about them.

The shadow: The Uncaring User: I wouldn’t want people to feel I only use people for I can get right away. I want them to know I’m all about long term relationships.

Ironically, the more noise in your inbox, the less likely you are to find the right designer when a friend needs one!

The real issue

Email is supposed to be for communication. Not storage.

What to do instead

• Put meetings and access information in your calendar and archive/delete the email.
• Put calendar things on your calendar layer for “cool possibilities” and archive/delete the email.
• Put actionable items in your to do system and archive/delete the email.
• Put research in your notes system and archive/delete the email.

Top Tip:
Make a folder for “History” (ok, full transparency, mine is named “Old Shit”) and move all inbox items to that. Now you’re starting with a clean inbox going forward and can catch up with the History folder when you have time.

If you’d like to get a handle on your productivity stack, choose an Efficiency Exploration at http://talkToKarenJoy.com.

One of my top business values is Freedom.
Time freedom. Location independence. Creative freedom. Freedom to explore new areas.
Freedom to choose.

Seems an odd value to focus on during self-isolation, doesn’t it? Last month I was out touring in my van and now I’m in “lockdown.” And yet, that too, is an expression of Freedom.

At a low-vibe expression, Freedom would be all about “me.” And yes, I certainly value that. I delight in having the flexibility to take my work on the road, to work different hours each day, to create different modalities and systems to support my clients. So my business is designed to support my value of Freedom.

AND expressing from a higher consciousness, Freedom expands to include … my circle of family and clients, my communities by geography and by heart, and everyone. The Freedom of each person to be supported by meaningful work is my Work. What is meaningful? And how does that show up in business? How does it support the person, the community, and the planet?

How can I use this particular constraint (isolation) to actually expand my understanding and expression of Freedom? Knowing that painting from a limited palette can produce beautiful art, that enforcing the form of haiku can create evocative poetry, that simplifying a business model can create relief and spaciousness, what is the unique proposition of shelter-in-place that actually amplifies Freedom?

Sure, I’m free to choose to use my time to work on business or learn new things or rest (although that’s not much different for my experience).

I’m free to work from any space in my house. I’m free to expand into more online spaces. Again, though, that’s not really news.

The Freedom I discover is a renewed awareness of where I put my attention. In the constraint of where my physical space “must” be, I find my awareness of other folks heightened. I find my awareness of commonality and being human together expanded. I find my curiosity of alternate narratives and their internal coherence (or lack thereof) deepened.

Rather than taking my attention tighter into low-vibe “taking care of me and mine” preparations, I have the freedom to choose to expand and notice the people who give freely — organizing local food markets, making masks, books and education materials, humor and entertainment.

I am noticing how that is translating to being supported in a larger context. New creative freedom in (re)designing business models that fit each person and align with their values. In the exterior constraint, there is a blossoming in freedom on the inner landscape. Exploration, discovery, and adventure within!

A freedom to demonstrate that we are not the constraint and that living with constraint can call forth the best of who we are and who we are to become.

And a recognition that when this storm passes, we will have the freedom to choose — how many of our demonstrations of caring and connection we will carry forward into some new normal.

Does your business hold Freedom as one of its core values?
How are you choosing to express that right now?
I’d love to hear!

Too many times I hear established coaches bemoan the amount of attention they’re giving to things other than their gift. As one client put it, “If that’s what this business really takes, I’m going to quit!” Which would be a tragic loss for all concerned.

Scaling sustainably requires three things evolving in unison: strategy, systems, and soul. Experts tell you to grow one thing at a time.

· Coaches say you just need self-care and mindset to manifest. Wrong.

· Marketing strategists say you just need the next hot strategy. Wrong.

· VAs and Online Business Managers say just need more systems. Also wrong.

You actually need to grow everything at the same time and in harmony. In harmony with the current stage of your business development. In harmony with your soul essence. And in harmony with each other. The scaling journey is a spiral.

Your Heroic Business Quest

To actually bring the treasure back to the kingdom — give your gift in the world and be able to KEEP giving it — you’re going to need an integrated approach to your journey.

In the BEconomy,

· Strategy = Essence In Expression

· Systems = Essence-aligned support for Expression

· Evolution = Opening for more Essence to flow in Expression

Growing your business is a heroic journey of growing your level of consciousness to hold all the pieces.

Heroic Business Strategy — Answering the Call

Strategy here encompasses what you’re offering, how you offer it, and how you let people know about it. For those who cringe at the word “strategy,” think “intentional patterns of connection.” And it has to be in alignment with your Purpose.

In the BEconomy, your strategy is your Essence in Expression.

As your business progresses through its stages of development, the way you show up in the marketplace expands. As a start-up, you may float your idea at networking events and exchange business cards. Once you are able to express your invitation reliably, you might create a web commerce site and invest in social media advertising. When you deliver your results consistently on a larger scale, you turn to alliances and partnerships to expand your reach and revenue.

“All the experts” had told my photographer client she had to have a blog or she’d never succeed. She confided in me that she’s dyslexic, so she knew she could never really have the business of her dreams, but could we just… I stopped her right there and we set about building her a visual and video vlog strategy so she could communicate in her natural language.

While you may start by following experts and formulas to learn the ropes, to truly show up AS your Purpose, you’ll develop your own voice, your own artistic style, that allows your business to gel coherently.

What happens if you expand Strategy without Systems behind it?

Pretty much the same thing as the hero who sets out on the quest without horse or sword.

You can design a great invitation and do a tremendous launch.

But without a net to catch them, people who sincerely desire to work with you get left behind.

Leads get left on the table without follow-up systems. Clients get left behind when your delivery is inconsistent because you forgot pieces. The road is bumpy people start to lose trust. Referrals are low. Your kingdom is not thriving.

Piles of business cards, or even spreadsheets, will only carry you so far. Even building out email automation responders barely scratches the surface if you don’t have consistent processes so you USE them.

The transformational teacher who built out a whole series of TV interviews, but hadn’t planned the network of interlacing email sequences to guide interested viewers couldn’t actually capture the responses and revenue she’d expected to cover the strategic exposure.

You lose your investment because prospects aren’t converted to clients and clients aren’t converted to fans.

Sooner or later, you’ll be exhausted by the re-creation of every new launch and your business flames out.

Have you ever seen someone who had a heroic vision and great strategies, but returned in defeat due to lack of systems?

Heroic Business Systems — Allies on Your Quest

Systems provide the tools and allies on your heroic business journey.

If you’ve resisted too much “structure” as restrictive chains consider a river with no banks. The water spills out flooding the countryside senselessly, or simply sits stagnant. The structure guides the flow of your energy toward the results your clients (and the world) most desire. And the flow of the river forms the banks to fit.

In the BEconomy, systems support the Expression of your Essence (strategy)
and do so in a way that itself Expresses your Essence (style).

First there are levels that can be handled through automation — at the very least to remind you what comes next! Automation gives you more flow with less friction (leakage) along the way.

What automation can’t handle can often be done through delegation. Someone else can (and would love to) do it for you. Their zone of genius complements yours perfectly.

I’m no longer surprised like I was the first time when I started to review a client’s systems who “already had a working program,” and I found a list of tasks — with no assignments and no start dates! No wonder so many heart-centered business owners find themselves in endless fire-fighting mode!

Project management takes skill building in communication and coordination, building up to the culture that reflects your business expression.

What happens if you expand Systems without Strategy to feed them?

We’ve all met the gifted coach or healer who continues to get ready to get ready. Early attention to endless website redesign and getting all the pieces in place can too easily become a hiding place.

Basically you lose your investment. Tools and team both require financial commitment, from low to high with your journey. They need to be commeasurate with the revenue and volume generated by your strategy at that stage.

When some expert gets you to jump to (their) solution, you’re just building the box you’ll later have to think outside of. I don’t care what a great introductory price you can get — if it’s not the right system for you at the right stage of your business, you’re wasting money buying it and time learning it.

Systems for the sake of systems can become a black hole of distraction. There’s always one more tweak you could try. But generally diving down this rabbit hole is really a way to avoid facing a lack of viable strategy.

Becoming very productive at the wrong things is the antithesis of Purposetivity. We want you to be productive ON your Purpose!

What happens when you build systems and strategy beyond what you’re prepared to handle?

Your hero gets swept away in the tide. Handling the onslaught of great response and expanse of clients, you start to lose sight of the Purpose that brought you here.

Strategy can bring in more volume than you can personally handle. Feeling overwhelmed, especially at having to tend all the repetitive tasks yourself, will burn you out, and fast!

Systems and team can require more leadership than you’ve done in the past. Our hero must evolve to lead. Otherwise, you could be heading for a train wreck!

Soul & Self in Business — You ARE the Hero

Increasing your personal capacity is the hero’s journey itself.

Your business calls for your continuous evolution in holding the energy of larger groups and a wider sphere of influence, holding space for deeper transformation, a broader systems view of how your moving pieces work together, a longer time horizon, and leadership in your team.

A delightful graphic designer I worked with in San Francisco had been receiving large contract work from nearby city projects and now she wanted to reach out to local businesses. Her new stretch included everything from describing her work to more intimate reflection of personal brands. She wanted to expand her capacity both to go wider and to go deeper!

The evolution is toward the calm in the eye of the storm: more resilience in handling accelerating change in circumstances, emergent opportunities, and inevitable challenges.

What happens if you develop your Soul & Self without Systems and Strategy?

You’ll either go in the direction of business as hobby, an excuse to be a workshop junkie, or you’ll burn out trying to do it all yourself the whole way through.

Reprise: Your Heroic Business Quest

Sustainable business growth takes three things evolving in unison: strategy, systems, and self.

In the BEconomy,

· Strategy = Essence In Expression

· Systems = Essence-aligned support for Expression

· Evolution = Opening for more Essence to flow in Expression

Growing your business is a heroic journey of growing your level of consciousness to hold all the pieces.

What would it be like to have an ally and mentor who really gets all that you’re doing? Come visit me!