As a business owner you may struggle with the question of how you will be able to get everything done.  This is especially true for independent service professionals and solopreneurs.  There are only so many hours in the day, this isn’t going to change.  So something else has to.

And if you spend almost all of your time working in your business, you don’t have time for the rest of your life.  Isn’t it true that some of the reasons you started your own business were so you would have more freedom and fun?  If you are stressed out and not able to get the right things done, then your business isn’t serving you in the way you intended.

The answer is to only focus on the main drivers of your business.  The kind of things that are the most important to the growth of your business.  I know, I can hear you saying that your business is different and you have dozens of important things you must do.

The truth is that not everything is equally important.  It’s really a matter of choice and you are the one who can decide how you choose to spend your time.

In many cases, in your heart you may know what the most important things are, but somehow loads of other things seem to get in the way.  This is where a “to don’t” list can come in handy.

So instead of a long list of things to do, try turning it around and focusing on what you don’t want to do.  This will help you stay focused on the right things by default.

To get started, make a list of all of the things you are going to stop doing, things that are not directly connected to the core of your business. 

Here are some examples of things for a “to don’t” list:

* Don’t schedule meetings with everyone who asks me

* Don’t check e-mail every 10 minutes

* Don’t spend hours thinking about small things like the best font type

* Don’t get lost surfing the internet

* Don’t keep doing things manually that I can automate

Once you have your list ready, keep it in a place where you can see it.  As you begin each day, think about what you want to accomplish and remind yourself of what you will NOT be doing.

As you take action throughout the day, be aware of your activities and check to see if something you are doing is on your “to don’t” list – if it is, stop doing it immediately!  You can always add new things to your list as you become more aware of how you spend your time.

After awhile, you will automatically notice a “to don’t” and you will choose not to do it before you get lost in the activity and wonder where the last hour(s) went.

You can also use your “to don’t” list as a way to set stronger boundaries for yourself, and your business.  Saying no to certain things makes the things you do choose to say ‘yes’ to, that much more clear and powerful.

It’s fun to make a list of all of the things you don’t have to do.  So why not get started and see how many things you can identify that are not supporting the creation of a profitable business.  You will be surprised at how much more you can get done in less time, still grow your business, and have a life. 

© Stephanie Ward, 2007

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this information with it: Stephanie Ward is the Marketing Coach for Entrepreneurs who want to set their profits on fire!  Grab your FREE copy of the special report ’7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time’ plus business building tips, at: http://www.fireflycoaching.com.

As a business owner, you’ve got a lot going on.  Sometimes it’s hard to know what your top priorities are and where to put your focus.  And since there are only so many minutes in a day, you need to find the best way to utilize your time so you can grow your business.

Figuring out what your priorities are, and then focusing on them, will require an investment of time.  I know, you don’t have any extra time and that’s the whole problem.

The fact is, nothing will change until you decide to do things differently.  If you keep going the way you have been, you’ll stay lost about what is most important to your business and therefore won’t be able to focus your efforts.    

You see, you do have a choice about how you spend your time.  You can make the decision to use your time to think about what is most important for your business (prioritizing) and then choose to devote your time (focus) on those things.

Stephen Covey made a good point when he said, “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”  

There’s no time like the present, ready to get started?  Why not stop what you are doing right now and identify your business goals.  Focus on goals that are connected to the profitability of your business, goals that are close to the money.

Talking through your thoughts is a great way to get begin.  You can do this by writing down your thought process, talking out loud to yourself, or better yet talking it through with someone you trust.

Once you’ve written down all of your business goals, prioritize your list with the intention of selecting the top three goals.

Next to each of your top three goals, write down the things you are doing to reach every goal and how much time you are spending actually focused on those things.  Sounds simple, I know, and sometimes we make things more complicated than they need to be.

Keep this list somewhere you can see it.  Better yet, memorize it.  Start a new habit of stopping to think before you begin doing something and ask yourself this question: “Will this action move me closer to my business goals?”

Here’s another way to think about priorities and focus from Tony Robbins, “It’s not what’s happening to you now or what has happened in your past that determines who you become. Rather, it’s your decisions about what to focus on, what things mean to you, and what you’re going to do about them that will determine your ultimate destiny.”

The point is this, the more time you invest in analyzing what the most important activities are for your business and then planning how you will focus on them – the more profitable your business will be! 

(c) Stephanie Ward 2006

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this information with it: Stephanie Ward is the Marketing Coach for Entrepreneurs who want to set their profits on fire!  Grab your FREE copy of the special report ’7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time’ plus business building tips, at: http://www.fireflycoaching.com.

I know it’s a radical idea, the death of your to-do list so bear with me while I explain.  Think about it, a long to-do list is a giant energy drain and waste of time.  Have you ever noticed how the list keeps growing instead of disappearing?         

Imagine waking up every morning feeling confident that you have enough time to accomplish the goals you have set for the day.  Picture yourself wrapping things up at the end of the day knowing that you have not wasted your time or energy and that the actions you completed are supporting you in creating a profitable business.         

Intrigued?  The great news is that it is simple to kill your to-do list.  Here’s how.  First, take a long hard look at your massive to-do list and put a number one next to the actions that are high priority (I know, I hear you shouting they are all high priority, trust me they aren’t).

Go through the list again and rank the medium priority actions with a number two and low priority actions with a number three.

Now, get out your calendar and take each high priority action and place it into your schedule.  Choose a date that it will be completed as well as a realistic block of time for completion (start and finish time).  Continue doing this with the medium priority actions and finish with the low priority actions.

This will work for you no matter what kind of calendar you use.  Choose a system that works for you.  The concept of integrating your actions into your planning is much more important than the type of calendar you use.

New opportunities do come up and you can update and adjust your planning as needed.  The difference is that now the things you have planned are already prioritized so if something new comes up, you will be able to consider its importance in relation to existing priorities.  This is much more effective than simply adding another action to the bottom of a list.

Also, make sure you schedule in some free time each day for unplanned things that come up.  If you can’t find a place for some of the low priority actions don’t worry, I have a solution for you below (see benefit number three).

Let me confess something, I know to-do lists don’t work because I am a former owner of a long to-do list (that never got done).  Since I killed my to-do list and consciously thought about what I really want to get done, I am much more productive and feel confident about the direction of my business.

Benefits for you:

1. Doing this forces you to reconsider what you are doing with your time and this allows you to get clear about what your real priorities are.

2. You will have a realistic picture of what you can really accomplish in a certain time period (each day, week, month, etc.).

3.  There will probably be some things that won’t fit into your schedule and this gives you a chance to consider dropping them or delegating them.  I like to call this your “to-don’t” list.  If you are a solopreneur and don’t have employees who can pick up the slack, you can always outsource.

4. You will reduce overwhelm and stress because you will no longer be confronted daily with a giant list of things you know you won’t get done that day.  This way you will get more accomplished, stay on track, and remain focused.

5.  You will feel great about the actions you plan to take each day because you know they are aligned with your long term goals and that doing them will move you forward toward reaching them.

Anyone who is serious about building a sustainable and profitable business needs to be sure they are spending their time and energy on the right things.

Are you are beginning to see that a long to-do list that isn’t prioritized with actions that aren’t connected to a actual dates for completion isn’t efficient?

It can be scary to integrate your to-do list into your calendar and I promise, it is worth it.  What do you have to lose?  Try it and if it doesn’t work you can always go back to the never-ending list of things that never get done.

Stop living in denial about what you can realistically get done and choose to plan and execute profitable actions that will grow your business! 

(c) Stephanie Ward

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this information with it: Stephanie Ward is the Marketing Coach for Entrepreneurs who want to set their profits on fire!  Grab your FREE copy of the special report ’7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time’ plus business building tips, at: http://www.fireflycoaching.com.