July 2017 – Productivity Success Cake

According to Inc. Magazine, there are 3 main things entrepreneurs fear about taking a vacation. Do any of these resonate with you?

fear of being replaced
facing what we “left behind” (like our family)!
getting off the treadmill

Fear: it can be both a motivator and a cause for procrastination. Fear can have a mysterious hold on us. In this case, let’s go through the fears listed above, and demystify them.

Fear of Being Replaced: What is this one all about? I know that as an employee, I feared being replaced while being out on maternity leave, which is a real concern. But will a week really make a difference? If so, perhaps you should assess your value to your market and your unique offering.

Facing what we left Behind: This one is telling. If we leave behind our family then fear reconnecting with them, it seems that other issues must be addressed. For example, what expectations does your family have of you, and you of your family since you are an entrepreneur? It can be a lonely life sometimes, and not every family can ride the wave of an entrepreneur’s life.

Getting off the treadmill: Here we are talking about re-assessing. Vacation generally means we have time away from our “regular” lives, where we find a new perspective. It can be refreshing and rejuvenating (which is the whole purpose, really). But when we are forced to stop doing what we do every day, it can also be a little scary. Lean into this fear, entrepreneur, and stay nimble!

Overall, the science says vacation is a good thing. More unplugging leads to a creative mind. The creative mind is one thing that can’t be outsourced. So, when you fear being replaced…it’s all the more reason to get away! Happy trails!

Or is it? Does your life change in summer? Mine sure does. With two very active children, our schedules are impacted by this change in routine. I have a teenager now, who does not drive…so….we have THAT plus “various” camps, plus vacations, long weekends, time at the beach, visitors…it seems so hard to actually WORK sometimes! Am I the only one?

Let’s start here- we’ll start in this article and keep this conversation going on our August call…

What are your expectations for the summer (overall)?
What are your work goals? Your personal goals?
How do you plan and prepare for the fall and winter, which will be here SO soon? What might get in the way of a smooth transition to the autumn season?

So much of the clutter in our minds begin with a lack of clear exceptions. And, while the solution to this may seem simple, when we are in the clutter of unclear expectations or conflicting goals, the solution can fade so far into the background that it becomes un-seeable.

Step One to setting up your Successful Summer (or what’s left of it) is to be really clear about what it looks like. For example, I once had an Organizing Client (when I did residential organizing) who hired me to help her organize her home. It was summer and she kept finding reasons to delay or cancel our sessions so she might go to the beach. She was not committed to working at her goal, obviously. She needed coaching around goals and expectations and help in envisioning the life she wanted. One step in this solution might be to say “I will go to the beach 3 times this month and have 3 sessions with my Organizer” or whatever. Placing sideboards around your “guilty temptations” allows you peace of mind.

The power of Step Two is lodged within identifying your goals. Do not underestimate the importance of articulating this step from your gut. Too often we “say” we have this goal or that goal but those goals DO NOT GET ACTED UPON. Sound familiar? If so, it’s time to check in with your VALUES. We act, always, in accordance with our value system (at least in the longer run). So, while the woman in the example above ‘wanted’ an organized home, and even hired a person to help, she could not actually stick with it because her true value was to enjoy life while she could. (She had medical issues and the sunshine really helped her mental and physical health.) Perhaps you have your own business, and your value is to spend leisurely summertime time with your children. That’s great! Knowing that it’s time for step three.

Step Three: Now that you know what you want, you know your values and goals, it’s time to articulate what it looks like. If you normally work 40 hours a week, and you’d like to work 30 in summer, what does that look like? How will you get the most important things done in your business with 10 hours less per week multiplied by 8 to 10 weeks? It’s possible, for sure. But it takes some planning. And maybe what that means, this year, is that you settle for 35 hours (5 less hours) so that your bottom line does not suffer. Then, you calendar in some year-end business planning time for NEXT summer. Right? Woo hoo!

Bonus Step: What can you jettison RIGHT NOW so you can enjoy more time in the sun? Ready? Find three things- I KNOW you can find one hour a day…go!

Enjoy, relax, and be productively happy,