How to leverage your boundaries
You can start exercising that boundaries muscle and by taking time off but there are times that no matter how important it is you just can’t seem to get there. Or you get there but you work literally the entire day before to get ready to take time off and extra hours the day after to catch up.
That is what has happened to me, more than once! That is when I realized, that this virtual assistant, needed a virtual assistant! Yep even VA’s need VA’s. One of the best decisions I made was to start outsourcing and get a bookkeeper, oh yeah, that was fun! The next team member I brought on was someone to help with newsletters, both for my clients and for me. Oh yeah, that was even more fun!
Consider it this way, outsourcing to a virtual assistant is really all about exercising that boundaries muscle. You are leveraging your boundaries. You betcha, you can leverage a boundary.
How to leverage a boundary:
1) Outsource what you are not good at: Put a boundary on what you do not know how to do or have time to learn and get your focus back on your strengths. By biz coach, Justin over at LukasCoaching.com and I talk about this quite a bit. Your day to day activities should be 80% in your strengths, the other 10% working on the weak areas.
2) Outsource what is not revenue generating for you: If it is not one of your strengths or it does not generate revenue for you, it is actually costing you time and money. Neither one is good and together a bad combo to deal with.
3) Outsource what has been on the back burner for too long: If you are like most entrepreneurs your project list and wish list is a mile long and you can’t seem to get to it. Even though you know it would help your business and move it forward. Getting it off the back burner and front and center for your VA is leveraging a boundary and putting plans into action.
Learning to leverage your boundaries is another area that will take some practice. Outsourcing is not easy at first, it is hard to relinquish control – good ole’ entrepreneuritis (I have to do it all myself syndrome).
But guess what… relinquishing control and outsourcing, empowers your team to get the job done, leverages your boundaries and moves your business forward while still are taking time off, not bad!
Small business owners and boundaries – Why
Yep, boundaries. That is something I have been thinking about and just recently read a blog post by a colleague that got me thinking.
As a small business owner it is so easy to get caught up in the day to day details and forget to come up for air. Then there is technology. Technology that allows just about anyone to find you anywhere, anytime…. personally I love technology, but to a point.
There comes a time when you have to put your foot down and tell yourself, hey it is okay to take some time off! I’m finding the more I give myself permission to do that, the more I get done and the the chance to get re-energized for the next project.
Why boundaries:
1) Give your brain a break: That is one of the things I think is hardest for entrepreneurs – turning off the brain and let it start to quiet down. Allowing the flurry of ideas slow down so you are not constantly thinking and analyzing at 1000 miles per hour (no wonder so many of us get insomnia!)
2) Get a fresh perspective: When you start putting boundaries in place you start to see your business, and your role in it, from a different point of view. You start seeing the big picture again and get reconnected with your goals and vision for your business.
3) Enjoy your family: Putting boundaries on your time at work (whether that is a home office our you leave the house to get to the office) allows you to relax, get some down time with the family and have some fun. When you are fully present with your family (and friends too!) and not constantly consumed with business, your connections with them grow and deepen.
There is nothing so frustrating like waiting for someone to FINALLY get off the computer so you can go run those errands you have been putting off, go to that family outing you have been planning, go play at the beach, play a game with the kids….. sound familiar!
If you notice the boundaries I am talking about here are self-imposed, boundaries that you need to place on yourself. This can be oh so hard to do, but sharing from personal experience is oh so rewarding!
What areas do you need to start putting boundaries in your business life?
What’s so great about being an entrepreneur?
There are some days you just gotta wonder, what really is so great about being an entrepreneur? Long hours, for many low pay and little to no free time.
So why do we do it?
What keeps us getting up in the morning and moving forward to the next client, proposal or project?
Most of the time I am thrilled to be in the position I am now but when there are days when the deadline is looming or their are a million tasks coming into my inbox that I start wondering.
Then I come across something like this and once again I am reminded, how cool it is to own my own business, to be working on my part of the American dream.
Shine – A Big Film About Small Business
This film is being put together by the founder of Biznik, talking to entrepreneurs from around the globe about owning your owns business and the impact it has on both the world around you and on You!
One of the quotes in the movie trailer is:
“Be the change you want to be in the world ( Ghandi ) and I think that is what entrepreneurs are all about”.
What an awesome way to think about my business and why I am doing this work. I had to stop and think about that for a moment and digest it and realize how powerful that statement really was.
From the Mom & Pop store around the corner to the guy who drives the ice cream truck each summer, most of us are doing what we do because we love it. We love the challenges, the joy, the heartache (okay maybe not so much that part…), the journey of being an entrepreneur and the differences we can make in the lives of our colleagues, peers, family, friends and neighborhood.
How powerful is that?
Election Day & Entreprenuers
Of course today the topic of conversation and foremost in everyone’s mind is the election. I must admit that I am not sorry to see this day come and go.. and yet at the same time I am.
On the one hand I am relieved that political commercials on the radio, on tv and even on Facebook are soon to be over. On the other hand this is such an important day that it is a good idea to stop and think about the day, what it means and what an incredible privilege it is to cast my vote and be a part of the democratic process.
Today is a day for all of us – Republican – Democrat – Libertarian – Green – it doesn’t matter where you stand on the issues it matters that you participate and become involved in this historic day that comes to us every 4 years.
I hope all of you take the time to appreciate this day and what it means! Read more
Entrepreneur’s and the Never Ending Project List
If you are like me you have a project list that is a mile long and then some! As soon as you have one done, 5 more seem to pop into its place. The entrepreneur is a dreamer and an idea person, usually unending ideas! It keeps the business fun and exciting….and exasperating at times.
There are 3 things that I have found make a difference in working on my project list:
- Quiet time to think and dream
- A notebook to jot ideas down
- Organization of both paper and computer files
The first one Quiet Time for me is essential. The day can get so crazy busy that I try to sit down and look at my project list and the status of the projects during my lunch or during a commercial break or during a teleseminar recording I downloaded. Guess what! It doesn’t work! Now I am budgeting time each week to just sit down and work on managing my projects, it is at these times that I find I get a lot more done and generate new ideas to pursue or refine ideas.
Second having a notebook nearby to jot down ideas. As a creative entrepreneur I have ideas pop up into my head at times when I just do not have time to work on. It has been great to one main place that I know I can go to and jot down my idea or that scribble on a sticky note and have in my idea journal. Maybe you prefer to type and use the computer. Why not keep a project folder on your desktop, a notepad document and even the notes feature on Google desktop. Use whatever method works for you and your work flow. Just remember that it needs to be in one central place.
Organizing your paper and computer files is also essential so that you know the information you need is at your fingertips. It is hard to find time to dedicate to organization but the little time it takes you up front can save you hours of time and frustration later.
For some great organization tips join me in a teleseminar series with Tracy Lawton of Complete Office Organization System. Sign up for her newsletter and you will receive great tips and an invitation to her upcoming free teleseminar starting on April 10th. I highly recommend it.
So this is how work on my project lists…how do you tackle your project list? What works for you? Do you have any tips and ideas?
