I often hear from fellow entrepreneurs that they feel like a “hamster spinning in a wheel” – their business being the wheel and themselves being the hamster stuck in it. It’s a funny metaphor, but how true to reality it is for some of us running solo in our business.

We wear many hats, don’t we. And entrepreneurship seems like a never-ending list of to-do’s, from administration to finances, from marketing to sales, and from networking to professional development – and everything in between.

Some of us are super organized, clear, focused, detail-oriented, and manage our time well, but let’s face it, some of us just aren’t.

For those of us who aren’t – this post is for you. For those of us who are, there’s something in it for you too.

I attend many networking events and there is a particular phrase that keeps coming up in conversations time and time again. Whenever I ask my business colleagues how they are doing in their business, the stock answer I get is “I’m so busy!”

Really? Wow. Great… I think?! Are you good busy or not so good busy?

Are you busy as in feeling like a hamster in a wheel or are you busy as in clients lining up out the door waiting to work with you? There is a BIG difference.

Are you busy working on activities that are moving you toward your goals or are you busy working on the latest great idea you’ve had which isn’t part of the grand master plan?

Are you busy developing the grand master plan or are you busy doing all sorts of things and hoping (and praying) one of those things will be the magic bullet that solves your problems?

Hmm… OK.

So exactly how do you move forward, when everything you do seems to be holding you hostage in the land of un-productive busy-ness?

There IS a formula!

And I’m going to share my formula with you here:

1. Shift in mindset – change your perspective of how you’ve always done things and recognize the limiting beliefs that aren’t serving you. Do you have unhelpful expectations about how you should be or where you should be? Dump the ‘shoulds’. Expectations always lead to disappointment. Take the time to honour where you are now and pace yourself.
2. Clarity of forward direction – understand where you are headed and what you have to do to get yourself there. Remember to set yourself some realistic targets in terms of timeline and practicality and create milestone markers along the way that will force you to stop, check in with your self and the plan to determine if anything needs tweaking before continuing.
3. Focus on right activities – chart a course of right actions to get you where you want to go and park other ideas that will just get in the way. Prioritize based on $$ or whatever outcome or outputs you are trying to achieve. Park all ideas that don’t fall within the realm of the plan, you can always revisit them later.
4. Accountability to the plan – take responsibility for your plan; it is your roadmap and guide, so stick to it. Create a plan for yourself that is achievable and get help and support along the way if you need it. You don’t need to do everything yourself, you are not superwoman. (Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness)
5. Follow through – give yourself the time and space to work the plan, track the results, change what doesn’t work well and learn about what does (and why). Celebrate the milestones and successes along the way. Learn from the miss-steps and challenges that you are confronted with.

I’m curious to know what tools or techniques you use to get yourself un-stuck in your business. Please leave your comments below or in my Facebook community of entrepreneurs; share your knowledge and expertise with us!

Need help getting ‘unstuck’ in your business? I realign experienced women entrepreneurs to their business vision, identify their roadblocks, then guide them to create results-focused solutions that will clear away the clutter and generate success. They come away with a renewed passion for their business, clarity & confidence, and marketing tools to help them thrive, not just survive. Get in touch to learn more.