by Angie Weber | Featured Contributor
That’s right, I’ve come to the realization that I have to quit. And I am here to tell you to take my lead.
Okay, before you start thinking that I’ve totally lost it, or start sending your resumes into tena.cious for my job, hear me out.
It all started when the owner of tena.cious asked me how much I thought my income had increased in 2015. I threw out a number, but the answer I got back was unexpected.
These were the results… 35% increase from 2014 to 2015.
Last year I went from working 5 days to 4 after having my twins, so I was not expecting that answer.
Not only did the days decrease, but my hours did as well. No more staying as late as I wanted at the office, I had to get home for the nanny.
It was time to get seriously focused.
And that is why I must quit. I have to quit spending time on things that are keeping me from hitting my goals. Is that little voice screaming, “No way lady! It is impossible to give up things- I just won’t do it!” I feel your pain, girl. But don’t worry; I’ll break it down into some easy baby steps for you.
No shiny objects allowed.
If you are one of the entrepreneurs that get sucked into the shiny object syndrome, have no fear; you are not alone. But we must put a stop to this. You need to plan out what your goals are + keep your eye on the prize.
If this isn’t easier said than done, try out this exersise: break down your goals (personal and/or professional) and list them out. Then, you must pick one goal and put all of your energy into it. Now, don’t list that you want to go from making $20k a month to $1 million a month; great goal, but way to big for this. We need smaller baby steps (ex paying off your biz credit card, getting 3 new clients, hiring an employee). Once you have accomplished that goal- put a gold star next to it and move to the next goal!
Live, love, breathe your calendar.
I would be lost without my calendar. No, I do not plan out every minute of every day, but I do schedule out important activities so I stay focused. A few you will find in my calendar:
• Networking Events.
I am a totally believer that the proper way to network means building relationships- meaning you have to be consistent. So each month I have my reoccurring networking events automatically scheduled in my calendar. No more excuses that I can’t attend or are too busy – I make it a priority.
• End of the day.
Being a parent is so totally awesome, but when it comes to the scheduling aspect it can be stressful. While I was trying to figure out this whole balance thing between work + motherhood, I would look at the clock knowing I should be leaving to get home in time for the kids, but I would push it just a little bit more which lead to some frantic driving. Soon I decided I was over all the rushing around + started scheduling when I had to leave work. This gave me a good sense of what I had to get done and put a deadline on it. It may sound crazy, but it was totally liberating to have that cut off of when I had to go home.
• Follow up.
Yes, you read that right, I want you to schedule out follow up time in your calendar. One of the biggest lessons, and the reason for my increase, was because I actually started to follow up with people. But if you don’t dedicate time to it there’s a good chance it wont’ be done.
Learn this very important word. No.
Yikes! Does stress overcome your body when you think about that? Loosen up those shoulders, girl, because I was in the same boat. It wasn’t until I was working with a biz coach that she told me that there was no way I was going to reach any of my goals. I simply was doing too much- something had to give. The first thing on the list- give up a networking event. “WHAT?! I can’t do that!” But as our conversation continued, I realized she was right. I had to give up something- I had to start saying no.
This also meant having to cut back on coffee “dates”, refer meetings with people who weren’t our ideal clients to others, and most of all saying no to things that were taking away from my focus + goals.
So what are you going to quit? Connect with me and let me know so we can keep each other accountable for making the rest of 2016 the best year yet!
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After time spent searching for the perfect job and having no luck, Angie Weber was introduced to tena.cious. Not only did she find her passion for small business, she also discovered one very important thing about herself- she is a true intrapreneur. (You know, those people who act like entrepreneurs, but don’t have as much risk in the game?)
While she co-runs tena.cious and helps clients showcase their personalties online, she also spreads awareness about intrapreneurs- the good, the bad, and the ugly awesomeness. If you want to get an inside look on intrapreneurs, check out here podcast, The Intrapreneur Life.
