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Today’s talking point:

We have been having a lot of conversations recently about learning and scaling and unlocking new strategies for your business. But I know a lot of you are asking the question 'Okay, wait, when do I actually do this? How do I actually know that I have enough time to spend learning something that I really think is going to make my business better?'. But in this episode, I want to explore the art of slowing down to speed up.

Apply for the Abundant Boss Mastermind.

We have been having a lot of conversations recently about learning and scaling and unlocking new strategies for your business.

And I feel like a lot of people are asking the question: Okay, wait, when do I actually do this? How do I actually know that I have enough time to spend learning on something that I really think is going to make my business better?

The thought of learning something new is kind of overwhelming, even if it's going to get you to that next level. Even though it's probably the right move.

I feel like there are a lot of people in that muddled season right now. And I am hoping in this episode to provide some clarity, and to share a little bit of mindset and actual business benchmarks for if you're going through this right now.

This is the thing that I see this come up a lot, where you feel like your life is crazy, your work is crazy, you feel like you're in this hectic season. And even though the pandemic allowed you to get clear on some priorities, you somehow still have your days full to the brim.

Even though you are probably doing less in the evenings than you used to, even if you are going out into the world less than you used to, it still feels just as busy.

It feels like now the tiredness is all-consuming. Whereas I feel like even a couple of years ago, business owners would push themselves but I also feel like the ability to be out in the world would often give them a refresh to help them to keep going.

And I definitely see a lot of people that probably need to spend a lot of time working on their mental health. And that's okay. But what I want to talk about today is specifically on the business side, if you are feeling strapped for time, why now is way more important than six months from now.

When it comes to doing anything differently in your life and your business, from introducing a new workout, to meal planning or trying a new strategy with your project management system, that time is going to have to come from somewhere during the working hours that you already have.

It feels really overwhelming to ‘sacrifice’ that time to do work that maybe you don't see results from the day you do it, or you don't feel like you've accomplished a task that you get to check off.

But in this episode, I’m going to be discussing the art of slowing down to speed up. Really taking a pause to see growth.

Why we need to let go and prioritise

I feel like we think and we get confused sometimes that the growth is going to happen alongside the everyday hustle and the grind. In reality, it's in the pause and the reflection and the rebuilding of things that we already have going on.

I've talked to several people recently that felt this overwhelming sensation that they couldn't possibly take on one more thing. And I just say, ‘Oh, no boss, we need to let a lot go’. Letting go is such a huge part of the growth that can come.

There are absolutely things that you've been adding into your everyday life, especially your workday that you could just straight up, stop doing. Maybe forever, maybe for a season, maybe it's something you need to ultimately delegate or train someone else.

You are probably spending so much of your day doing tasks that are urgent, but not important. And we need to move you to your important tasks that have less urgency because they are so essential to your growth.

Because if you stay in urgent but not important, you will continue to put out fires, you will continue to check off your to-do list, you will always feel busy. And sometimes feeling busy feels like you're accomplishing a whole bunch, but you're never going to actually move forward, you're never going to see growth.

I would say that the majority of you that are feeling this way are stuck in the urgent, but not important area. Not that you don't have things that are in all quadrants of time. But this is where you are spending the majority of your time.

This may sound harsh, but you are literally letting everyone else drive the boat, but yourself. And you are being so reactionary.

Leaders react, but not always instantly. Leaders are also really clear on their boundaries. And some of you have non-existent boundaries, or you're constantly saying one thing but doing another and painting another picture. And that's when you feel run over by your clients. That's when you feel run over by your business. That's when you feel so stressed. And we've just got to back it up boss and get really clear on what's actually important.

And I promise you, there are some essential activities in your business that if you let some of that other stuff or you were clear on when you could get around to some of that, then you could focus on the things that are ultimately going to help you move forward.

finding time for growth

I remember early on in my business, I decided the only way this was going to happen was if I developed a block schedule where I had time slots that no one else could touch. And that was a massive, massive building block for me to allow me to start working towards this.

Now I would say maybe half of my time is spent on growth-based activities. Whereas when early on in the business when I was so focused on clients, I could give 95% of my time away and it’s so hard to claw back. and to claw back.

I wish I could ask you to block four hours of your time to learn or invest in growth or read a book. Get into your calendar right now and block it out.

Also, look at the time you’re spending on tasks. Instead of cutting that task out completely, see if you can shorten it a little.

You might be able to change your office hours and close a little earlier or open an hour later. That could give you time for business reflection and growth. Can you save time by creating canned email responses to common questions you get asked?

What are some of those small projects that you've been putting off that are going to allow you to get your time back, even if they're not perfect, even if it's not always how you want it to handle that situation?

Try to find four hours a week for growth, thought visioning and learning.

I know at first it's going to feel big and scary. It's okay to have feelings around this, it's okay to have feelings around how much of yourself you're giving away. Because at the end of the day, the root of all of this is what we actually need to ultimately address.

Believe you are worthy

In order to make the time in order to get reorganised in order to slow down to speed up, you have to inherently believe you are worthy.

You have to learn that it doesn't always feel like it. But if you don't make yourself the priority, literally no one else is going to.

You need to be your own number one. You need support and you need to guard it.

The tools and frameworks that help you create those boundaries and work through those feelings are all going to be part of The Abundant Boss Mastermind.

How the mastermind can help you

I believe there are people who are at various stages of their journey, who need to focus on different things. And I have never been and never will be the person that says this programme is for everyone.

There is an application for a reason: because I want to have a conversation with you. In that conversation, I’ll ask about your business and your goals but it is not a commitment.

Firstly, I am only taking 8 women for this first round of the mastermind, starting at the end of May. It is not industry-specific and I want a variety of people in there to help us create an environment with out-of-the-box thinking.

Two amazing women have already said yes and, based on their business, here’s who would be a perfect fit for the mastermind:

You have an existing set of clients, but feel maxed out for time
Looking for the next lever or step to take your business forward

Now, you do not need to have a booked out client roster to join the mastermind. I just know from experience that you will probably think you have a lead and a traffic problem when actually you don't. And that deeper work is what we are going to go into in the mastermind.

But the people who aren't quite ready for the mastermind, they thrive in the Busy to Boss Academy. And that is such an amazing community because it's going to give you some really foundational tools that are going to help you learn what tasks to focus on so you can achieve your big dreamy goals without working 24/7.

But the mastermind is the next step up. Inside the mastermind, I will give you a very step-by-step approach to what you need to focus on. We will do it in a way that means you can very tangibly take action steps that are going to quickly give you some time back.

The Abundant Boss Mastermind is a blend of 1:1 and group coaching, plus Voxer group chats with the mastermind participants and another just with me.

The results that my one on one clients have achieved and continue achieving are truly incredible. You can read some of their stories here.

If you’re not sure whether it’s for you, let’s have a conversation. I will be candid with you.

The mastermind will not teach you how to be good at what you do. Because you are already incredible at what you do you know how to do what you do. Be confident in your expertise. And I can help you with everything that comes after that.