Guest Contribution by Donají Mejia
Do you often feel like you’re not doing enough? And if you do, you take on more tasks often leaving you overwhelmed or burned out. Then you have to take time to recover and the cycle starts all over again.
Does this sound too familiar?
Treating symptoms vs the problem
When it comes to overwhelm and finding focus on your business, you may be treating symptoms and not focusing on solving the actual problem. As entrepreneurs, we hear this too often.
The symptoms manifest themselves as shiny new objects. They distract us from searching for what’s really causing the main issue. You might be feeling the pressures and overwhelm of launching that new course, redesigning your website, finding the perfect font or color palette for your brand, or taking all the courses because you don’t want to miss out.
The thing is, if you’re hustling day in and day out, feeling scattered and overwhelmed by the many to-dos, yet still not making progress, you might be treating symptoms.
Are you treating symptoms and avoiding looking at the root problem?
If you are, pause and take a step back. Let’s find some focus.
As entrepreneurs, we experience social pressures and feel we have to keep up with it all. I know this well because I’ve been there too.
What the real problem might be
When we’re on a constant search for the answer to all of our problems, it’s usually because we’re lacking clarity and direction within our internal brand.
We often look for external fixes, rather than for internal problems. Looking for these temporary band-aids keeps us distracted. Although they might provide some results, they often don’t get us very far because they’re not fixing the right problem. It’s like painting a house to make it look better when in fact the bigger problem is the unstable foundation.
So when you’re feeling overwhelmed by wanting to do it all, ask yourself if you are in need of focus and direction instead. Are you *hoping* this shiny new thing is the answer? Or are you intentionally spending your resources on something that aligns with your goals and will help you get closer to your vision?
Internal problems = lack of direction
Our businesses need direction—a North Star to guide us as we grow and scale. Without it, we distract ourselves and spend our energy on the pebbles (the to-dos, the little energy suckers) and not enough on the boulders (your big most impactful goals).
And that’s usually due to a lack of vision and/or lack of internal brand alignment.
Having a clear vision and aligning your goals to it, brings focus and direction to your brand and business. Your vision becomes a strategic tool you can use to grow your business with purpose and intention.
7 questions to realign your brand & business
So if you ever feel overwhelmed, distracted by a shiny new object, or in need of internal alignment, come back to these questions:
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What is the vision for my business?
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Who am I trying to serve and why?
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What are the goals I’m trying to achieve that will help me achieve my vision? (boulders)
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Will this shiny new object (decision) help me attain any of my goals?
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What results would I reach from this decision?
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How can I specifically measure its success?
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Can I achieve my goal without this? What would happen if I say no to this right now?
Focus on what matters
Check in with every effort you want to make and ask yourself if you’re treating a symptom or if you’re treating the problem. If you’re treating a symptom, simply let it go and spend your efforts where they would make the most impact.
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Define your boulders—the chunky goals that would make the most impact in your business based on your vision.
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Break them up into actionable steps you can complete.
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Find ways you can outsource any of the steps along the way.
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Track your progress—celebrate your wins!
Extra tips
The journey is just as important as the end goal, so take some time to write down and celebrate your wins each week no matter how small or big they are. At the end of the year, you’ll see the progress you’ve made. Trust me, this is very rewarding!
Realign yourself with your why, your vision, and goals so you’re constantly aware of where you’re heading. Over time, I’ve implemented some things I’ve learned from coaches or books that might help you too. Before I sit down to work each morning:
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I write my why—to remind myself of my deeper purpose
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Review my planner—I write down the top 3 things I want to accomplish that day
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Out of the three, circle ONE that’s a boulder goal and need to do no matter what
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3 things I’m grateful for
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At the end of the day, write any wins I had
By making an effort to gain internal clarity and focus in our business and brand,, we’re empowering ourselves to take control of our schedules and decisions and not let tasks or the feeling of being busy take control of our growth or our precious time.
Looking for help in finding alignment and direction? In my brand strategy process, I help you find focus so you show up with confidence, direction, and intention in your business and build a brand rooted in vision and purpose.
