overwhelm – Michele Christensen

Every action you take in your business must have a purpose

Excerpt from the book “The Solopreneur’s Success Strategy: Use Metrics to Know What Works“

Ultimately, the purpose of your entire business is to make a profit and to allow you to do your work. Therefore, every action you take in your business should have some positive impact on profit either directly or indirectly. I advise the business owners I work with not to do anything within their business without knowing the purpose for it. Even the most basic of things should have a defined and preferably measurable purpose.

The things you do in your business can impact your profit directly or indirectly. Examples of directly impacting profits would be things that either create sales or decrease expenses directly. Indirect examples would include things like expanding your reach. For example, you may build a social media following or attend live events with the goal of meeting new people. You may not expect to sell to them right away, or even soon, but you may meet people who are interested in what you have to sell or who can introduce you to people who may be interested in what you have to sell. So while building your reach may not directly contributing to profit it does indirectly contribute by giving you the chance to make more sales.

Don’t take for granted that you “have to” do anything. Even something as basic as having a website should have a definitive purpose. Why does your site exist? Is it to sell things directly? Is it to serve as an online version of a brochure and answer questions? Is it to collect contact information so you can follow up? Is it to educate people so they can make an
informed choice about your product? There are so many reasons to have a website that they could probably fill a book by themselves. Yet, so many people have no idea why they actually have a website or how it will make them a profit. It’s just become an unquestioned “given” that you have a website and so people don’t actually think about why they have one or what it
can do for them.

It’s almost impossible to know what will work in your business the first time you try something. The only way to know what works is to know why you are doing each thing in your business and measure your results.

In my book “The Solopreneur’s Success Strategy: Use Metrics to Know What Works,” I teach how to get started with metrics for your business so you can get better results and save time. The book comes with a downloadable metrics starter kit to get you started even faster. Click the link below to check out the book and grab your copy!

The Solopreneur’s Success Strategy: Use Metrics to Know What Works

How to get the things on your to do list done (To Do List Tip #3)

(Prefer to read instead of watch? Scroll down to below the video player for a summary.)

After you’ve analyzed, prioritized and organized your to do list, it’s time to get some things done! Here’s a tip on how to tackle your to do list.

Summary here:

This is a tip for actually getting the things on your to do list done.
You already know you have to keep track of and prioritize the things you want to do. There are lots of good ways to do this.
Make sure to prioritize things that actually make you money!
One way to get your tasks done is to set an appointment with yourself dedicated solely to heads-down, uninterrupted time to crank out tasks.
Treat your task time like a “silo,” meaning it has defined walls and nothing else gets mixed in.
Takeaway: All the excellent prioritizing, tracking and analyzing you can do with your to-do list isn’t worth anything if you don’t actually do the tasks you need to.
If you like this tip, you’ll love my free report “The 5 Biggest Mistakes Solopreneurs Make in Writing Their Daily To-Do List and How to Avoid Them.” Grab your copy at www.michelechristensen.com/daily.
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How to handle tasks that tend to expand (To Do List Tip #2)

(Prefer to read instead of watch? Scroll down below the video player for a summary.)
Some tasks can take up as much time as you are willing to give them. This video tip is on how to handle those creeping tasks. Link mentioned in video: www.michelechristensen.com/daily

Summary here:

As a solopreneur, you have to be an excellent time manager and this means not letting your day get eaten up by tasks that take as long as you give them.
For example, it may take a lot of time to keep up with your social media posting and email, or it can take hours to write a script for a short video.
People who work on the internet seem especially vulnerable because so many expanding tasks are right in front of you.
Today’s tip is to put edges on expanding tasks so you will know when they are done.
Some examples you can use right away: Use a timer or checklist for social media, empty your inbox completely on a regular basis, and set a limit on how much time you’ll spend on your writing.
Bonus tip: Don’t use your email inbox as a place to store emails. It’s a holding place for emails you haven’t processed yet.
Takeaway: Keep an eye on tasks that tend to creep or expand and put some edges on them so you know when they are done.
If you like this tip, go to www.michelechristensen.com/daily and download my free report “5 Mistakes Solopreneurs Make in Writing Their Daily To Do List and How to Avoid Them.”
Please use the social sharing buttons on this page to share this tip on your social media sites with any friends or colleagues that would find it useful.

How to handle your infinite to do list (To Do List Tip #1)

(Prefer to read instead of watch? Scroll down for a summary.)

As a one-person business, your to do list is literally infinite. There is an unlimited number of things you could be doing to build your business. This video teaches you how to know what to work on. Link mentioned in video: https://www.michelechristensen.com/daily

Summary here:

As a solopreneur, your to do list is infinite – there is literally always more you could be doing to build and promote your business.
It’s no surprise that so many solopreneurs feel overwhelmed!
Having a solid strategy for your business will help you know what to work on.
With a strategy, you know exactly how to find new prospects and convert them to clients.
You can confidently say yes or no to any opportunity depending on whether it fits into your strategy or not.
Takeaway: Don’t even try to do everything you hear about. Have a strategy so you know exactly what to work on.
If you liked this tip, go to www.michelechristensen.com/daily and get a copy of my free report “The 5 Biggest Mistakes Solopreneurs Make in Writing Their Daily To-Do List and How to Avoid Them.”
Please use the social sharing buttons below this video to share the video with your friends and colleagues who would find it valuable.