Have you found yourself thinking any of these ideas lately?

“I feel like I’m not getting anywhere with my goals…”

“It’s taking me WAY longer than I thought to get that task completed…”

“It’s looking like I simply don’t have enough time to implement something new…”

I think any time we try to incorporate brand new aspects into our lives, it is super easy to believe all of the above.

It seems like there couldn’t possibly be enough hours in the day to start a new business venture, like for real.

And we’ve written out a set of objectives that we just can’t seem to cross off as complete.

We wonder why we’re seemingly dragging our feet while somehow also never getting off the hamster wheel.

From there we oftentimes believe it just isn’t realistic to pursue this dream, so we quit.

Guys, we gotta get our mind right.

If we can just pay closer attention, be more understanding with ourselves, and accept the journey; we would feel so much more powerful.

How do we do that?

I have a repeatable 5-step process that has been HUGELY instrumental in shifting my mindset from unable to unstoppable.

I need to say something about these steps, though:

They seem so simple that most of us don’t bother doing them.

But the impact they have on our mental state is actually game-changing.

So I challenge you to go deep in understanding the psychology behind them, practice them in your work, and feel the immediate difference it makes.

Basically, keep an open mind, implement these points often, and watch your potential unfold.

step one

Allocate your time like you do your money.

When I planned on starting the blog, I legitimately thought that there was no way I could squeeze it into my schedule.

I’m splitting my time between a part-time job, client website work, spending time with loved ones, personal development, general life responsibilities, and frequent migraines, to name a few. 😐

And now I wanted to add in everything it takes to build and maintain a blog?!

Bruh.

Please believe me, I never thought that making a schedule for myself would make a difference, either.

I’ve always been a go-with-the-flow kinda gal who works when inspiration strikes me.

So I was pretty sure that putting strict constraints on all my activities throughout the day wouldn’t be very reasonable for me.

But I finally wanted to know just how much it was possible for me to cram into a week, to decide if I should even try this blog endeavor.

And I was shocked at how much time I actually had available to utilize.

Here’s what I recommend you do:

Make a complete list of all the things you wish you could accomplish in a week.

Include everything.

Sleep, naps, cooking, number of meals, snacks, quality time with your S.O., walking the dog, school, job, improving your craft, reading, exercising, meditating, chores, hanging out with friends, binging Netflix, browsing social media, various business tasks.

Whatever it is, NAME. IT. ALL.

And do NOT forget your precious, valuable, deserved free time. 🙂

Next, sit down with a Google spreadsheet and block out time under each day of the week, by 30-minute or 1-hour increments.

Starting with the most important item (probably sleep…), fill in the desired amount of time to dedicate to that item. Then work your way down to the more negotiable tasks, like crafting or Instagram - something that maybe isn’t critical to your needs.

You can split these time blocks up however you like.

I have found that I like to work in 3 hour chunks, and break it up with non-work tasks throughout the day.

You could assign one whole day to business, and the next whole day to housework for example.

It’s your schedule to dream up!

I will bet you that you didn’t even know how much time you might not be taking advantage of.

Maybe it’s an indication that just being more intentional with your time is the answer.

Having a visual representation of everything you want to achieve in a day could be the thing that wakes you up from the endless Instagram scroll you don’t even realize you’re doing for an hour every afternoon.

Maybe this will force you to recognize how important prioritization is in your life and your business.

What are you allowing to take up your time that isn’t efficiently moving you forward?

step two

Break down the overall goal into an extensive list of micro tasks.

Let’s say you want to go from freelancing whatever gigs you can acquire, to crafting and selling service packages based on your own terms.

Starting out, your to-do list might look something like this:

Design & price packages
Add a service page to my website
Take on clients

That’s a great place to start! The problem is that it doesn’t go NEARLY deep enough.

So you could very easily find yourself a month in, and still not being able to cross off that first item.

Which can of course cause you to spiral into panic and beating yourself up… been there.

Take that first goal and break it down. Then break it down even more.

Then break it down further.

NOW you’re starting to see why it’s taking you “so long”.

So your new, way more comprehensive list might look something like this:

OBJECTIVE 1 - Packages

List out client process from start to finish
Record how much time it takes me to complete a job
Calculate how much money I need to make going forward
Study package theory
Build package options
Create welcome packets & supporting client documents
Create contracts
Set up a client management system

OBJECTIVE 2 - Webpage

Study sales and conversion tactics
Design outline for my services page
Create sales copy & FAQ
Gather testimonials from past clients
Input all content and photos onto website
Publish page
Set up booking and scheduling
Point to services from various other contact points on website

OBJECTIVE 3 - Clients

Study launching
Study email lists
Create email list
Create & publish free related content
Send out specialized content to email subs
Spread the word and build hype early
Decide how many clients to take on
Inform current clients of upcoming changes
Announce the launch repeatedly on all platforms
Book out work calendar

Phew!

BIG difference, amirite?

So the only thing unrealistic about your goals might have just been the amount of time you gave yourself to achieve them.

Now I don’t want this extensive task list to overwhelm you. Allow it to give you freedom and understanding.

You’ll be able to look at your to-do list and know that you are without a doubt moving forward on your path; that progress is most certainly being made.

Because rather than it taking you 1 or 2 months to cross off that goal, each item should only take you 1 or 2 days.

Doesn’t that feel so much better?!

But please do not stop there!

The next three suggestions for you will help you go even further and breathe even easier.

step three

Be ruthless in recognizing what are non-negotiable tasks vs. flexible tasks.

Decide what are the most important aspects of your goal to get right first - not what you want to be perfect first.

Examples:

A logo needs to be established and remain consistent for credibility, but the other fonts of your brand can change at any time without much consequence for your business.

A product being sold should be the best it can be from the get-go, while the perfect shipping packaging isn’t as crucial to have right away.

The sooner you start posting content, the sooner potential clients will find you, while having a fully-built website might be able to wait.

The purpose of this exercise is to understand that you may not be able to accomplish everything in the logical order, and that’s okay, because it means you’re moving the needle faster.

I wish I could complete everything in sequential order, but if I did, I’d be so much more behind in reaching my business goals.

If I want clients any time soon, I have to be willing to put myself out there before everything’s perfect and pristine and exactly how I want it.

Just recognize that not all tasks are critical.

In fact most of the things we tell ourselves we “have” to get right are optional; they’re more a reflection of how we want to be presented vs. what the client actually cares about.

So be choosy, and make sure what you’re spending your precious time on is actually worth your while.

step four

Be pleased with yourself for making some small progress each day.

This one is simple, because it’s mostly about your mindset.

Now that you’ve gotten uber realistic about how much work there is to be done and how much you are splitting your time, it’s time to be gracious with yourself.

There are no more imaginary excuses as to why “you’re not making any progress”.

We see the answers right in front of us, so there’s no reason to be disappointed with yourself anymore.

Since you’ve become extremely clear on your goals and priorities, all you need to do is take at least one step per day towards them.

It should feel empowering knowing that you have a definite plan and you are doing everything you are supposed to be doing.

But again, please don’t stop there.

What you do next is maybe the most important 🙂

step five

Every day, write down what you did to work towards your goal.

Keep a list of accomplishments that is completely SEPARATE from your giant checklist.

This is a vital distinction, because if you’re only looking at what you’ve completed compared to what you haven’t, you won’t feel very proud or excited about your progress.

You have to shift your focus into thinking, “Instead of doing NOTHING towards my goal today, this is what I DID do! Yayy! I made an important step forward!”

And then frequently review what you’ve completed, and watch as the list accumulates.

Now you have proof that you keep going and going and going, not stopping for anything!

And doesn’t that feel amazing?!

What I’ve experienced over and over again, is that it is SURPRISINGLY easy to forget what we did yesterday, because as entrepreneurs, we are literally ALWAYS focused on the next thing.

When I force myself to sit down and think about what I actually got done the day before, I am genuinely shocked at how hard it can be to remember.

So writing these things down in a journal soon after you complete them is my best advice.

Then when you find yourself believing that you’ve been lazy or unproductive, open up that list and be like, UM, WRONG!?