Helping business owners, freelancers & other self-employed creatives succeed… and have fun doing it. It can be overwhelming at times, but there’s nothing like the privilege of working for yourself – making your own rules, owning your time, and trusting your instincts to make the right decisions. With short episodes that get straight to the point, this podcast is about the common issues we face in business, along with solutions that work for other creatives like you. Aardvark Girl is a producer, project manager & business specialist with 20+ years of experience managing companies & helping people in creative industries. She helps you get a handle on the business side of things so you can focus on your talent. Let's get to work!
Episodes
Monday Oct 25, 2021
How to Say & Hear No
Monday Oct 25, 2021
Monday Oct 25, 2021
I am always looking for new guests for this podcast. I get a lot of weird pitches, but you know the vibe I’m going for. I like to have real conversations about people’s stories and what has helped them successfully run their businesses. I want to talk to more people who genuinely want to help others and aren’t just trying to get more sales for themselves. I’m happy to promote products and services, but that’s never the focus of this podcast. If you would like to be a guest, or know of someone who would be a good fit, please email info@aardvarkgirl.com or DM me on social @aardvarkgirl.
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No. Two letters. One simple word. But for some reason, it carries a lot of weight. Some are afraid to say it. Many can’t handle hearing it. It’s a word that can change your entire life, good or bad. There’s no getting away from it though. So how can we build a better relationship with “no?” We have to get better at saying it and hearing it.
Saying no is a necessary skill to have when you’re running a business. Really, it’s a necessary skill to have as a human living your life. We can’t do everything everyone asks us to do. It’s not healthy. But keeping this in the context of work, we have to set boundaries. We have to say things like, “No, I don’t work on weekends” and “No, I’m not available for this project” and “No, I can’t attend that meeting next week.”
I hear way too often that people feel like they must be available 24 hours a day, every day, and that’s part of running a business. No! Ever heard of business hours? Or business days? Those are real things. You are running a real business. There will always be times when you’ll want to make exceptions for your good clients and work outside of those hours. But if it’s not urgent, and it’s not an emergency, it can wait. If you lose a client because you’re not willing to be available whenever they might need you, is that really a client you want to have? I wouldn’t. My clients don’t want to work evenings and weekends if they don’t have to, so they understand that I don’t either. It’s never been an issue.
And do you know what I don’t say when I say no? Or when I don’t respond until my next office hours? I don’t say I’m sorry, unless I actually am. I want to stress here that it’s not necessary to apologize for setting and maintaining proper boundaries with your clients. That’s an emotional response and I believe business communication should be logical. Yes, that’s easy for me to say as someone who thinks logically and doesn’t always process emotion properly. But that doesn’t make it any less true.
I think people automatically say they’re sorry, thinking it will ease the blow. But do you genuinely mean it? Are you really sorry that you were out enjoying dinner with your family instead of working on a task that didn’t need to be done until the next day? Do you actually feel bad that you were at the gym for an hour taking care of yourself and missed their call? If you feel guilty that you were living your life and not waiting around in case one of your clients might have unexpectedly needed you for something, you might want to spend some time figuring out why. And that’s not a criticism. Many people carry around past traumas, insecurities, and other experiences that factor into those kinds of reactions. Working out why that happens is a good step towards healing from it and moving on with a healthier approach to work life balance.
It all comes back to remembering that you are running a business. Even if you are one person providing a service, that doesn’t mean you don’t matter. Think of all the businesses you work with as a client or customer. If you realize at 11pm that you need an HDMI cable and Best Buy is closed, do you think the manager is losing sleep over not being open for you? If you need a dentist appointment, do you expect them to be there on a Sunday? Or do you understand their hours and schedule a time when they’re available? If you have a virtual assistant, do you expect them to work 24 hours a day? If so, or if you get upset about these types of scenarios, then I hate to break it to you, but you are the red flag client. But I’m guessing you understand that businesses have hours and policies and all that fun stuff and they aren’t going to rearrange everything just for you.
If it’s someone you’ve hired, whether hourly or on retainer, you’ve hopefully established your expectations ahead of time. And, because you’re a savvy business owner, you understand that you don’t get to dictate the hours or locations where they work. If you want that control, you have to hire them and pay them as an employee. You should be having these same conversations with your clients before you agree to a project or retainer. My office hours are outlined in my contract, along with guidelines for my communication preferences. Anyone who has an issue with these things isn’t the right fit for me, and I’m not the right fit for them.
Part of it comes from knowing yourself and what you want. When you’re clear about that, it makes it easier to say no to offers that don’t align. I’ve been offered some pretty decent jobs in the past couple of years, with people I really enjoy working with. But, they wanted someone who would work in their office for set hours multiple days a week. I have no interest in ever doing that again. It doesn’t work for me, not only because that would put a strain on my other clients, but also because I know I’m not happy in an office surrounded by people all day. It just takes too much out of me, and that doesn’t make for a good partnership on either side. I understand why they need what they need, and hopefully they understand why I need what I need. I know that’s not always the case, but I have to make the decisions that are best for me. Sometimes we can work out a solution that suits both of us, but sometimes it has to be a no and I have to be okay with that.
I’ve heard a lot of people say that when you say no to something, you’re saying yes to yourself. And that’s what we need to do. Here I go again, talking about reclaiming selfishness, but it’s so important. I always preface that with a reminder that it’s not okay to do whatever you want at someone else’s expense. But it is okay to put yourself first sometimes. The only obligations you have are to yourself. Everything else is a choice.
As with everything, there are exceptions. I’m not saying you should say no to absolutely everything. Unless you really love complete isolation, that’s probably not going to do you any favors. Sometimes when you’re in a rut, the word no can be partially to blame. That’s a whole separate topic though. If you want to know more about that, check out Shonda Rhimes’ book “The Year of Yes.” What I’m talking about here is more for normal circumstances.
There are a few simple ways you can reinforce your boundaries. Set up an automatic email response for after-hours and weekend messages, stating that you’ll get back to them within one business day (or whatever your policy is). If you don’t listen to voicemails, change your outgoing message to say so – “I don’t listen to voicemails, but please email me at this address and I’ll get back to you within one business day.” Also, don’t answer your phone if a client calls you outside of those hours. Respond the following day, or on Monday if it’s the weekend. It’s a subtle way to start training them. You can always remind them politely about your hours, but it’s often a non-issue. I know with my clients, they sometimes send me stuff at night and on weekends but they don’t expect me to do anything with it. That’s just when they’re working. So again, it’s taking the emotion out of it and being practical. Sending an email or text doesn’t automatically mean they expect you to answer right away. If they do, that’s a different story. Also, if it’s truly an emergency, they’ll call you more than once and then you’ll know to pay attention.
The other important part of saying no, in my opinion, is to follow it up with a solution.
It’s kind of the opposite of Improv, which is based on the concept of “Yes, and.” Here, we’re talking about “No, but.” You can say no, but don’t leave it at that. Offer some help in its place.
No, I don’t work on weekends, but I can get this done for you on Monday.
No, I’m not available for this project, but here are some recommendations for other people who would do a great job for you.
No, I can’t attend the meeting next week, but I’m available on these dates if you want to discuss it then.
You always want to come from a place of helping them. So it’s not just “No, I won’t work out of your office because I don’t like to do that.” It’s, “No, I am not able to work out of your office, but I’m happy to support you remotely. I’m much more efficient and can offer you more focus when I’m in my own environment.” Frame it as a benefit to them. They won’t always go for it, but chances are they’ll consider it from a different point of view than if you just shut them down.
Here are a few examples of how I’ve said no to projects in recent weeks.
I am not available those dates, but here are some solid people you can try. Thank you for the opportunity and best of luck to you with your event.
I appreciate the offer and would love to work with your team, but I don’t have the bandwidth to take on another project this month. Thanks for thinking of me!
I am maxed out on time this month, so I wouldn’t be able to give you or your project the attention you deserve. Please keep me in mind for the next one.
I think the key is to be direct and polite. No apologies. Leave it open ended if you do want to work with them in the future, but if not, leave it simply as you’re not available. If you have any recommendations or resources you can offer in return, they will likely reach out again because you were helpful.
Saying no to one job doesn’t mean you’ll never work again. It means you’re leaving room for something better. Saying no when you see a lot of red flags is way better than ignoring your instincts and taking the money just to end up with a micromanaging, demanding client who is making your life miserable. Sometimes a simple no is best for everyone, even if it feels scary in the moment.
Keep that in mind when you hear no as well, which can be equally upsetting. That’s where emotion can really do a number on you. But rejection isn’t always about you. It usually isn’t.
If you don’t land that client you’ve been pitching, it doesn’t mean you aren’t good at what you do. Maybe they want to work with you, but their budget changed and they can’t afford it. Maybe someone else in the company made a decision and they had to go in another direction. Maybe one of the team members had a relationship with one of your competitors and it was easier to go with someone they knew.
The hard part is that you don’t know why they said no, or ghosted you, and probably never will. So you can drive yourself crazy wondering why and assuming you did something wrong. Or you can accept that it wasn’t meant to be, and assume it had nothing to do with you. If you can’t know the truth, and you’re making an assumption either way, you might as well take the pressure off of yourself and throw the blame on the other person, right? It’s not me, it’s you.
Saying no and hearing no isn’t always easy. It can seem like a word loaded with pressure and consequences, but if you build a healthy relationship with it, it can be a positive force in your work and your life. So don’t be afraid. If something doesn’t align with what you’re trying to accomplish, say no and be confident that it’s the right response. A no right now might lead to a better yes in the future.
Monday Oct 18, 2021
Melissa Moats: Go Forth and Be Awesome
Monday Oct 18, 2021
Monday Oct 18, 2021
Melissa Moats is a full-time voice actor and owner of The Voice Actors Studio in Las Vegas.
In this episode we talk about work-life balance, staying productive, and building long-term relationships with clients.
We also discuss the importance of follow-through, the often overlooked superpower of kindness, the "web of awesome" that is your network, and so much more.
Connect with Melissa:
Instagram @melissamoatsvo
VO Website: https://www.ladyluckvoiceovers.com/
The Voice Actors Studio: https://www.thevoiceactorstudio.com/
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Connect with me on your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl
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00:52 Work-life balance is still a challenge. The best thing I can do is just, if I catch myself in a storm of trying to do too many things, that's the time that I really do try to pull myself away and just go, okay, regroup, reset, deep breaths, take a second. It's definitely my biggest tightrope I walk.
02:21 I do think a lot of people have different expectations that they create for themselves that are maybe unreasonable, or they're never going to meet and they're going to always find themselves being disappointed. So, I try really hard to just stick with my must list, try to keep it down to the bare minimums, and it seems to work, most days.
03:24 I do stick pretty closely to a routine. And I definitely live and breathe by my digital calendar. I never second guess where I'm at with anything based on two things - my calendar and my inbox are ironclad.
04:44 I know that there's this, and there's that, and there's all these things you can do. I'll just say, I'm writing myself an email because it's going to be in my inbox. And like you, it's gonna bug me if it's in my inbox. It's incomplete, undone.
07:28 I've heard a lot of people believe that being too nice or being too kind is a sign of weakness, which I think is absolute silliness. Because I think you can be very strong in your mindset and the way you run your business, and knowing who you are, but still be very loving and very outwardly kind. But I think people miss just the power in that. Making other people feel good is a really big reason why they want to work with you. They enjoy that exchange of energy, and time, and sharing. And to me, kindness is a superpower. So if you're overlooking kindness, you're missing one of the biggest ingredients to being successful and creating those long-term relationships.
10:45 Don't overlook all of the great people you know. And not just involved in the business that you're involved in, but all of us come together. It's like this big web of awesome, right? So, really look at all of the different people in your network and in your corner who you can reach out to. And a big thing about relationship growing, or marketing yourself is, once you align with someone to be hired for something, just always make sure you do what you say you're going to do. If the follow through is there, and you have a great network that you can lean on, those two things are really important and then the referrals will happen.
16:00 If you're operating out of a place of abundance, you know you always have enough because you know what a great valuable resource you are, and you're very confident and secure in who you are and what you provide. And you know that there's always going to be plenty to go around, including for yourself, and not working from the lack mindset of, “Oh my gosh, I can't help other people because then somehow I'm going to lose out.” That's just sad when people think that way. But that's okay. There's a mindset for everyone, I guess.
19:03 The best piece of advice that I can give is, do everything from your heart and work from really wanting to serve others, and be there for everyone, and let it happen organically. The thing that I'm really proud of is that I've never tried to force this. I've never done anything. I've never wavered from the core vision of just serving others and building community.
22:54 You can make the plan, but when opportunities happen and unfold right before your eyes, you have to be able to see those opportunities and act on them, and be courageous enough to go for it, to not be so rigid that you say, “Oh, well, that wasn't a part of my plan, so I can't do that. That wasn't what I had jotted down on that piece of paper.” So, you've got to be able to surrender to those moments and say, “You know what? Hmm. This is a really interesting opportunity. I am going to go for it and see what I learn.”
25:35 It was me really having to – here comes that word again - trust myself. And believe that it was going to work out. And was I afraid? Yes. Did I do it anyway? Yes. Because what's the absolute worst thing that could happen? The worst thing that could happen is I “fail‚” which I really don't believe in failure. It's just an opportunity to learn and grow. But if it didn't come together? Okay, I'd have debt. Well, that would be inconvenient. I would have to slowly chip away at paying that debt off. And, you know, bummer. But my thing was, it felt so right to me, it felt right in my bones.
When you look back, and you say, “Oh, my gosh, I did that. I did that. I was brave enough to listen to my own intuition and do it.” It's a real moment that's hard to describe or put into words. It's a sense of being proud of myself that I was capable of something that I didn't even realize I was fully capable of, and that I've helped so many people. And that's the biggest part for me, is seeing all the people that have benefitted from a chance that I was willing to take.
29:32 And then when you say that out loud, then you say, “Okay, that's the worst thing that can happen. Well, if I do this, and then it becomes this amazing thing, what's the best thing that could happen?” And really what that is, is infinite possibility because you really don't know. You can't really measure that, right? So, to me, it's just a no brainer, you know? It's just like, go for it. But it's gonna be scary. So just you willing to be scared.
30:37 I just I want to feel all the feelings. I want to do all the things. I want to meet all the people. I want to be so rich in experiences and moments. That's really what our life is. You want to be able to look back at your whole life and your experiences and say, “Wow, I had a really rich full journey. And it was chock full of great things. And things that scared me, things that lit me up,” and be really at peace with that.
32:38 Everything's better when it's shared. And when you take the money that you've earned, and you turn it into an experience, and then you're sharing those experiences with others, that's where the magic happens. So make the money, but play with the money. Have fun, and bring all the people into the mix too, so that everybody can share in the fun and enjoy it.
34:25 I've enjoyed basically taking some time to just reevaluate my priorities. A little silver lining for me in this whole pandemic situation was going, oh my gosh, we have all this technology and it's been right there in front of my face this whole time. But utilizing it differently so that I actually can be more connected and physically present with my family just really excited me.
37:42 And another big thing is getting a lot of time back just from not having to drive somewhere and come back. I'm a lot more efficient with the way I do things, just based on what changed in the last 18 months.
42:31 I started writing children's stories about 15 years ago when my nieces and nephews were first born. They're now like 15, 16, 20… they all said, “Aunty, our favorite stories growing up were the ones you wrote. You need to do something with those stories.” And so it's with their encouragement and their love that basically, I decided to start producing audiobooks. And now I'm actually getting some illustrations to go along with them. And I'm making picture books, or paperback books, of a bunch of my stories and I'm rolling out a whole collection. And it's all just centered around my nieces and nephews and them being my number one fans.
46:04 I think we get lost in a sea of responsibility, and things that we think we have to do. And sometimes we miss what our biggest gifts are, and we miss the thing that our heart’s been longing to do forever. And just stopping and thinking back to what that really was. And just make sure you're honoring it.
Be true to yourself. Be true to your word. Make sure that you always do what you say you're gonna do. Things just happen and unfold the way they're supposed to, and you can't go wrong.
Monday Oct 11, 2021
Money Tip: Tax Planning Before the End of the Year
Monday Oct 11, 2021
Monday Oct 11, 2021
As we’re nearing the end of the year, it’s a good time to start thinking about taxes. Why think about taxes in October when they’re not due until April? Because even though it’s true that you still have 6 months before you have to file, the decisions you make before December can impact how much you owe or is owed to you. It’s much better to know now so you can adjust as needed before it’s too late.
As always, here’s my disclaimer that I am not a CPA or tax professional, but as a business owner I think it’s important to at least understand the basics of accounting and taxes and how all of it affects you.
I’ve said it before, but I encourage everyone to build a relationship with a solid CPA. Even if you are capable of doing your own taxes, the laws change all the time and it can be hard to keep up. They have to keep up to keep their licenses. And it never hurts to have a CPA’s signature on your tax return. I like to think it gives me an extra layer of protection. I trust my accountant to guide me in the right direction with my deductions and everything else.
For most of us, our fiscal year is January through December, meaning that’s the period we report our income and expenses to the IRS. So if we wait until March to start reviewing our numbers for the April deadline, it’s too late to make any changes that could help us financially. That’s why I’m talking about this in October. In a couple weeks, I’ll meet with my CPA to review where I’m at for the year, and he’ll make some recommendations for what I should do to minimize my liability.
Sometimes that means paying myself a higher salary. Even though that means I’d have to pay more in payroll taxes, it also means I could contribute more to my SEP IRA, and the return on that investment is more beneficial to me than the extra expenses. I file as an S Corp so I have to pay a salary. If you are a sole proprietor or LLC, that’s not the case since it all flows through to your personal return. But your accountant might advise you to spend some more money before the end of the year. Maybe it means buying a new computer or other equipment you need that will reduce your taxable income.
It’s a weird thing, right? I’m someone who likes to save, so if I have a really good year like this one, ideally I want to squirrel away as much as possible. It’s not my norm to think about how I can spend more. But if I don’t buy some things I need for my business, I’ll end up paying more in taxes. If I’m going to spend the money either way, I’d rather spend it on some stuff that will be useful instead of sending it to the IRS. And while I’ve heard accountants say you can’t spend your way out of paying taxes and believe that is true, my CPA has saved me quite a bit. If you find yourself in a position where you need to spend more at the end of the year, it means you’re doing well. It’s weird, but it’s not a bad place to be.
I’m often met with resistance when I recommend hiring a CPA, especially to people who are fairly new in business. The initial reaction is usually that it’s going to be too expensive and they don’t think they’re at the point where they can afford or need it. I beg to differ. My CPA always says if he doesn’t save me more than his fees cost, I should find someone new. It’s true. The costs might seem intimidating up front, but if you’ve done your research and hired someone reputable, it’ll pay for itself.
How do you find a good CPA? When I say you should build a relationship with one, I mean you want to work with someone long-term who will get to know you and your business and can better advise you. Someone at one of those big chain tax services won’t necessarily give you the same level of care, so I’d stay away from them even if the price tag is appealing. I’m sure they have great people, but I’ve also heard some horror stories.
I always think getting recommendations from someone in your industry is the best place to start. You want someone who understands the nuances of your particular business and has already proven themselves with someone you trust. I recently hired a new CPA based on the recommendation of a good producer friend. I did my research and scheduled a call to interview him before hiring him, but her referral had the biggest impact on my decision.
Yes, I interviewed my CPA before hiring him. It was more of a conversation than an interrogation, but I think you should always have a discussion with someone before agreeing to work with them. Think about what’s important to you and make sure that person is in alignment. If you don’t get the right answers or a good feeling, move on and find someone else. I think this should be the case with all working relationships, but it’s especially important when your money is involved.
I’ve been working with the same tax preparer since I was 18 and she’s been great. But the last couple of years, some things have shifted and I realized it was time to look at other options. I wanted to know if this new guy would be hands on, meaning if I’d be working with him directly or if I’d be working with someone else. And if it was someone else, would it be the same person or just whoever was available? Fortunately, they assigned me to a dedicated team, meaning he’s involved but there are also 2 others I can connect with if I have questions or need anything. They’ll be familiar with my account so they’ll be qualified to answer, not some random person who has to quickly look it over and answer me without knowing anything about me. That’s important to me.
I already knew he had experience with production. I also made sure the company and individuals are licensed in my state and other places from where I might want to work. I got an overview of their services and they said all the right things in terms of loyalty and building relationships, which you probably know are important to me as well. That conversation accomplished everything I needed, and I officially hired him the next day.
The best way to keep this relationship working for both of you, and something that is necessary as a business owner, is to keep up with your bookkeeping. It’s crucial to do this throughout the year. It will save you the stress when it’s time to do your taxes, because you’ve already done the leg work. Hopefully you’re using accounting software like Quickbooks or Wave Apps, or at least have some solid system in place, so all of your income and expenses are already categorized and tracked. Your receipts are attached or at least organized and saved in an easily accessible place. I do both. I attach my receipts to my expense transactions in Quickbooks and also save the PDFs on my computer and backup hard drives. If I ever get audited, it will be easy because my records are all right there.
As long as you’re up-to-date, you can easily send a P&L, which is a profit & loss statement, and a balance sheet to your CPA any time they need it. They can review, make adjustments, and advise you from there. If your books are a mess, it’s going to make it difficult for everyone so do yourself a favor and keep it current. I have only had positive relationships with accountants, mine and my client’s, because of this. I do my job and that makes their job easier. Everyone wins.
I do understand that bookkeeping isn’t everyone’s favorite thing and it’s one of the first to get put on the backburner when you’re busy working on things that actually bring you income. It’s fine when that happens, but prioritize catching up when you’re able, especially when nearing the end of the year. No one likes thinking about taxes, at least no one I know, but there are a lot of perks that come from owning a business, and you want to take advantage while you can.
Talk to your CPA towards the end of the year, ideally October or November. Let them review your books and advise you about what to do before December 31st to minimize your tax liability. Maybe that means you’ll get some fun new gadgets to play with, or the opportunity to invest in that software you’ve been wanting to use but thought was too expensive. Or maybe it means you’re already in good shape and need to keep doing what you’re doing. Either way, find out before it’s too late. Give yourself that head start so you can properly benefit from your business. And then maybe you won’t be stressed out when April 15th rolls around and you can do something better, like celebrating the birthday of your favorite Aardvark Girl.
Monday Oct 04, 2021
Getting it Done with Prioritizing, Logic & Self-Awareness
Monday Oct 04, 2021
Monday Oct 04, 2021
When you feel like you have too much to do, use prioritizing, logic, and self-awareness to help you figure out how to get it all done.
Have a suggestion for a topic? Email info@aardvarkgirl.com or DM me on social @aardvarkgirl
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Running a business can be a lot of work, especially when you’re doing it all yourself. When you can hire help and delegate tasks to ease your own workload, that can be helpful, but sometimes you have to be the one doing it. And while we are capable of handling a whole lot, sometimes you have to be honest with yourself and admit that you can’t do it all, at least not in the current moment.
With all the projects I’ve been juggling the last few weeks, I’ve had a few people ask how I’m getting it all done. I wish there was one simple answer, but it really comes down to prioritizing, logic, and self-awareness.
Prioritizing is crucial when you have what feels like 8,032 things to do, and when every time you answer an email or get one thing done it seems like 6 new ones have appeared. There are so many apps out there to organize your to do lists, so find the one that works best for you. I’m still old school with Excel spreadsheets and Word docs. Partially because it’s how I started, and partially because every time I come across some software I want to try, I don’t have time to learn something new. So I stick with what I know and think, “I’ll try that when I’m done with these projects.” But then new projects replace those projects and I don’t get around to it. It’s not a bad problem to have.
When I’m feeling like my mental to do list is out of control, I write everything down to get it out of my head. Then I shift things around in order of priority, which can be a mix of deadlines and duration. Meaning, if something has to be done by a certain day or time, those are top priority and listed in order. Then, if something is going to take a short amount of time to complete, I get those done. I do that because it allows me to delete more from my list faster, and fewer items on the list make me feel like everything is more manageable. Once I have everything listed out and in order, it’s much easier to get to work. As new things come up, I add to the list where it belongs and keep going.
Another element of my to do list is my email inbox. Or, in my case, my 15 email inboxes. I wish I was exaggerating. Some clients give me an email from their domain, and then I use my main address for everything else. But I actually like having the different addresses because it allows me to focus on one client at a time when I need to. A perfect example of this is at the end of the month when I have to make sure I’ve done everything I need for my retainer clients and send out my invoices. I can go through each inbox and see what needs to be done. My system is that once everything in an email has been answered or completed, it gets filed into the appropriate folder. If it remains in my inbox, that means there’s something that still needs to be addressed. It’s another way to keep track of everything.
Logic is a big part of all of this, at least for me. It’s thinking practically about what needs to be done, by when, and organizing it in a way that allows me to be as efficient as possible. I use logic when I’m prioritizing, like I just talked about. It’s easy for some to get emotional about their work, in the sense of getting overwhelmed or freaking out that there’s too much to do and not enough time. That’s completely normal. But bringing a logical perspective into it can help a great deal because you’re being practical. What can and can’t be done?
I also apply logic to how I schedule my time. Sometimes this involves batch work so I can make sure the same part of my brain is being used in blocks of time instead of hopping all over the place. So if I’m needing to book travel for 40 crew members, I’ll usually do all of the flights, then all of the car rentals, then all of the hotels if I don’t already have a room block secured. This allows me to get in a better rhythm because I’m repeating a process. If I’m only doing it for one or two people, my brain sometimes works better if I’m linear with everything and book one person’s flight, car, and room and then start that process over again. So it changes from time to time. It’s always about what works best for you and your brain.
That’s where self-awareness comes in. You really have to know yourself to create a good system for managing everything you have to do. You need to know which things you can do quickly, which take more focused attention, what’s going to keep you up at night if it’s not finished, and how all of this is going to affect your mental health. When you know these things, it’s much easier to make decisions about what to do now and what should wait.
Even though I have pretty strict boundaries in place about not working evenings and weekends, there are times when I know for myself it’s going to be better to do it. If I can take an extra 2 hours at the end of my normal workday and power through some of my to dos, it will help me sleep better that night and also start the next day off in a better place. Or if I know the next week is going to be intense, it might make more sense to get some things out of the way on Saturday. The important thing to remember is that, in these cases, the only person making me do this is me. It’s not crossing a boundary when it’s me setting and breaking that boundary.
And most importantly, you should acknowledge that sometimes you can’t get everything done in a day. You can do the best that you can in the moment you’re in, and that has to be enough. Sometimes you need to take a break even though you feel like every second you’re not working is somehow putting you another hour behind. Sometimes you just have to say, “this is all I can do today” and you’ll come back to it in the morning.
Your business is important to you. Your clients are important to you. You are important to you. With some proper prioritizing, logic, and self-awareness, you know you’re going to get it done. You are not going to let your clients, or yourself, down. You will get through it and breathe a huge sigh of relief when it’s all done. And then you’ll look back at this time, realize how much you’ve accomplished, and you’ll be ready to take on the next challenge.