Women Thrive Magazine
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Prioritization- Are You Prioritizing the Right Activities for Your Business?
Recently I was listening to The Diary of a CEO Podcast with Steven Bartlett and he was interviewing Marie Forleo, Entrepreneur, Speaker, Writer, Podcast, and TV Host. Listen to the episode here.
During the recording, Marie said, ‘If everything is a priority then nothing is a priority’ and she is right! This phrase resonated so much as I see many solopreneurs both in my client base and through networking, that feel overwhelmed with all the tasks they ‘need’ to do to work on their business and work in their business and don’t prioritize the most impactive tasks.
By not prioritizing the right activities, it becomes impossible to have a positive impact on your business and your customers. There is an element of winging it which increases the overwhelm, leading then to confusion and often inaction.
As a solopreneur, business owner or entrepreneur, you wear so many different hats from marketing to HR to strategic director! If you run your business day to day without a clear plan (let’s bring in that strategy word again!), no wonder it gets too much and the constant noise of the shoulda, woulda, coulda’s prevents purposeful action!
So how do you go about prioritizing the right activities?!
Well, it all starts with your goals! Yep, you have to make sure you have clear business goals so you know which direction you are heading. I like to encourage my clients to separate their goals into 3 categories.
- An income goal
- A creative goal
- An impact goal
These categories allow for business growth, audience connection, and building authority and confidence in your niche.
Part of your goal setting is asking yourself why you want to achieve these goals, what advantages do they bring to your business? This takes your goals to a more strategic level and assists with prioritization!
This is not a simple activity and needs attention given to it because if you don’t conduct this activity then it is super easy to take aimless action day by day, hoping it will all work out and then wonder why you are so busy but yet haven’t achieved anything! But the good news is, it is never too late! So even if you haven’t yet defined your business goals, and the intentions behind them, prioritise (see what I did there?!) this activity to drive any subsequent actions!
So, your goals are set, how do you use them to prioritize?
Now your goals are set, it is time to break them down into quarterly outcomes to determine the activities you need to do to reach them. From the quarterly outcomes, the next step is to break them down into monthly outcomes, these are the key outcomes you need to achieve each month to get you closer to your goal.
Once you have defined these outcomes, you use them to prioritize your day-to-day actions. Whether you plan day by day or week by week, constantly refer back to these outcomes and when looking at taking any action ask yourself, does this help me meet my outcomes, or does it fit my wider business goals?
If you still find yourself winging it, before you go to complete a task, go back to your monthly outcomes, and ask yourself the same questions, does this contribute to my monthly outcomes or does it fit my wider business goals? If the answer is yes then go right ahead, if the answer is no, then park this activity and revisit it later when you have capacity.
This strategy will support you in taking clear and purposeful action to meet your business goals.
But remember! Your goals are not the final destination!
Running a business is a journey (cheesy I know!) and the goals are the stops along the way, it may be that you have to change direction as life throws us these low ballers, but using this strategic methodology, you are providing the key points that give you direction, enabling you to prioritize impactful actions and help you move forward in your business one step at a time!
About the Author
Name: Hannah Roper
Professional Title: Founder and Director
Bio: Hannah Roper, entrepreneur, writer, speaker, podcast host, country music singer, founded The Female Creative, to coach and mentor women, enabling them to ride to the highs and lows of business, build sustainable foundations and find a work/life balance to suit their needs.
Website: www.thefemalecreative.co.uk
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