I wanted to share a discussion that came up in one of our program peer groups, which I run monthly. It was such a good question!
These peer groups are made up of clients I work with – advisers, accountants, brokers and their teams – with the aim of unpacking the kind of problems practices face and how to overcome them.
The idea is that input from others can sometimes be the tipping point that uncovers a new way of operating.
It’s also an extra pair of eyes on your business outside of the work we do in out coaching engagement.
One part of these sessions is what we call the “Mastermind”, where everyone gets a chance to pose a question to their peers and share in the combined wisdom and experience. The results are often game-changing.
In this particular case the question was:
What do you do as a practice owner when you’ve lost momentum, feel overwhelmed, feel like you can’t focus, or just feel a bit drained by your business’s day-to-day activities?
I think this is a useful question simply because, over the last two and a half years, I’d wager there are very few of us who wouldn’t be willing to admit feeling like that at some point (if not multiple points).
When I posed that very question to everyone one in the session – who else has felt like that in the last 2 years? – every single person made a show of hands.
Myself included.
With two young kids, a whole bunch of changes that needed to be made to my business once COVID became a reality and everything else that goes with it, I’ve had many moments I dug deep for a burst of energy or motivation and found the tank a little dry.
I was juggling too many balls and, when that happens, usually the first side effect (for me at least) is waning enthusiasm.
And, where the enthusiasm goes, motivation is sure to follow, closely tailed by energy and, if the situation endures for too long, good health.
In other words, the “dip” (to borrow the term from Seth Godin) is somewhere few of us want to have to dwell In any longer than necessary.
So, there we were having this discussion – not about systems and processes, or best practice, or client experience, or any of that stuff – about how to disconnect, take time out, and reconnect again in a different state of mind and well-being.
So, what insights came out of the conversation?
Firstly, your own personal vision of the future has a strong impact on how much you are drawn to create it.
We agreed that when you have a clear sense of what you are trying to achieve in terms of what your business is supposed to look like, and you can link that with what you personally want to achieve, it’s easier to navigate your way out of dips along the way.
Conversely, when you don’t, it becomes a lot more difficult.
Once you’re clear on what you’re driving towards, ensuring what you’re doing today is lining up is also key.
One of the most significant observations that came up is how easy it is to allow distraction to creep in, especially when you have a lot to do.
We all know how it works. you come into the office, with 7 or 8 things that need to get done. unfortunately though, you find yourself flipping and flopping back and forward from various different tasks, sometimes never actually getting stuck into anything at all.
I need to produce the advice.
I need to do the marketing.
I need to build the systems.
I need to train my team.
I need to return that phone call.
I need to read the article.
I need to…..and I need to…..and I need to…
The only way you can get ahead in a headspace like that is to choose to focus on one thing at a time, and once that is complete choose to focus on the next thing.
Yes, there’s a LOT going on, but for that moment make it about just one thing.
There’s more to it than that. I would love to walk you through the framework I use when coaching to help diagnose what exactly is causing the procrastination, because there are actually 4 core reasons, and the solution for each is very different. so different in fact that applying the wrong solution can make the problem worse, which is why I think often what works for one person as a productivity solution, can so easily not work for another. it’s not that we’re all that different, more that sometimes the problem isn’t what we think it is.
We’re in an interesting space in the evolution of industries.
When I stop to think about the future, I find myself feeling very optimistic about where we’re headed.
If you’re still here, still pushing on, still investing and working on your business, there’s a reason for that, and you should also feel very enthusiastic and optimistic about where we’re headed too.
We’re coming to the end of a year that has been as much about managing burnout as anything. I want every one of us to reach the end of the year, be able to look back on a year of growth and progress, and then be able to take at least 2 weeks (ideally more) to disconnect completely from our businesses.
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