An excuse is your validation for why something didn’t happen.
Excuses happen. I find myself falling into them from time to time. What’s important is realizing the negative impact these excuses have on your business and your life before you’ve created bad habits. Do not validate your excuses by continuing to be trapped by them.
The truth behind your excuses.
Here are the Top 5 excuses I hear and how to combat them.
I don’t have time.
Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. It is up to you to take control of your time by prioritizing it! Remember, you don’t have a time problem, you have a priority problem. As a business owner, you must realize the outcome of what you want and prioritize places to focus your time.
Everyone has the same 24 hours…
It’s not as hard as it may seem!
Start by being mindful of how you’re spending your time. Become aware of when you’re wasting time versus when you’re productive. You can take control when you create a schedule.
With that schedule, note that you don’t prioritize your schedule, you schedule your priorities. (Steven Covey said that, and it really stuck with me!) Whatever you’re doing, give 100% focus to it. It is better to have shorter spans of focused attention as opposed to longer spans of unfocused attention. I know it’s better to have two hours of laser-focused time to work my business than to have 8 hours when I’m with the boys yet and constantly checking my phone, my head in a different place. No one wins, and I’m not setting boundaries that get me the best of both worlds.
Everything is important.
False. Everything is not created equal! You must learn to prioritize and delegate. Create a hierarchy of activities that will provide the best use of your time. By that I mean, what activities must be done by you (and only you!) to help you achieve your goals?
As an adult in a crazy-busy world, you are in high demand! There are certain tasks only you can do. For example, I’m the only person who can host my Business Tip Tuesday. I’m the only one who can do one-on-one calls with my coaches. I am not the only one who can do laundry, clean the kitchen, or cook dinner. No matter what stage you are at in your business, take time to realize what you can delegate to open up your time for business-building activities that are exclusive to you.
Everyone steals my time.
You are the only person who can fill your calendar. You are the only one who permits disturbances to creep into your life. You are the only person who allows things to happen. Learn to say “no thanks” or schedule activities around what’s the best use of your time. If happy hour sounds like fun, but you know you need to do some business-building activities, ask if they can meet up an hour or so later.
Being an entrepreneur doesn’t mean you have to give up on activities; it means you are the one who determines what deserves your time in the present moment and what doesn’t. Learn to prioritize the events that, in the moment, will best help you reach your goals.
I have to do everything myself.
Let me be very clear about this – coming from the person who hates giving up control. Micromanaging defeats the people around you. Delegate and don’t be so worried about perfection!
Fear-based leadership is saying you are the only one who can do this job. For the better part of many situations, this is far from true! Be willing to mentor and guide others so they can develop leadership skills and begin to have success.
I’ll do it later.
When someone says this, I instantly hear this is not important to me. You will do what is a priority to you. Making excuses means it’s not a priority. There is no later when it comes to achieving your goals.
Our finish line is always moving. Something will always try to take your time away from what you want most. Balance comes from focusing on quality over quantity. It is your duty to identify excuses that steal your time. Whatever you do, wherever you are, be all there.
Having a solid work/life balance isn’t about a 50/50 split. It’s about being 100% present!
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