5 Questions To Ask Before Adding Anything to Your Schedule
New opportunities can be incredible blessings. They allow us to grow and improve. They can provide new avenues for our businesses or increase our ability to reach our customers. But they can also add a lot of stress to your life when they aren’t necessary. If you’re wondering “how do I determine if something makes the cut?” Read on my friend. I have five questions that will help you decide if that new opportunity or task makes it into your already packed planner.
#1 Is this necessary?
The first question you need to ask is, is this necessary? We all have those tasks that seem like they’re important, but when we really look at it, the task does nothing to move our business forward. For example, is posting every day on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter really reaching your audience? Or should you be concentrating on just Instagram since that is where your “people” are?
#2 Is this the best option for fulfilling that need?
If this is necessary, is this the best option for fulfilling the need? Let me put it another way. Is there another option that is easier, faster and cheaper? If so, do the second option. Here’s a great example of this. A friend needed to design graphics for social media. She had herself convenience that she needed to purchase an expensive software and the latest camera to start. After I introduced her to Canva and Pexels.com, her eyes were open. She could start with little or no money until she proved her business idea. Later, she invested in a camera to take her own photos, but she still uses Canva for social media graphics.
#3 Can someone else handle this?
The next question to ask before adding something new to your schedule is all about delegation. Can someone else handle this task? How about hiring a virtual assistant for a few hours a week to answer social media inquiries or respond to comments? That would open up your schedule for other tasks like creating content or serving more clients. So why not let them add social media to their schedule instead of yours?
#4 Does it bring me joy?
Although not everything in business is joyful, asking does this task or opportunity bring me joy can help narrow down new things to add to the schedule. Whether it’s creative or analytical or growth centered or just something for fun, if it brings you joy, it can energize you and help you go further than you thought you could.
#5 What do I need to say no to, to say yes to this?
We all have the same 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week, and 365 days in a year. We don’t get to add more time to our lives because we want to add something to our schedule. So the last question makes sense when you think about it; “what do you have to say no to, in order to say yes to this new opportunity?”. Every time we say yes to something new, we have to say no to something old. What we need to ask is, “is the new thing worth leaving behind the old?
Wrap Up
New opportunities are great indicators of growth but growing too fast can be overwhelming and unsustainable. Choose new opportunities wisely to allow for sustainable growth and a pace that won’t burn you out.
If you need help cleaning up that packed planner, contact me. I would love to help you build the business you love in the time your family has.
*Please note that I no longer coach on time management. I strictly focus on branding and website design to provide my clients with the highest level of service. – updated 3/18/2020
