Ever feel like you should do more?
Do you wonder whether you’re missing out?
When working online, it’s easy to get trapped in a cycle of not feeling good enough.
The internet conspires against us. Always telling us to do more. And showing us how well everyone else is doing. It’s easy to get trapped in a cycle of feeling inadequate, and thinking you should do more.
When I was running on the corporate treadmill, I thought I was working hard to further my career.
But I over-prepared every presentation, every report and every meeting. I worked harder than anyone else.
The idea of starting my own business was to find more balance in my life. Less work. Less stress. More freedom.
But I took my bad working habits with me.
The destructive cycle of not feeling good enough
Here’s what might happen when you don’t feel good enough:
- You start fussing about details that don’t matter
- You get busy with unimportant stuff
- You procrastinate on important tasks—being busy is your excuse
- You get frustrated because your to-do list only becomes longer
- You get exhausted because you work to hard
- Exhaustion and frustration fuel your feeling of inadequacy
Breaking through that cycle of not feeling good enough, perfectionism, and procrastination is hard.
We’re scared of slowing down. We’re scared of focusing on the things that matter. We fear that slowing down makes us less productive, and less successful.
But the opposite is true.
Slowing down was my key to breaking through the destructive cycle of not feeling good enough.
Get rid of the dross
This year, I learned to schedule my work. Instead of cramming more items onto my to-do list, I decided how many hours I could work and estimated what I could do in those hours. I focused on a small number of tasks:
- Running a blogging course (early in the year)
- Developing and running a copywriting course
- Finalizing the guide on writing About pages
- Writing blog posts plus occasionally guest posts for Copyblogger
- Drawing
- Keeping a presence on Twitter
When I struggled to keep up, I reduced my blogging schedule temporarily. I also have been drawing less than I had hoped to do.
My not-to-do list was as important as the short list of tasks I wanted to focus on. I quit copywriting projects. I massively reduced my guest posting commitments. I switched to electronic book keeping so I could stop messing around with an Excel spreadsheet. I shelved my plans to set up Instagram and Facebook accounts. I stopped creating SlideShare presentations. I spent less time promoting my work on Twitter.
Before you plan next year, think about this:
Which few essential things need to be done?
The internet conspires against us. We always feel we have to do more. We feel we’re missing out.
But don’t set yourself up for dissatisfaction and failure with over-ambitious plans for the next year. In 2016, each day still has 24 hours. A week is 7 days. A year still has only 52 weeks.
Beat procrastination and get important things done
When you reduce your list of tasks, it becomes more difficult to escape from important tasks:
- Make a difficult task the first thing to do in the day
- Ignore social media, email and the news until you’ve worked for an hour on an important task
- Decide the evening before what you’ll start working on the next day
- Use an online timer to focus attention
- Aim for 90% rather than perfect results
Getting started on difficult tasks is hard. I learned to focus on doing the work rather than on results. When I agree with myself to put in an hour of solid work, I get in a flow. I get more done this way than when I try desperately to finish that video or that blog post.
In 2015, I worked about 25 hours on average per week. That’s probably less than half of what I used to do. But I feel I have achieved as much as other years. Perhaps even more.
I learned how to work stress-free
Stress used to fuel my work. Stress seemed a condition to getting work done.
But thanks to my whiplash injury, I changed my attitude completely and I now work virtually stress-free. I mostly know how long things take me to do. I don’t over-plan my day. I take more breaks. I’m focused.
I feel more in control. I get more done, and I’m more relaxed.
Once I broke through the cycle of procrastination and perfectionism, it also became easier to deal with my inner critic, with not feeling good enough.
She (my inner critic) and I now get on alright. I’ve learned how to interpret her nagging. She helps me slow down and warns me when I need to take a break.
I’ve learned to take care of my inner critic, and to be kind to myself.
And you?
Wishing you a year full of kindness!
PS Special thanks to Sonia Thompson who inspired this post.
Recommended reading if your don’t feel good enough:
An open letter to anyone who feels their writing isn’t good enough
The art of embracing imperfection
Why I feel like a fake …
Happy 2016, Henneke, beste wensen!!
Great blog gain, what else is new. After having pushed myself into a new career, or attempting to do so, as a copywriter and focusing on life coaches, which I am as well, I felt very rushed and just like all you state in your blog here. And I saw that indeed I was doing more and more things to be too busy to do my copywriting, and then it hit me. Why would I want to write copy for others when I can start my own biz doing so, no matter how ‘difficult’ it is as some say the personal development industry is. So be it, I will carve out my place.
And that is what I am doing now, stepped back, study on more about personal development, write about 3 blogs per week, and then make a video or 2 from that. Post that on my (yet to be released) website, and see how that all lands for a year, hoping it will build a following.
I intend to enjoy myself this year with my God-given gifts and talents. I feel really good about this. I will keep you posted.
I will continue to read your blogs because your style inspires me, love your laidbackness that you created for yourself. We all need to do that and not get frustrated by what the internet shows us.
Live and love, yourself and your occupation.
Digital hugz, Elvire
Actually, I am a fan from China. I got to know your blog from Copyblogger. I like your “snacks” articles. Thank you!
Great! Nice to meet you, Huanghao 🙂
Hi Henneke,
The exact same thing happened to me in 2015 out of my own will. Our daughter was born, and when I got back to work I decided to work 4 hours a day. With only 4 hours I need to be super focused to get everything done, and being this productive makes me happy.
Reading blog posts was on my not-to-do list in 2015, now I am trying to schedule time for that again.
It has been great to see your progress in the past years, and the fact that my comment is the 102nd enchanting comment is just great. You really HELP people. Hugs, Zsuzsa
I have the same feeling – it feels really good when you still get a lot done in a limited number of hours. But sometimes I find it difficult to keep up the discipline when I’m feeling more energetic and it’s busy!
Great to see your name pop up again, Zsuzsa. I hope you’re doing well!
Hi Henneke. Such sage advice. You were writing specifically to me, right? 🙂
My mom passed away last month so I’m just now catching up with reading my favorite blogs. Thanks for the reminders that there is a different way to approach work that doesn’t involve 50 hour weeks.
Happy New Year!
Hi Melissa
Yes, I was writing for you 🙂
I’m sorry to hear about your mother. I’m sending you a digital hug across the ocean. Take good care of yourself!
Hi Henneke, I’ve read this article right after you’ve published it, and I thought – great, will do for me too! Then during the holiday season I’ve started studying Jon Morrow’s “The Six-figure Road Map” course, and I feel stressed already. I guess the feeling that I’m not moving (fast enough) is the worse. And all this business with establishing relationships with influential people – it is scary. It feels like I took a step back. Well, blogging IS a hard work!
May I ask – have you designed your website on your own? Who is hosting it?
Thanks a lot and happy new Year!
Hi Irina, I hired a designer for my logo, but I created the rest of the layout myself, chose the colors, fonts etc. This site is hosted by WebSynthesis. My other site is hosted by WPengine. I’ve found both hosts excellent.
I also hate all the influencer marketing stuff, and have kept away from it as much as possible. I don’t doubt that it is useful and can help grow a blog faster, but it’s not my strength, so I try to focus on what I’m good at and enjoy most, even if that means my business grows a little slower.
Hi Henneke,
Your ansewer gives me a hope. So I don’t need WordPress after all. And may be do not think so much about influentials. By the way i love your colors and design, it is very appealing and easy to read. And you shall go on with your drawings, they are so funny and warm! By the way I didn’t know about your other website. What is the name of it? I guess I can do some of the stuff myself but there are things like optimization and other technical stoff that will take too long to learn on my own. I just feel that if I follow Jon or som of the other guys out there, I will never start writing. All their post alone take half a day to read. Actually it is awful. I find most of them (and I followed some Americans and even Russians too) very aggressive and time consuming. Your are not, that’s why I like your blog so much and wish you all possible success! I’m telling about you to my friends and they love it too. Have a grate day! And take care. ?
P.S. That course you took about guest blogging (Jon Morrow, right), how helpful was it? I think I need to learn this skill as well.
Hi Irina,
This is a WordPress site. It also uses the Genesis framework and the Prose theme. My other website is only for the courses I run: http://enchantingcourses.com/
Jon likes to write long blog posts – 2,000+ words. Most of my posts here are around 1,000 words. Longer posts are better for SEO, but I find them too time-consuming to write, and it’s more difficult to keep people’s attention for more than 1,500 words. In the beginning, I found blogging very time-consuming, but over time it’s become easier to write, and a lot faster, too.
Yes, I did Jon Morrow’s guest blogging course, but it was a different version than the current option. The course taught me a lot about writing and pitching guest posts. It was the first online course I ever participated in and helped me to get started, so I owe him a lot 🙂 If your site is not in English, however, you might find the course less useful, as it’s usually more difficult to write guest posts for non-English blogs.
Hey Henneke,
This is a great post that shows how you can spend less time on your computer and still achieve what you need. Working smart is better than working hard. You’ve been and will remain my source of inspiration in 2016. I had my post published on Freelancer FAQs and I just had to mention you, you may want to look at it here: http://www.freelancerfaqs.com/freelance-writing-jobs-non-native-english-speaker/#after-1909
Best,
Mercy.
Congrats on your post, Mercy, and thank you for mentioning me!
Thank you for all of your posts this year. I love your New Year Reindeer and Greeting!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Thank you, Marti 🙂
Wishing you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, too!
I’ll be dropping a lot of pro bono work and concentrating on building up a surplus of content for a relaunch, improving my photography skills, and co-authoring a book. Only working on things that pay for a while. Mercenary? Maybe not. I’ve given years to others. It’s time.
Besides, my co-author will not wait forever! Ha!
Hey Katharine – I’m with you. Sounds like 2016 will be an exciting year for you. 🙂
Thank you for all your support and comments in 2015. Happy holidays!
Hi Henneke, a quick note to THANK YOU. I am taking the advice to slow down, recharge and focus on what is truly important. I published my last blog post for the year and will be back with fresh posts and creative tidbits on 4th Jan 2016.
I have begun some easy slow writing a notebook – no pressure – and am already feeling the tingle of excitement for 2016.
Happy Holidays to you and the Enchanting Marketing blog community!
Nicole
And thank YOU for being a part of the community here, and stopping by so often. I’m always happy to see your name pop up!
Happy holidays and best wishes for 2016!
Thank you Henneke for another great post.
I especially appreciated you sharing which activities you felt were most important for your business at this stage of its development. It helped me to get a glimpse into what are the “big rocks” for building a successful business.
Also, your list of prioritizing your activities reminded me of a Scott Dinsmore’s (still really bummed about his death!) post on a strategy that Warren Buffett uses, his Avoid At All Cost list:
http://liveyourlegend.net/warren-buffetts-5-step-process-for-prioritizing-true-success-and-why-most-people-never-do-it/
Thank you again and have a Happy Holiday season,
Chuck
Hi Chuck – Good to see you here again!
You add an excellent point – the activities were different when I started out, as guest blogging was my #1 priority to build my email list, and I was doing copywriting projects to earn a living. When a list is small, it’s easier to make a living as a service provider rather than sell digital products.
I like the term “avoid at all cost list.”
Wishing you a Happy Holiday season, too.
Love your simple steps to focus on the most important things, Henneke. Just discovered your work this year and am so grateful for the easy to understand grammar lessons you’ve given. Plus the gentle wisdom you impart. Blessings for the holidays.
Thank you for your lovely comment, Fiona. Wishing you happy Holidays, too!
Thanks so much for the suggestions! I have been experimenting with scheduling my general tasks (reading/responding to email, targeted writing practice, network marketing, guest blogging course and consulting work), and have had some success. I am still tweaking the schedule.
Looking at what I just wrote above, I think a not-to-do list might be in order as well.
Some people work with a fixed schedule, I like to keep mine a little flexible. I know how many hours I have for a day and what I want to get done, but I only fix what I need to do in the first hour or hour and a half, and then see what inspires me after.
I think a little experimenting is required to find the sweetspot between fixing a schedule and keeping some flexibility.
And yep, most of us can use a not-to-do list. Happy Holidays!
Hi Henneke,
The ‘not to do list’ – love that idea.
Like a lot of people, I tend to feel guilty if I’m not working. Reining in the neurotic compulsion to work can be a difficult thing to do.
Our perception is that more work is the only way to overcome our sense of inadequacy. At least, that’s the story we tell ourselves. And you are right – we’re often fighting a perpetual battle with our Inner Critic. The Critic can be a very hard taskmaster, for sure.
As someone who feels quite overwhelmed at the moment (due to all the new projects I’ve recently taken on), your post is timely and pertinent. So I’ll do what I’ve always done when faced with this situation. I’ll invoke the Law of Vacuum and create some space (just like you did). And yeah I’ll create a ‘not to do list’ as well. However, effecting a permanent change of attitude is not so easy.
Thank you for this Christmas gift, Henneke
Kim
Yes, I agree with you. Creating a permanent change in attitude is hard and requires constant reminders. That feeling of guilt because we’re not working keeps nagging at us. But once we’ve tasted a different way of working, it becomes easier to spot when we’re trapping ourselves by taking on too much and setting too ambitious targets, and we become more eager to slow down.
Thank you for stopping by again, Kim. Wishing you a happy and healthy 2016!
Just what I needed for the new year, Henneke! As always, great, straightforward advice.
Thank you, Bree. Wishing you a fab 2016!
Thanks for your writing wisdom in 2015 Henneke. Wishing you a 2016 that is fun, fulfilling and fruitful. This final post is the icing on the cake.
Wishing you a fun and happy 2016, too, Joan!
Thank you for your comment 🙂
Thanks for sharing a great post! You’ve mentioned several times the need to realistically know how long something will take in order to plan better. I think that will be my business goal for 2016—to figure that out and stop thinking I can do something in a quarter of the time!
Yes, that’s made a big difference for me. I used to be a factor 4 to 5 out as well. It takes a little discipline to find out how long things take – my rebellious mind didn’t like the idea of tracking my time, but it is huuuugely helpful.
Thank you for stopping by, Linda, and best wishes for 2016!
This post truly comes at the best time possible Henneke, I’ve been trying to take control of my work life / personal projects balance and needed a little extra boost! Thanks for that, I’m definitely going to try some of your tips. I think the biggest time waster for me is the email etc. checking in the mornings, it never ends! I’m going to try and push that for later in the day and try to get important work done first. Cheers!
Yes, dealing with email can be tough. I prefer to do it in the afternoon when my brain starts slowing down, so I use the mornings for more difficult tasks (and I’m not even a morning person!).
Thank you for stopping by, and happy New Year!
Thank you Henneke and thank you to everyone who replied too as it made me realize I honestly am not the only one feeling overwhelmed with what I feel I ‘still’ have to do, learn and figure out. Pheeww!
I had to have that idea of stepping back and taking a breath reinforced again so thanks. Once I have my new calender/agenda I can start properly scheduling that what I truly have to do instead of all I think I have to do.
Thanks for that and a prosperous 2016 to everyone.
You’re certainly not the only one feeling overwhelmed! Taking a step back from time to time and unplugging helps me a lot.
Wishing you a prosperous 2016, too. Thank you for stopping by, Mariken.
Thank you for a wonderful year Henneke. You are my favourite blogger.
Wishing you and your family every happiness and joy for Christmas and a highly successful 2016.
Thank you so much, Summer. That’s lovely to hear.
Wishing you a joyful Christmas and a happy 2016, too!
Thank you Henneke! I’ve been feeling overwhelmed lately and chasing my tail and avoiding the important difficult tasks. Your logic and common sense have made me feel calm. Excited for 2016. Have a lovely Xmas and new year 🙂
Merry Xmas and happy new year to you and your loved ones, Tracy.
Looking forward to hearing how your blog progresses in 2016 – I’m sure it’s going to be a good year for you! 🙂
Hello, Henneke,
Thanks for an inspirational year. Enjoy your break and don’t stress too much about what is not done.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Will be following you next year too. I have learned so much from you this year.
I promise I won’t stress, Cheryl. I’m happy with what I’ve done this year 🙂
I appreciate your comment. Thank you.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, too!
Hi Henneke!
Lots of truth in this one – – especially for me. Yesterday was 1 year anniversary of when Profit Hacking came out and I wrote this on FB:
“One year ago today, Profit Hacking was released.
2015 wasn’t always the easiest year for me & I actually didn’t have a very healthy relationship with the book for most of the year.
When I looked at it, I felt “not enough”….that I should be more, do more, and have more than what I am right now. That I as a human being & an entrepreneur didn’t “live up to” the success of the book as well as to the power of the message/system it teaches.”
(full post here https://www.facebook.com/SteveDaar/posts/4446918928193?pnref=story)
Finding ways now to ‘love myself’ into a new way of being & a new relationship to work, my book, etc
All the best!
– Steve
Being kind to ourselves can be surprisingly difficult, isn’t it?
Thank you for sharing your story. It sounds like you’re on the right track to find ways to be kinder to yourself and to accept that you can’t do everything.
Here’s to a kinder and more relaxed 2016!
Those beat procrastination tips are awesome, Henneke. I often feel like I’m in the middle of everything and not really getting anything. Setting out the important thing you are going to work on the night before could definitely help curb that feeling. Awesome advice for things to start the new year out with!
I used to read the newspapers online first before I did any work, and quite often that delayed me starting to work (there’s always more to read!) and sometimes it triggered a bad mood or made my work feel meaningless (there’s so much bad news!). Since I decided to do a solid hour work (sometimes one and a half hour), even before having breakfast, I feel so much better and more in control. I can even cope better with bad news. It’s seems a tiny change, but made a big difference to me.
Thank you for stopping by, and happy New Year, Lucy!
You’re right. Slowing down is important. Sometimes I speed up to get more done. It just makes me frantic. It’s impossible to do good work under those circumstances. I’m learning to do less in a day, but do it better.
I find that when I try to speed up, it almost always backfires. I just have to work at my own speed 🙂
Thank you for being such a loyal commenter, Laurie. I appreciate it!
Happy 2016 🙂
Wonderful article! As I’m planning 2016, I’m turning a lot of attention to my blog and my YouTube channel and trying to figure out how to fit them around my full-time job. I’m finding that as I learn more about social media and become more effective at using it, it also becomes more time-consuming.
I do think I still need the branding and traffic that it gets me, but I’m going to try and use your tip about figuring out what not to do to save some time on it. Good luck with all your goals in 2016!
Yes, this is why I’m more than a little apprehensive about expanding my social media activities and reach. It IS time-consuming 🙂
Thank you for stopping by, Michael, and wishing you good luck in 2016, too!
Hi Henneke,
It sounds like you are ending the year on a contented note. I’m glad you are reaping the rewards of your hard work.
Thank you so much for all your helpful posts throughout the year. Hope you have relaxing Christmas and an amazing 2016.
Strangely enough, despite my injury, I’ve been pretty contented most of the year. The slower speed of life suits me 🙂
Thank you for being such a loyal reader, Kerstin! Wishing you a merry Christmas and happy 2016, too!
Great to read this Henneke! I love the idea of a not-to-do list. The 25 hour work week is what I’ve been practicing as well. It’s working wonderfully for me, but it took awhile to learn to let stuff go. Once I did that, it was easier. Merry Christmas! 🙂
Yes, letting go isn’t easy. But once you discover the power of letting go, it becomes easier. I’m glad the 25-hour workweek is working well for you, too!
Thank you for your support this year. Merry Christmas!
Wonderful, actionable ideas. When you adopt a philosophy of less is more, then the inner critic is forced to revise their view of how the world works. As your peace expands, so does your prosperity. Brilliant post!
Thank you, Saleem, and thank you for all your comments this year!
Best wishes for 2016!
Hi Henneke,
Ah yes, that old codger, Inner Critic, he’s a pest. Bit like a Dr Seuss creepy Christmas character, isn’t he? Lurking there, waiting to spoil everything. Bah!
Your not-to-do list sounds great. I also like your strategy of aiming for 90% rather than 100%. Makes sense. I forget just now who said it but “Perfection is another name for Never”.
Congrats on all you’ve accomplished this year and here’s to an even more successful 2016 for you. Have a great time off. Merry Christmas.
Sounds like your inner critic is quite different from mine. My inner critic is a lovely little girl who’s quite scared. Since I got to know her and offered her a cup of tea, she and I are getting on alright! 😉
Merry Christmas to you, too, Tom, and thank you for stopping by!
Hello Henneke, thanks for the last post of the year. I hope you will have a nice or at least different time to be with family and friends, stress free and kind to yourself. I am into last minute purchases for Xmas presents, online and totally stress free.
Wishing you joy and love for the festivities and Blessings
Annamarie
Thank you, Annamarie. I’m looking forward to unplugging for a few days 🙂
Wishing you joy and love in 2016!
Hello Henneke,
Earlier this year, I had the good fortune of discovering your website and blog. I was immediately attracted to your straightforward and common sense approach to writing and to life in general. You’re a breath of fresh air. Thank you so much for the generous sharing of your time, talent, and insights with me and your many other loyal readers.
Warmest wishes to you and yours for a joyous and peaceful holiday season!
Dave
What a lovely comment. Thank you, Dave. Nice to “meet” you!
Wishing you happy holidays, too!
Thank you for sharing these great tips, Henneke. This one resonates. Wishing you a highly successful—but not overly busy—2016.
Thank you, Susan, and thank you for stopping by again.
Wishing you a happy 2016, too!
Hey Henneke – thank you for always being an inspiration! 🙂
I was just thinking last night of my list for 2016. There’s a ton of things that I could be doing, and want to do, but then I realized that I will burn myself out quickly if I keep going at the pace I currently am, and that my ideas want to go. 🙂
So I reeled my mind in, and made a decision about the few projects that I will work on in 2016 – and then what I will do to improve my efficiency and effectiveness of the things that I already do.
Thanks for the reminder that more is not always better or needed. Better is better.
Here’s to a fabulous 2016!
Thank YOU for being an inspiration! 🙂
Sometimes it’s hard to choose between all the ideas, isn’t it?
Have a fab 2016!
Thank you for all your positive and inspiring blogs Henneke,
and have a Merry Christmas!
Thank you, Olga. I appreciate your comment.
Merry Christmas to you, too!
Hey Henneke,
This is a great post for the end of the year. Things get busier for me it seems as the year comes to a close. And I’m coming to the realization that I’m trying to fit too many things in my schedule: running a yoga studio, yoga teacher training, guest posting, building a wellness blog, and trying to figure out how that will someday monetize. A lot. Plus I have only 3-4 hours of guaranteed work time per day with my son at home. So I’m in the process of narrowing down my focus….And yes, it’s a great point about how the internet has a way of making us feel like we’re not doing enough if we aren’t a huge success in all areas of life. Best wishes for the new year:)
Hey Jessica
Good to see your name pop up here again! It’s hard, isn’t it, when we want to do so much and we have so little time.
Looking forward to hearing how you get on in the new year. Best wishes for 2016 🙂
Hi Henneke,
How are you doing?
Really great post here and it’s so much truth you speak. It’s all about prioritizing and knowing your limits.
As entrepreneurs, the main goal is to be free and knowing your limits. And especially when it comes to tasks…I know I don’t want to work 50 hours a week because that’s exactly why I started a business in the first place. But I also know that sometimes that needs to be done early on to reap benefits later.
So for my 2016, I’m changing my entire mindset, doing a complete 360 on my site and start operating it like a business. No more working on it whenever I feel like it.
– Andrew
Hey Andrew
I imagined you were treating your blog as a business already! 🙂
Looking forward to hearing how things go with you in 2016. Happy holidays!
Henneke, thank you!
The subject line on your email jumped out at me this morning. I clicked on the article and your words articulated perfectly what have been my jumbled thoughts. Thank you for the great advice, grounded in your personal experience. So glad I am on your email list!
I’m glad to hear that, Andrea (and nice to “meet” you!).
Take care and best wishes for 2016!
Awesome post Henneke
I have the same issue. I feel like I need to do everything, be everywhere, and this, that, and the other. Everyone else seems to manage it, why can’t I? The internet is conspiring against me. 🙂
It’s one of the great lessons I’ve learned this year. Well, I learned it before this year, and just relearned it again.
I can’t wait to see what 2016 has in store for you.
Happy holidays!
Yes, some people seem to manage being everywhere, but I seem unable to do this. So at least for 2015, I was able to let go. It stopped bothering me.
Letting go and focusing isn’t easy, so we need to keep reminding ourselves.
Good to see you again, Greg. Take care and happy holidays!
Love this!
Your posts are useful and awesome as always, Henneke.
Thank you, David. I appreciate your comment!
PS: Did you see Greg McKeown is hosting a live event tonight on the topic of living more essentially? For you and anyone else interested, check out: http://www.essentiallive.tv
Enjoyed this article and all the others I’ve read this year. And your book which is helping me a lot with my writing.
Have a great 2016
Alan
Thank you, Alan. That’s great to hear.
Here’s to a happy 2016!
Thank you for sharing, Henneke. A very useful advise, I’ll follow. Needed it! Happy xmas and New Year. Let it be kind. See you in 2016.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, too. Looking forward to seeing you again in 2016!
Great post Henneke – something we all struggle with and an ongoing task to manage. I’d highly recommend Gary Keller’s book The One Thing – just finished it and it gives some great tools to deal with exactly these issues.
Thank you for the recommendation. I don’t know that book, so will check it out!
Awesome article. It really hit home for me. The Internet (and of course my inner critic) really does conspire against us!
Yes, our inner critics and the Internet are a vicious team.
Take care and best wishes for 2016!
Great post Henneke! We all need these reminders every so often. I’ve always liked the 90% rule. That is indeed magic.
Have a great holiday and new year!
Amy
Happy holidays to you, too, Amy!
Thank you for stopping by 🙂
Hi Henneke,
Great post!
Question: Do you think this mindset works for people who are just starting out with their online careers? It seems like the prevailing attitude ‘out there’ is that you have to put in a lot of work to make your business successful, at least for the first few years, before you can drastically reduce your working hours. Do you think you’d be in this position if you hadn’t put in 50 hours per week in the beginning?
Eric
I’m not suggesting everyone should work only 25 hours – that’s my limit because I’m not fit.
However, the principle of working fewer hours with more focus should be the same no matter how far advanced our business is. The challenge when just starting out is to decide what to focus on as we often know less about what are strengths are, what we enjoy doing and what is effective.
In my first year of running my own business, I probably worked around 60 hours a week, but I’m pretty sure I was a busy fool. I could probably have achieved as much by working 40 hours or even less. Simply by spending less time messing around with irrelevant details (like checking stats every hour or so) and by focusing more on what I wanted to get done.
Chris Winfield wrote eloquently about doing more work in fewer hours: http://www.chriswinfield.com/40-pomodoro-workweek/ (I use a similar system with short bursts of focused working and a lot of breaks.)
I don’t want to suggest we all need to do the same as I’ve done. We all need to decide what’s required for ourselves. How much money do we want to make? How long might it take for our business to take off? How much time would we like to spend on our business? The answers to those questions define how we design our life and our business around our needs.
Thanks so much for that detailed response, Henneke! I am now a subscriber to Chris Winfield.
All the best this holiday season, and I’m looking forward to following you in the New Year!
Eric
http://yearoffear.com/stop-trying-to-be-perfect-and-just-get-started/
This is really helpful. Excellent suggestions that I will incorporate into my 2016 plans. Thank you for all your work! Have a relaxing holiday as nd best wishes for the New Year.
Thank you, Mary.
Best wishes for 2016 to you, too!
Happy 2016 to you too. And thanks for all help in 2015.
You’re welcome 🙂
Happy 2016 to you, too!
Hi Henneke,
Wishing you a warm and happy Christmas and New Year 2016.
May all your dreams come true.
Wishing you all the best,
This time, the article teaches us to prepare a new year planner, chart to prepare and follow it line by line.
Thank you Henneke,
With lots of love and regards,
Singaravelu
Yep, prepare a plan, but don’t be over-ambitious.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, too!
Perfectionists cannot comprehend:
Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly
Yep, I really really struggle with that. What’s always been drummed into me is that you do something well or you’d better not do it.
Hello Henneke,
Couldn’t have imagined a better post to welcome 2016. At some point one needs to start doing a list of things one is no longer going to do. And is harder than we might expect. But as you said, it’s key to our performance and well-being.
Really liked your “Beat procrastination and get important things done” list. Everything in a nutshell.
Merry Christmas and see you back in January 🙂
Yes, you’re right. It’s not easy to define the things you don’t want to do. What helped me is reminding myself that the not-to-do list was just for 2015. Then at the end of the year, I could review it again. (I think the not-to-do’s will pretty much stay on the not-to-do list for at least another 6 months!)
Merry Christmas to you, too!
Fantastic insights Henneke. I love the idea of a “not-to-do list”.
Happy Holidays!
-David
The not-to-do list has really helped me. It was a not-to-do-list for 2015. It stops me from thinking about it all the time, and gives me a specific time when I can review it again.
Happy Holidays to you, too!
Thanks. Great article. Resolved for 2016. Appreciate it.
Thank you, Joe. Happy 2016!