It happens to the best of the best, so it’s natural that most entrepreneurs battle from time to time with losing their way or getting off course, so today’s post is all about how to re-start after getting off course in your business.

There are a few tried and true principles that can help you pick up, dust off, and get moving in the right direction again.

Make a List

 

Yeah, I know, you probably hate lists!  I LOVE them.  I’m practically a list-aholic.  I used to make lists about lists.  Maybe you love them – maybe not.

restart when you get off course

Either way, there’s some pretty good evidence to support using lists.  Simply putting a thought to paper helps you remember it, so lists of tasks, errands, projects, whatever. It helps.

I like starting with lists of the “big rocks” in my business and life.  Major projects.

That way you can create a smaller list of milestones or tasks for each of those, and put the daily and weekly tasks on a calendar or in your phone.

Block Your Time

This is something I do pretty consistently now, but it was super hard when I first went full-time in by business.

You see, when we allow outside forces to creep back into our schedule, it can be really hard to take control again.  I’ve found that using some method of time blocking or time chunking works really well to stay on track and start checking things off that list!

This can be as simple as blocking 10 minutes before bed to organize what you did today and what needs to be done tomorrow. It can be complex as blocking (or chunking) your time during the day for different projects.  For example, my first “work” block each day is different, depending on what projects are active.  However, that first block is always spent on activities intended to drive results in my business – no fluff – just getting stuff done!

Many people find this method works great to help get more production out of their days.  I recommend the first 2 60-90 minutes blocks are spent on results-oriented activities.  Those can include actively prospecting people for your business, publishing content and sharing it on social networks, emailing your list, following up with prospects or customers, you get the drift.

What’s it not?  Well, it’s not scrolling your newsfeed for videos of kittens and puppies!  So, block that time and get busy!

Set Your Intentions

So, stay with me here, because I know this is where I lose some people.  Whatever you do to connect with a higher power or inner strength, do it.  Meditate or Pray every day – even 5 minutes can make a huge difference in your disposition and help you keep a positive and grounded outlook through the day.  I’m not here to tell you which path is the right one.  Make your choice and follow it.

The body, brain, mind, and spirit need quiet time for reflecting, and quieter time.  Just empty those crazy thoughts bombarding you every 2.4 seconds!  Acknowledge them, send them along their way, and be in the moment with your quiet time.  This one thing help calm stormy waters inside your head so quickly.

While you are having this quiet time each day, toward the beginning or end of that time, set your intention for the day (or the next day if you do this in the evening).

Use a Calendar

So, I’m a paper girl.  Gotta admit it.  After years of Outlook in the corporate world.  I use Gmail, Google Calendar, and my smartphone to stay on top of my schedule.  AND…I use a paper planner for busy days.  I love the undated kind, so I just use months, weeks and days that I need.  You can find my favorite one at the bottom of this post, with a couple of books I recommend on today’s topic.

When you’ve got a gazillion things going on, writing them down – with TIMES – can really help you get a lot done.  It also makes you think about how long something is REALLY going to take, and when you need to leave to get to that appointment on time.  These are the little things that help make the difference between running your days and allowing your days to run you!

In conclusion, this is one of those things that really does happen to nearly everyone.  You get off course due to illness, injury, family or obligations.  The trick is knowing how to re-start after getting off course.  It doesn’t have to be hard.

Remember, the only way to fail is to quit.  Never quit.

Resources

Here are a few resources and recommended books to help with this area:

I hope this helps you if you are struggling to re-start after getting off course in your business.

 

2 Responses

  1. It seems like I will get off of track in certain aspects of my business. One thing will be going good, and before I know it, I haven’t kept consistent with it because something else started working good. All in all, I think this can help not just with getting off track in the entire business, but certain areas we may have neglected, like emailing our lists!

    1. It happens to most of us at some point, Jaye! The important thing is to get back on track. I’m also becoming a big believer in having a lean list – cleaning it often. When you’re coming off a down time is a great opportunity to offer something really cool – great training, etc., to your list, then clean out those who don’t engage. Keeping a calendar for content and productivity tasks can help, too.

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