How many times have you decided that a list is the answer? How many to-do lists do you have? Does yours get longer every day? Is it filled with things that never get done? To-do lists can be a great way to help you organise your day, but are they actually tools that help you procrastinate more?Here are 5 ways to help you make sure your to-do lists help you get things done. Have one long to-do list, but then break that down into smaller, daily actionable lists. This way, you can make sure you are getting the important things done and you don’t feel overwhelmed when you look at the list of things you need to do. Have an order of importance. Don’t push those big or hard jobs to the bottom of the list every day. Choose one important job and then some less important jobs every day so you know that you’re taking the steps that will move you forward and not ignore them. Break down the big jobs. ‘Update website’ is one thing on your to-do list, but it’s a huge thing so what does that task involve. The more you break it down the less daunting it feels. Do your most important task first. Don’t put off the big jobs until the end of the day, get them out of the way first. This way you feel like you’ve achieved something and you’ll be more motivated for the rest of the day. Set a timer. When a job feels too big or you’re not excited about doing it then putting it off is easy. Why not set a timer and only do that task until the timer goes off. That way, you’re getting some of it done without it stealing your time for the whole day. To-do lists can be a great way to keep you motivated, but they can also be an excuse for procrastination. If your to-do lists are holding you back then give these 5 things a try and let me know how you get on.

As business owners we want success (otherwise, why would we ever start), but there are things we are doing that are actually holding us back.  We don’t set out to self-sabotage but it happens more often than you’d think. In this blog, I want to show you 5 common things I’ve seen in my coaching practice, so you can start to watch out for them in your business. If you’d like to know more then you can sign up for my free 10 mistakes report here .  Procrastination How many times have you gone online to post something and then spent an hour on social media or promised yourself to get something done that’s important and then done everything else on your to-do list, but that one important thing? There are lots of reasons we procrastinate – stress, tasks feelings too big, the love of shiny objects that distract us, fear of failure. Procrastinating can really hold you back and stop you from reaching your goals. Try tracking your time, turning off notifications while you focus on the task at hand, and breaking down your to-do list, so you don’t put off what you need to do.  Fear Fear of getting it wrong or fear because you’re lacking confidence are both big things that could be holding you back. Ask yourself ‘what’s the worst that can happen’? It’s ok to get things wrong, it’s ok to need to practice and learn and it’s ok to reach out for help/support from other experts if you need it.  Mindset Now, this is a big one and one I love to talk about because your mindset is everything in your business. You can’t build a successful business, tick off the goals you set or make the income you want to make unless your mindset is in the right place. Monitoring your thoughts is a good place to start.  Imposter syndrome Telling yourself you’re not expert enough, not qualified enough, that people will see through you or question you are all signs of imposter syndrome and it’s so detrimental to your business. You are an expert and you deserve to be here, so check your mindset, look for the evidence that you can do this, and wave goodbye to imposter syndrome for good.  Not investing in yourself or your business You can’t expect to be the expert at everything and you will need to add to your skills as your business develops. Trying to do it all on your own or putting off your development until a date in the future, when you have a more stable income, won’t help your business. Learning new skills will boost your confidence and help your business, so don’t put off investing in yourself. 

Do you ever listen to the stories you tell yourself or notice the ones people around you tell you?‘Business should be hard work?’‘You can’t do it.’ When are you going to give up and get a proper job?’‘Money doesn’t grow on trees.’‘To be a success you need to work harder and longer.’Those stories might be things you heard growing up, they might be things you’ve told yourself or you’ve seen other people perpetuating in their business. You look for evidence of them being true. You repeat them over and over again, but are those stories holding you back?Your mindset is so important in building and growing your business and the stories you’re telling yourself can either inspire you and push you further or they can hold you back and keep you playing small.Why not take some time thinking about the stories you use or you’ve heard.Write them down.Then think about alternative stories you can start to tell yourself. These new stories should inspire you and remind you just how capable you are.So, for exampleBusiness should be hard work’Could change to‘Business doesn’t feel like hard work because I love what I do and I get to use my strengths, skills, and abilities every day.Just because you’ve been listening to a story for a long time doesn’t mean you can’t change it. Is it time to let go of those old beliefs, leaving them in the past, while you start a whole new chapter with new stories that support your success?

Imposter syndrome is defined as the internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be. Sufferers can feel severe inadequacy and self-doubt, fearing that they will be exposed as a fraud. It can affect anyone regardless of their success and can have a huge negative impact on people’s mindset. Lots of things can trigger the feeling, but often starting a new job, setting out in your own business, or taking things to the next level can leave you feeling inadequate and wondering if people will ‘see through’ you and see how incapable you are. When you’re self-employed imposter syndrome can hinder your business in lots of different ways.​ Making you avoid doing those jobs you need to do. Worrying about what people think of you. Staying hidden because you don’t want to be visible in case people ‘see through you’. Not charging what you’re worth. Finding taking payment difficult. Turning down business or speaking opportunities Has it stopped you from doing something in your business or made something harder?So, how can you overcome imposter syndrome? Is it something that you can beat or do you simply have to learn to live with it? Firstly, stop comparing yourself with others. You are on your own journey and doing it your way, so stop looking at what others are doing. Focus on what you can do and what’s working for your business, because that’s what really matters. Also, look for evidence that you can do these things. You’ve got this far and you’re doing great. Yes, things might be new and unfamiliar, but find evidence that you can absolutely do this. This will help silence that imposter syndrome.

How many times have you told yourself that you don’t have enough time? Your to-do list grows longer, you work more and more hours and you still don’t have time to fit it all in. So, how can you expect to reach your goals when you don’t have the time? How many times have you told yourself that you don’t have enough time? Your to-do list grows longer, you work more and more hours and you still don’t have time to fit it all in. So, how can you expect to reach your goals when you don’t have the time? Running a business takes time. You are responsible for most, if not all, of the work and so it can feel like you never have enough time. Will it be easier when you can outsource jobs or decide how you focus your time? Maybe, but there are also lots of things you can do to give yourself more time right now. Here are 4 ways to create more time in your business. Track your time                                                                                                                                                                The first thing to do is track what you’re spending your time on. You might feel like you’re always on social media because it’s a good place to market your business, but if you’re there watching videos of cats or catching up with what your friends have been doing, then that’s not a good use of your time. There are online trackers out there that you can use or you can just keep a note of how long you spend doing each task. I bet you’ll be surprised how much time you can take back from your day by being aware of where it’s being spent.                                                                                                                                    Set boundaries                                                                                                                                    Working harder won’t make your business more successful. In fact, you risk burning yourself out and becoming stressed or ever ill. In order to have more time in your business, it’s vital that you take time off. Setting boundaries helps you make sure that you step away, relax and recharge, which means you’ll have more energy for your business when you get back to things.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Have ‘working hours’, turn your email off, don’t reply to messages late at night, and even switch your notifications off now and again. Boundaries protect your time and mean that you’re more energised and focused when you are working.                                                                                                                             Say no                                                                                                                                                    Saying no goes along with boundary setting. Don’t spend your time on things that don’t make you smile. It’s your business and you’re allowed to create one that feels perfect for you. Say no to the clients you don’t want to work with, the weekend conference calls, the out-of-hours messages, and the things you know won’t add value to your business.                                                                                           Think about the cost                                                                             

We all have goals and reaching them is the challenge.