Starting is easier than you think.
One of the hardest things about being a small business owner is the stress of keeping your business afloat day in and day out. There are so many moving parts. So many obstacles. So many things that can go wrong. For many, this can be totally overwhelming. And it often feels easier to just ignore problems until they’re truly unavoidable since it can seem impossible to get ahead of all the challenges on your plate.
This is an understandable and natural response to such high-stakes stressors. But we all know that ignoring problems is never the best solution. In a perfect world, we would always stay ahead of every issue and have plans to mitigate them. But we don’t live in a perfect world, and most business owners have a backlog of projects that haunt them day and night.
So what can be done about it? Even if you wanted to take on all the challenges you’ve been avoiding, where do you even start? Turns out, starting is usually the hardest part. Once you get going, it’s easier to maintain your momentum.
So let’s focus on different ways to begin tackling seemingly insurmountable challenges, so you can get some of the stress off your shoulders.
Tip #1: Take an inventory
Sometimes it can feel too overwhelming to start tackling even the simplest of tasks. If that’s you, it’s totally reasonable to start with something more basic. Instead of worrying about beginning or finishing a task, let’s just take stock of the things on your to-do list:
Make a list of all the tasks you need to do by organizing them into one of three categories: Short Term Needs/On-Going Needs/Long Term Needs
Write a time estimate for how long you think it’ll take to complete each task
Determine the top 3 tasks that would be most useful to do first
Now that you have a tangible list, you can meaningfully consider what it means to take on your challenges. You’ll likely find that the list is much less intimidating than you thought it would be, and whenever you’re ready, you’ll know where to start based on what you identified to be most useful.
Why it works:
Few things are more scary or stressful than the unknown. I’ve found that most businesses have very manageable to-do lists, but they avoid even thinking about it simply because they’re paralyzed by the fear of confronting what they anticipate will be boundless and impossible tasks. But since their expectations are often much worse than the reality, once they take an inventory, most business owners can finally imagine a path forward to accomplishing their goals.
Tip #2: Break it down
Sometimes you have to take on super complex and multifaceted challenges. These are usually amongst your most important tasks, but also the most likely to be kicked down the road. It’s just SO MUCH to deal with. So what can you do to make it easier to get started? Well, the tried a true method for taking on those monumental tasks is to break them down into smaller pieces. And the trick to really making it manageable is by getting really granular with it. My favorite way of doing this is to break a project down into parts, with smaller tasks within each part.
Example:
WRONG:
Task - Build a new website
RIGHT:
Project - Build a new website
Part 1: Picking a designer
Contact friends/colleagues for recommendations
View portfolios
Contact top 3 designers
Review proposals
Pick designer
Part 2: Defining content parameters
Pros/Cons of current website
Etc...
Why it works:
Opening a new location, launching a new product, building a website... These huge tasks are just too daunting to swallow whole. But if you can break down each step into its smallest parts, it makes it much more approachable to get started. And once you begin making incremental progress towards the goal, it becomes so much easier to stick with it over the long haul.
Tip #3: Baby Steps
So you have ten bazillion things that need to be addressed? Cool. Let’s ignore all of them, but one. Pick the smallest, simplest task on your to-do list. Printing new business cards, cleaning a piece of equipment, sending a follow-up email. Whatever it is, pick any one thing that can be done with minimal time, effort, and stress. Focus on accomplishing that one task. Finish it. Cross it off your list. Breath a sigh of relief that you have one less thing to worry about. Now do that a few more times to get in a rhythm of tackling your challenges.
Why it works:
Success breeds success and the best way to build that pattern is to start with small wins, one at a time. Just like with working out, the more practice you get, the more comfortable you’ll be taking on bigger and bigger challenges. Ideally, you’ll start to get into a routine of taking on challenges one at a time and can work through your to-do list with minimal stress.
Tip #4: Commitment Devices
We all have the best intentions to do the things we know we should be doing. But then procrastination hits. We just can’t get motivated to get started. So sometimes you just have to force yourself into a position where you can’t put it off any longer by using a commitment device. Here are some of my favorites:
Make a public promise that you’ll have a project ready by a certain time
(e.g. A social media post announcing that you’re launching the fall line on Oct 1st)Ask someone you trust to hold you accountable for getting things done
(e.g. Get your partner to check up on your progress every other day)Make a major investment in a goal that you know is important
(e.g. Buy the pizza oven so you don’t have any more excuses to not be making pizza)
Once you’ve committed in these ways, it’s so much easier to get in the right mindset and take the first step. Sometimes all you need is a kick in the butt.
Why it works:
When you externalize your commitments it makes them more tangible and brings a greater sense of urgency to the project at hand. This is especially important for business owners who don’t have anyone above them to keep them on task. It’s a basic principle of behavioral economics and it can work wonders to instill motivation for even the most trying of tasks.
FINAL WORD
When running a business, it’s critical to be able to get into the right mindset to make effective choices and actions. That’s why so much of what we do at Outsiders is helping business owners develop and implement processes like those outlined above. We believe that starting on the right foot is one of the most important factors in long term success. But being too hesitant to start building or improving is often one of the biggest hurdles we see preventing businesses from getting to the next level. So by applying any or all of these four tips to your process, we hope you’ll find the strength and courage to take on your to-do list and reduce the unavoidable stresses of growing a business.
