If things don’t change,
things don’t change!
In this article we look at 3 simple steps to have your busy mind let go of the problems to focus on the tasks at hand. The term ‘monkey mind’ has been around for over 2,000 years apparently coined by Buddha. He described the human mind as being full of drunken monkeys, constantly screeching, fighting, chattering, distracting, and generally creating mental chaos.
When we are juggling life, business, family, and self, we often experience this monkey mind. It can cause anxiety, stress, sleep difficulties, and emotional distress!
Let’s look at a simple way to get those problem monkeys off your back, forever!! This is a critical game changer for business owners and is guaranteed to reduce the overwhelm, give you back precious time, and become an ongoing habit for success!
Solving problems is foundational to winning in business! I am super excited to bring you this simple approach and cannot wait for you to reap the benefits not only in your business, but across your life!
Let’s dive in so you can work less, stress less, and make more money!
Overview
As women, we do something unique that most men don’t do… the lucky ducks, we carry burden.
We carry so many things in our head that sometimes it feels like it will explode!
- Business
- Problems
- Dinner
- Shopping
- Finances
- Housework
- Sports
- Kids
- Pets
- Social life
- Getting to the gym
- Appointments
- The list goes on…
Trying to run a business while juggling daily life is tough enough BUT managing business problems adds that extra load we just don’t need.
I can relate. I juggled home, life, and a business, whilst also coaching others in business! I was running myself into the ground!
For a long time, I carried the burden of everything to be done. I was so tired, but I had no other choice, in my mind anyway… I thought, than to put in more hours, drop (what I thought) were less important things, and just keep going! This was unsustainable! I was exhausted!
Nothing got my best. I was a shadow of a mom, partner, and friend! I was no longer living my best life… I couldn’t even recognise myself! I also hit the booze to try to slow down and relax! Not a good choice! It felt like it worked, but it really didn’t.
I finally stopped and looked at what I was doing!
I realised I was taking on all the issues in my business and home life and trying to solve them all myself. I was basically firefighting… and there was no back burn!!
That’s when I discovered a simple method to sort things out! I applied it to my business with gusto and it took the huge burden off my back, stopped the monkey brain at nighttime, and gave me a newfound sense of being on top of things… finally! It didn’t take long to get the balance back into my life. These days, I use this simple approach in both business and life. In fact, as a family, we apply this to everything!
Let’s dive in so you can apply it TODAY!
There are three steps I want you to commit to for a week. Something has to change and these steps will do it!
Do this in your business first! Once you are proficient in this approach you can easily translate this to all areas of your life! Here we go!!
Step 1 – Unload your Mind
I want you to become very conscious on what goes on in your mind. Stay alert as I want you to notice any time a problem jumps into your head and starts demanding attention! This is commonly called the monkey mind. Watch your mind jump all over the place!
The next time your mind grabs a problem I want you to STOP and follow these simple actions:
- Grab a post it note (which you should keep with you at all times) and write the problem down (nothing more!) simply write it down.
- Repoint your focus immediately back to what you were doing before the problem surfaced.
- Notice how your brain will want to solve the problem and have an internal dialogue about it, perhaps even take it out to its worse outcome – RESIST, RESIST, RESIST! It won’t take long before this becomes a habit. GAME CHANGER!! TIME BACK!!!
How easy is that! As you continue to do this your Monkey Mind should start to slow down!
Simply follow these steps, rinse and repeat:
- Notice when a problem emerges.
- Write it on a post it.
- Immediately refocus back to what you were doing.
Getting things out of your head and onto paper is a strangely simple action however it has a significant impact! Instant relief!! Your mind somehow knows the problem won’t be forgotten and it loses its grip on carrying the burden! A simple but effective trick for the mind!!
Do the same thing when any problem is brought to you by your team or others! Don’t deal with the problem at that time unless is something very quick like a decision or a direction… for the rest write it down and refocus!
Of course, if your problem can be fixed in 2 minutes of less, deal with it then and there…. but keep a careful eye on how many of these little problems you get given and find out why they are coming to you! For example, do you have interruption boundaries in place?
Step 2 – Define your Problems
At the end of the day collect your post it notes together. It’s time to define the problems a little further so they can be prioritised and resolved!
We don’t want you to work on everything at once because this is the main reason for the overwhelm. Studies have shown that if you work on more than 3 things at a time your productivity goes down to 40%. That’s a huge cost to you and your family!! Think about it, you’re already time poor and your productivity is operating at 40%, you can’t keep adding things to your plate and expected results! It’s a recipe for disaster!!
So, to set things up in a functional and achievable manner, let’s define your business problems!!
Work on one post it notes at a time and add the following details to each post it, keeping it short and sweet:
- Add the frequency this problem occurs:
Does it happen weekly, often, every day, or is it a one off? - Add who the problem impacts:
Is it you, your customers, your suppliers, or your team? - Add the actual impact of the problem:
Is it cost, time, or quality? Be as specific as you can but keep it short
For example, my post it would read
Website images disappeared – It’s a one off impacting customers (trust, professionalism, and potentially sales)
And that’s it! No jumping in to fix anything, just add the info. Don’t even think about writing the email to your web guy! STOP!! See how your mind want to jump in and solve it!! Stick with me here…don’t let those monkeys loose!!
Complete each post it note, one problem at a time. Be clinical about it! Initially this will take time because you have a lot going on in your head; you are carrying a lot in there. Not to mention the challenges of life!!
Once you get into the swing of this, things will start to slow down!!
Remember, if things don’t change, things don’t change!
STEP 3 – Prioritise and Take Action
Now it’s time to prioritise the problems so you know what to work on first. And importantly, what you can leave till later. This relieves the overwhelm like you wouldn’t believe.
Knowing you don’t have to fix everything today is a burden lifter!!
Your monkey mind won’t necessarily like this and may want to persist on getting in there and thrash around with these problems. RESIST, RESIST, RESIST!! and refocus! This is a skill you will strengthen over time! It is your lifesaver!!
Before we start step 3
I want you set up an area where you can work on your post it notes – your bunch of problems.
- Find a quiet place away from distractions, where you can create a working wall or a place for your post its notes!!
I love to work on a wall in my home or business office. White boards are great but you may need a big one. Glass is excellent for post its and white board markers. - Create 3 sections on your working wall – TO DO | NEXT | DOING
You are now ready to prioritise your problems… here we go!
- First choose the 3 most important problems. You do this by looking at all of your problems, consider the time and cost it will take to resolve the problem, the impact of solving it, and the alignment to your business goals! Let’s face it, some problems are not even relevant to our goals!
- Place the top 3 in your DOING section. Hopefully, one of these is a simple quick fix as solving it will create momentum for you!!
- Place the next priorities in the NEXT section – you will know which ones are next to go.
- And the rest go into TO DO section to be done later.
- And then walk away!! You have your problems prioritised!!
Now, listen!! Your mind is going to want to jump on these and get going! Keep an eye on it. Observe your mind chatter. Watch as it wants to work out how to fix the problems. Watch your mind start to make its way back to overwhelm. Stop it in its tracks! Resist, resist, resist! Create the new habit of refocussing where YOU choose to work!
Next, Schedule your top 3 problems in your calendar and work on them one at a time. When you finish one of your DOING post its, move one of your NEXT problems to the DOING section… WOOHOO progress!
Never have more than 3 in your DOING section!! NEVER!!
This is a powerful trick used by entrepreneurs to get things done. There is a tension that builds that motivates you to get the post it finished before you can work on the next one!!
Try it, you won’t believe how powerful this is!!
As the days go by, you will continue to add to this – it becomes a working wall.
The process you are doing is called a KANBAN.
What about an Online App?
Try not to jump into an online app until this process becomes a habit.
Doing things manually locks the process into your habits. Once you understand the process and do it continuously, jump into an online solution. There are many online KANBAN solutions. Once you move your process online you will save even more time. But for now, stick with me and do it manually!
– OVER TO YOU –
Ok… Right, you are sorted for the week. Put this quick win in place and get ready to reduce the overwhelm, get things sorted, and drop the monkey mind!
Try this for one week! Stick with it as best you can and do your absolute best to work on one thing at a time.
Watch the distractions that demand your attention! Don’t be judgie if you slip, just recognise it and get back on track!
Habits take time! This one is definitley worth creating!
To recap…
Apply this simple method for one week… and beware of distractions!
Step 1 – capture your problems on a post it note and immediately get back to what you were doing
Step 2 – when time permits, define your problems further by adding the frequency, who is impacted, and the type and level of impact.
Step 3 – prioritise your problems (and work on one at a time and no more than 3 in your DOING section)
If you are an active learner, and enjoy sharing the journey with others, join our private facebook community. I will be there actively moderating, sharing additional information, and fostering a community that is safe, supportive and powerful. Think of this as your online mastermind group. Come be a part of it!
See you there!