Episode 21: “That’s all well and good, but I simply don’t have time!”

00:00 Before we get going, I have an invitation for you. If you're ready to find out how much easier it becomes to get things done when you have Make It Happen Club in your life? The doors are open to new members right now and i would love for you to join us! So Make It Happen club is a calm quiet sanctuary where you get the clarity focus and motivation you need Hello and welcome to Unfrazzle with me Louise Miller. If you're a solo business owner and you have a big exciting vision and loads of ideas that you want to get out in the world but without drowning in a sea of overwhelm, then this is the podcast for you. Each week I'll be sharing bite-sized insights to help you stop faffing and stay focused so you can make your brilliant ideas happen and make a bigger impact in the world It's time to step away from the hustle and find a kinder more sustainable approach to productivity So grab yourself a cuppa and let's get started

01:30 In last week's podcast I stuck my neck out making the case for seeing taking space as a valid business activity that is crucial for us to do our best work and we shouldn't feel like we're slacking off or doing something naughty when we step away from our desks in the middle of the day. And it turns out that was exactly what many of you needed to hear, I received so many positive responses And I love that you're on board with the idea that to do good work we need space to be as well as to do. It really gives me hope that things are shifting in what i believe to be the right direction but, I also know that it's often easier said than done! I know that you might be listening to this and thinking yes that's all very well and good Louise but how on earth do I fit that in on top of everything else I've got going? On taking space is an indulgence I just can't afford

02:17 And I hear you. Back when I was a stressed out, high achieving overworked team leader if someone had told me to take regular breaks i'd have wanted to wallop them and yet they'd have been right and deep down I knew it because when I was tangled in the weeds keeping my head down and carrying on didn't help And unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately depending on how you look at it. For me what did help was my GP diagnosing work-related stress and anxiety and basically forcing me to stop but that's a story for a different day today I want to ask you a question if you truly believe that it's not possible for you to take some space is that okay? Are you happy with that or does something need to shift

03:03 If you're struggling and you're craving a little more space so that you can ditch the overwhelm and bring more fun back into your life, maybe it's actually time to ask some big questions. Big questions like is your business model working for you? Are you spending time on tasks that aren't actually benefiting you or your business? Are you over-complicating things? Are you saying yes to too many things and are those things taking more time than they need to? Is it time to ask for support And if you're feeling frazzled and overwhelmed, the answers to those questions might give you some valuable insights and ideas of how you might do things differently.

03:43 The trouble is the bigness of those questions makes them tricky to answer in a stolen 10 minutes between Zoom calls and therein lies the catch-22. You're rushing around with too much to do, you would love to have more space but creating more space means asking big questions and answering big questions requires space – space you don't have when you're rushing around with too much to do! And when you spend so much time working in your business that there's no space to work on your business It is impossible to calmly assess what is and isn't working, and to come up with ideas to make things better. And so you continue spinning your wheels feeling frazzled frustrated exhausted lacking the capacity to do anything about the situation that you found yourself in...and I wish I had a magic wand! I really do but I don't and nobody does

04:32 So I'm afraid i do have to be the annoying one and risk getting walloped by telling you to slow down and take a break even when, actually especially when, you're totally up against it. And it may not feel like it, but switching off completely and doing something different is really good for business. As someone in my community so beautifully put it a half an hour task can take four hours if I'm not rested! Taking time out can be part of your working day and there truly is no need to feel guilty about it So I invite you to consider what that might look like for you How might you make that a priority?

05:09 Put it in your calendar, even if it's simply 15 minutes every day where you step away from your screen and sit in the sunshine with your favourite brew and a chocolate hobnob. And if taking regular space still feels like too much of a stretch for you right now please do get in touch! Also keep an eye out for the workshop that I'll be running in March If you want to be first to hear about that make sure you're on my mailing list – I'll pop a link to that in the show notes So I hope this helps and look forward to seeing you again soon Thank you for listening to Unfrazzle. Sharing is caring so if you loved this episode please share it on your socials or head over to Spotify, iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts and leave me a review! Not only will I be hugely grateful, your ratings and reviews will help others find this podcast so that even more people can make their ideas happen. Thanks so much and see you next time