Episode 22: What to do when life gets in the way

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

01:29 Let's buy a new wardrobe we said. And four months, two plasterers one carpenter one electrician one friend with the crowbar later We appear to have redecorated all three bedrooms So have you ever tried decorating three not very big bedrooms all at once? so much fun and yes I had a spreadsheet to prevent the whole thing from becoming one big shambles and for months furniture was dismantled and shunted around the house in what often felt like a never-ending game of Tetris Boxes and suitcases and stacks of goodness knows what were piled on, under an around the dining table. We spent months sleeping on the day bed in a spare room trying to decide which clothes we might need or could be packed away

02:10 Tom's office, so aka the box bedroom was out of action. So cue daily sometimes hourly negotiations about who is going to sit where? Who has calls and when? Who needs to be in the one operational room with a door that closes? But here is the thing despite the chaos and assault on my senses oh my god the mess at no point was I stressing about work And this did go on for months and yes it was disruptive and exhausting but I knew that it would be, so I was ready for it. For example we knew which week the new wardrobes were going to be fitted and we knew that it would take them two days but what we didn't know was which two days until the very last minute! But because I didn't fancy having client sessions whilst all that drilling and hammering was going on, I decided early on to block out the entire week

02:59 And whenever we were talking to tradespeople, I made sure that they wouldn't be here when i was guiding sessions in Make It Happen Club or doing anything that needed to be recorded. If I needed to concentrate or if I wanted a break from the noise and the mess, I just took myself off to our local coffee shop and it was inevitable that I would get less done whilst operation upstairs was going on and I knew that and I was okay with it and I planned around it You see, I realised a very long time ago that trying to keep your work and your life separate is not always the best idea because those two things don't exist in a vacuum and they will impact each other whether we like it or not.

03:37 So rather than getting annoyed with myself and everyone else because it was difficult to focus from time to time, I adjusted my expectations to allow for what was going on outside of my business. I navigated those months of chaos knowing what was non-negotiable in terms of delivery to others, what was important to the development of my business and what i could let go off so that when I WAS working, I was being as productive as possible with tasks that would actually make an impact And that didn't happen by accident. I'm able to be proactive in that way, in making those choices because I consistently put the time into thinking about what's most important and what can wait

04:15 The trick is to strengthen your awareness of everything that's on your plate and to keep making intentional choices about what gets your attention and when. And it takes practice, nobody gets it right all the time but for me this is one of the secrets of getting stuff done with less stress and more ease So how about you? Might it benefit you to think about your business or life more holistically? To acknowledge they impact each other and allow that be the case rather than fighting against it So Operation Upstairs happened a few years ago now, but in a couple of weeks time we'll be launching back into the chaos with Operation Kitchen and Dining Room. And you know I'm planning for that now! I'm batch recording a load of podcast episodes so that i can still be in your ears every week without the sound of drilling hammering and goodness knows what in the background. I've already cleared my diary, I've already earmarked those days when I need to make sure there's no noise in the house because I have things happening that I can't move

05:10 And in already thinking about that, the whole thing feels so much less stressful. So wish us luck! I hope that this helps and I 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