Episode 88: Stuck in the weeds or head in the clouds?

00:51 Welcome to Unfrazzle, a podcast for solo business owners with a big vision who are ready for a kinder more sustainable approach to productivity. I'm Louise Miller and each week i share bite-sized insights to help you step away from the hustle stop faffing and stay focused so you can make your brilliant ideas happen and make a bigger impact in the world Before we dive into today's episode, if you enjoy what I'm sharing here on Unfrazzle and you'd like to support the podcast. You can buy me a cuppa by going to BuyMeACoffee.com slash Louise Miller and making a one-off donation. I'll pop a link to that in the show notes Okay grab yourself a cuppa and let's get started If you've been in my world for awhile you may have heard me compare running a business To being on an adventure that takes you through the forest

01:38 Sometimes in areas of lovely dappled sunlight. Sometimes trying to avoid muddy puddles and sometimes in a treehouse looking down at where we've been and ahead to where we're going When it comes to getting stuff done some people struggle because they stay on the forest floor even when they start to feel they might be going in their own direction maybe panic starts to set in, maybe they start to feel like they're going around in circles They're not quite sure where they're going They stay on the forest floor And in practice that might look like Staying glued to your desk even when you're struggling to focus because there's too much to do. Or not asking your team for help because you think it's quicker to do it yourself, or feeling like you have to post across all social media platforms multiple times a week without actually stopping to consider whether that's the best use of your time maybe feeling compelled to respond to messages and comments immediately or just generally feeling like your Tasmanian devil to-do list has hold of your ankles and is stopping you from moving forward

02:36 And then there's people who struggle because actually their heads are in the clouds. It's kind of the opposite situation where they never leave the treehouse, they dream of this amazing future ideas are flying at them thick and fast And they think they can do them all and they're really inspired to do all of the things but they never quite touch down. So I had a client many years ago who talked about feeling like she was a tornado of inspiration and ideas and excitement, but she was unable to make any kind of impact because she stayed up in the air and never actually hit the ground So in practice that might look like having this really strong vision and really brilliant ideas but avoiding taking the steps you need to take to get there. Maybe you think you need to know more first, so you're signing up for more courses or perhaps you only want to take action when you are feeling inspired and energetically aligned

03:24 Or it could be that you keep chasing after every idea that comes your way but you never quite finish them, so you're ending up with half-finished blogs opportunities you didn't follow through with because you were already on to the next thing. And whether you are the sort of person who is kind of stuck on the forest floor or just stays up in the treehouse There is nothing inherently wrong about either of these states. The trouble starts when you're unable to move from one to the other, so when you're always stuck with your head in the clouds and you've got no strategy to ground your brilliant ideas and vision in consistent and aligned action or when you're always in the weeds and have no strategy to lift you back up so that you can remember what's important and feel inspired to keep moving forward So the thing I want you to remember is that every successful business needs a dreamer and an anchor

04:13 And when you're a solo business owner, you have to find a way to be both. One of the reasons that Make It Happen Club is so effective at helping people get stuff done is that the process I lead people through allows them space for both The Dreamer and The Anchor to bring their unique gifts to the party. So The Dreamer has an opportunity to imagine how they want life to look and feel, to reflect on what's been working, to celebrate successes and notice the lessons, and remember why things they are working on are important And the anchor is given space to get realistic about the time and energy involved, the tasks that need to get done to move things forward. When they might work on those things and the support that they need to get them where they want to go It's a really powerful combination of inspiration and implementation that ultimately leads to impact So my question for you today is this Which are the two camps do you tend to fall into? If your left to your own devices are you more likely to get stuck in the weeds or do have your head in the clouds

05:55 Thank you for listening to Unfrazzle. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend who needs a dose of calm productivity in their life and I'd love it if you could leave me a rating and review as that will help more people discover this podcast! If you would like to hear more from me to help stop faffing and take back control of your time, you'll find the link to join my mailing list in the show notes and I would really love for you to join us so thanks so much for your support and look forward to seeing you next time