Recently, my family has been going through a challenging time, and I’ve felt overwhelmed, unsure of how to keep moving forward in my business. When a crisis strikes, it can disrupt our day-to-day routines, so we need to rely on the systems we’ve set up to keep things running smoothly.
Here are some strategies to keep you moving forward:
Take a Breath
Stop beating yourself up, give yourself space, and stop rehearsing things in your head. Get those thoughts out of your mind and into a place where they can be managed.
Strategies I Use for This:
Brain Dump
Take everything you’ve been ruminating on and get it onto paper, a Word document, Google Keep, or a Trello Board.
I personally use Trello to organize my tasks. The color coding, lists, and moveable cards work well with my brain when I need to clear it quickly.
Eisenhower Matrix
This tool helps you decide which tasks are priorities and which can be delegated, eliminated, or left for later. You can create one in a Google or Excel Sheet. It will help bring clarity on your true priorities.
Sometimes, a crisis requires you to travel or completely disrupts your normal schedule. Automating and delegating tasks will help you stay on top of things while your focus is elsewhere.
Out of sight, out of mind is real, so having a system in place helps you maintain your presence even when you’re dealing with a major crisis.
Two Strategies to Help You Stay Balanced:
Automation
Set your social media, newsletters, and emails to post or send automatically without requiring you to remember or physically do it.
I use MailerLite to send out my email newsletters at a pre-scheduled time. For social media, I use Pallyy to schedule posts. For just $18/month, I can schedule content months in advance to be automatically posted to my business pages.
You can also schedule important emails to go out without needing to lift a finger.
Use your Google Calendar and phone alarms to remind you of important appointments or tasks that need your physical presence.
These tools allow you to focus and stay present, helping keep the effects of brain fog at bay.
Delegate
Asking for help can be daunting, but it’s often a game-changer. Recently, while planning a trip back home during my family crisis, a friend helped me find a more affordable flight that could take me closer to my hometown. In moments of chaos, staying connected to community gives us others who can give us fresh eyes to see solutions we may have missed.
Ask yourself:
Are there tasks you can delegate to free up time for more critical responsibilities?
Are there things you don’t need to be doing right now?
Here are a few professionals you can reach out to when you need support:
- Bookkeepers
- Travel Agent
- Social Media Manager
- Marketing Consultant
- Editor
- Virtual Assistant
- Coach/Counselor
If you need a recommendation for reliable professionals, just reach out to me at tammy@bluebutterflysolutions.com and I’ll happily direct you to someone who fits your needs.
In Conclusion
Using these four strategies—Brain Dump, Eisenhower Matrix, Automation, and Delegation—will help you keep moving forward and reduce the hiccups that often accompany sudden, overwhelming situations. When handled properly, these challenging seasons can even propel you forward in your business.
What strategies do you have in place to help you stay on track during a crisis?
Hit reply and let me know. I’m always eager to discover new methods to help my clients and myself streamline our systems.