Productivity
Why You Should Barbecue The Sacred Cows In Your Business
Running your own business gives you freedom: freedom to say what you want your business to say, work in the way you want to work, and call the shots as you want to call them.
Or does it?
Think about your non-work life: chances are, you give yourself the freedom to schedule your non-work life how you best see fit: time for exercise, eating, cleaning the house, reading books… whatever is important to you.
But do you do the same thing in your business? Or are you letting the conventions and norms of society dictate how you work?
Ask yourself this:
- Regardless of how it turned out at the end of the week, did you have the intention going into last week to work around 40 hours? Monday through Friday? Nine to five, or thereabouts?
- Do you check your email when you want to, or when you think you should?
- How about your phone? Do you let it go to voicemail, or stop what you’re doing (even eating) to answer it?
- If you have clients, when do you schedule them? Whenever they can work with you?
Whatever your “sacred cows”, it’s time to barbecue them.
Let me let you in on a secret… you can work any way you want to.
When most of us think about work, it’s a 9-5 (or 8-6), Monday-through-Friday affair. Maybe your schedule is a bit different, depending on your profession, but the point is the same — the vast majority of your work life is probably dictated by outside circumstances (i.e. expectations), and not based on what would really work for you.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with working a standard, typical workweek — unless it doesn’t represent the best way for you to work. And chances are, it doesn’t.
For example, are you a morning person? One of my clients, Julie, is, and so she now schedules her “creative time” for the mornings, when she writes her best. She now has a “no clients before noon” rule, too.
Or, do you have a focus in your life that requires attention at a certain time of day? Another client, Michelle, is an avid gardener. Her most productive time in her garden is in the mornings, before it gets too hot — and so, she shifts her workday to accommodate her passion for digging in the soil. And, I know a few folks who start early and kick off early so they can get to the gym in the afternoons, because that’s when they get their best workout.
And why not? Why not arrange your schedule in a way that works for you?
You Don’t Want To Be A Dog
There is a saying in Sufism that I don’t get to quote too often… but it sure is poignant here:
All the world is carrion, and those who seek it are dogs.
Okay, so it’s a bit strong, but it has a point: if you set your rhythms by the “outside world”, you’ll be forever chasing something that, even if you caught it, wouldn’t give you much.It’s far better to set your own pace, to know what’s true for you, and allows you to perform at your best and brightest.
How To Set Your Own Pace
The best determiner of your work schedule is obviously not so-called “popular opinion”, nor is it the status quo. If you’ve got the freedom to set your own hours, why not choose what works for you, your energy levels, and your life? The way you do this is to take these questions into your own heart, and feel what resonates for you there.
Tim Ferriss has a great article about understanding your body’s rhythms here, which I recommend as a part of figuring out your best mix.
But beyond this, how do you determine your best schedule?
When it comes to setting your own schedule, there are many parameters you can play with to determine what’s best for you.
I’ve taught an entire system to this in my Inspired Productivity course, but I’ll give you a simple one to start playing with now that can revolutionize your workweek all by itself. It’s called “On/Off.”
On/Off
On/Off is about when you work, and when you don’t. Simple enough, right? Not necessarily.
Because right away you probably have thoughts coursing through your mind, thinking, “Monday through Friday… all day… off weekends…” Maybe that’s good for you… and maybe not.
Instead of defaulting to the status quo, try this:
- Feel your heart/center, and breathe. Get in touch with your inner, quiet rhythms. Let go of those other thoughts, all the ones that want to infringe on your quiet space within, and just be with your authentic voice within.
- Choose a day. We’ll start with Monday.
- Imagine Monday morning; see it in your mind, as you would see it in your calendar. Now, breathe your heart-connection into that space, and ask, “On? Or off?”, and see what you notice.
- Do you get the sense from your heart that you should work then? If so, then work then. That’s an “On” time.
- If you don’t get the sense that you should be in your office then, then let it go. That’s an “Off” time.
- Continue with Monday afternoon, Tuesday morning, etc…
The key here is to trust your inner sense of when you should be On, and when to be Off. Follow your heart—not your doubts or fears, but your heart; the place of strong knowing within—and if you get that you should take a time slot off, then take it off.
Not only will you find that your productivity will climb, but by honoring your internal whispers, you’ll be strengthening your intuitive sense as well.
The first time I did this, I got to take Thursday afternoons off. Scared and shocked the heck out of me. But, I trusted it.
Did I get any complaints from my clients? No; they just thought I was busy then. But it worked out swimmingly with my family’s schedule, and became a great time to get things done as a family during the week, and spend great quality time with my daughter (I only had one back then).
It Can Ebb and Flow, too…
I work Thursday afternoons now (my heart told me to). But a few years ago, I decided not to see clients on Mondays. I still work Mondays, but they’re “genius” days — days set aside to work on projects without the interruptions of scheduled events.Well, my inner voices had a field day with that one — “I’ll lose clients! People won’t understand!” — but do you know how many times it has been an issue? Zero.
I made it my way of working, and the world revolved around it, just fine. And when I made Fridays a “genius” day, too? Not as much as a whimper.
Of course, this is going a bit beyond "On/Off", but it gives you an idea of where you can take this.
When you work and when you don’t is up to you. Same for when you answer the phones, check emails, or respond to the world’s requests.
Because in truth, there are should be only one sacred cow when it comes to your business: your heart’s knowledge about what is right for you.
And the rest of those cows? Barbecue ‘em!
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