Do you ever feel like quitting your business?

I do. Usually once a week or so, when weekend approaches and I realise I don’t have weekends. I got kids.

Being a mum is one of those totally ungrateful positions, with no pay, 24/7 demand, never ending  rollercoaster of feeling grateful, proud, happy and guilty, and overworked and inadequate and usually everything at once.

And let’s not forget those sleepless nights when they need feeding, changing, chasing monsters away.

And you just know your kids are going to give you even more sleepless nights when they are teenagers for entirely different reasons.

Yet…most of us are sensible, responsible adults and loving parents and we do our best and we rarely give up on that parenting gig.

Your growing business is your baby, too.

It needs your attention all the freaking time. There is a million things to do, and everyone seems to be so much better at it than you. It almost feels easier to go back to a steady job with a steady paycheck and get your evenings back. And paid holidays.

…and than you talk with a friend who has to wake up 5am to get to work on time and you shudder. That was a close one.

Clearly, you are not ready to go back to your job but you still need something shifting because you just don’t feel like working.

How To Remain Productive When You Feel Like Giving Up

1. CREATE SOMETHING TODAY: Take action and focus on output. Binging on Netflix and wallowing in self pity is just going to make you feel more like a failure.

   You need to eliminate the negative emotion – the self doubt and create something amazing, that will fire you up again.

   Remember how at first blogging, commenting, creating workbooks was so much fun? Bring back that feeling. You will feel better because you DID something, an in turn it will help you to shake off the limiting story that played in your head hindering your progress – you are not a quitter, you didn’t give up, you clearly got this.

   Patience and dedication to the process is a secret to success – expert became experts because they keep mastering their craft. 

2. BITE A BULLET and complete all the fiddly biz-busy bits: Sometimes we are really not feeling like doing anything at all. Take action and focus on output  – clear your to do list to create a mental space where you can create something awesome.We all have invoice to file, stats to check, renew subscriptions, so if you are not feeling productive or creative right now do all those little things that clutter your mental to do list.

   Crossing all that fiddly stuff of your list is weirdly satisfying, and you had to do it at some point anyway.Just because you are an entrepreneur it doesn’t mean you have to be at your best, creative self all the time. Accept that today is a non-creative day and let go of the guilt. Tomorrow you will wake up to clean desk, clean inbox and a world of possibilities.

3. TAKE A BREAK TO BE HAPPY: Usually, the more we force ourselves to do something, the more resistance our mind conjures and we keep finding excuses.

   If powering through is not an option (if you are creative you know that powering through a mental block doesn’t usually work that well) but you still have to complete the project against deadline – try changing the scenery, the point of view, the circumstances.

   Go for a an hour walk outside, listen to upbeat music, call your best friend and have a lunch together, try a yoga class – basically do something completely different and give yourself permission to do something you really enjoy for an hour or two – than come back reenergised and ready and finish that baby! (ok, that came out a little wrong, please do not harm any babies or kittens).

Fall in love with your business again.

Never feel like quitting your business  – again. 

Now that you know 3 ways to stay productive even though you really don’t feel like working – let’s look at 3 main reasons you were ready to quit in a first place so you can prevent the downward spiral:

1. You need more stable income – look at your business model and see if you can incorporate more stable income into the mix:
   • retainer contracts
   • longer term packages ( ie. create 3 or 6 month coaching packages instead of selling 1 hour sessions)
   • info products
   • membership site
   • licensed products (like tshirts, candles, perfumes with your brand on it)
   • affiliate income
2. You need more lifestyle flexibility – look at your daily and weekly routine to incorporate things you want to do right now, for instance to work 4 day week instead of 5 (or 7) plan everything for those 4 days, or schedule your personal self care and fun time just as you would schedule the client appointment.
   
   Schedule your holidays and trips so you don’t overbook yourself or plan projects back to back. The paradox of scheduling your personal lifestyle results in more lifestyle flexibility because you can fit everything you want in before it gets taken over by client stuff.
3. You need to maintain your success mindset  – your mindset is your greatest asset in business development but the same characteristic that makes you such a good entrepreneur also means that you are always looking for great leaps, that massive success, the thrill of the ride. And we sort of accept failures and we get a kick out of bouncing back to the top. But when the progress is slow, that’s where the biggest danger lurks.
   
   Slow and steady is rarely in our entrepreneurial markup. The boring consistency is what makes you itch – thinking you should do something daring, new, because when things are not that exciting anymore it feels a little bit like that job we escaped from.

 

So take care of your mindset especially on those days when things are seemingly fine, yet you are not feeling it. Finish the project before you start a new one. Delayed gratification is a bitch, so remind yourself why you are doing it.

100% Confident – because you belong at the top. 

When the whole business is just you – it’s sometimes easy to forget how truly awesome you are.

Because the same person who writes the company manifesto is also ultimately responsible for taking out the trash.

And it’s very, very easy to be swallowed by a daily grind and admin and scheduling and million other things entrepreneurs do on a daily basis – and if anything goes wrong, it’s you who stays up at night desperately trying to fix it.

But you started this business for a reason.

Your passion and purpose are what keep you going.

Remind yourself why it’s all worth it.

Share your WHY you belong at the top on your Facebook page right now and if you tag me or put #movabo, I’ll make sure to come over and congratulate you – because you’ve got this!