“Help me! I’m too busy. It seems like there’s always a million things to do, not enough hours in the day, and somebody always needs my help. I’m on the verge of burnout. Something needs to change…”

I get it and you’re definitely not alone! Being ‘too busy’ and feeling overwhelmed isn’t sustainable. As a Visionary CEO, coach, or consultant, it doesn’t serve you, your team, your clients, or your business. If you’re feeling this way, it may be a sign that you’re not delegating enough to your team, that there’s operational inefficiency, or that you need to put a strategic plan in place so you know what you and your team need to focus on to reach your goals.

But the good news is that it’s fixable!

Here are a few questions to ask yourself to help determine your next steps.

Question 1: Does this really need to be done?

We often have things on our to-do lists that either:

• Don’t need to be done at all – they are ideas, maybes or nice-to-haves. They are projects and things we are thinking about, but that we haven’t actually decided on yet. Ideas are not to-dos! Do a brain dump and create a separate list for these ideas, and get those things off your to-do list until they are a sure thing.
• Don’t need to be done NOW – if you aren’t strategic about planning ahead, then as a default everything on your to-do list feels like it needs to be done NOW. That’s overwhelming. Work through each item and ask yourself – when does this really need to be done? Could it be put off until next week? Maybe even next month or next quarter? Take your list and put realistic due dates beside each item. (As a Director of Operations / Online Business Manager, I always start by creating a strategic plan for my clients, so that we can be clear on realistic timelines and not feel like it all needs to be done ‘now!’)

After answering this question, you should be left with a list of things that are due in the next week or so – and a list of things that aren’t due yet (or are ideas and are no longer on the list!)

Question 2: Do I need to be the one to do this?

If you are like many business owners and coaches I know, as a default you feel like you must do everything. You are good at what you do. You’re used to being the one to get it all done, but now things are starting to fall behind and slip through the cracks.

Run through your list again and ask yourself – could someone else do this for me?

If you have a small team or no team, beware of falling into the following traps when you answer:

“Well yes, someone else could do this for me but I’m the only one here so I have to.” If you don’t have anyone working with you right now this could be true, and you also have the power to change that. Business growth dictates that you will need to hire help at some point – when you do it is up to you.

“No one can do it as well as me – so I have to be the one to do it.” This is a dangerous spot to get stuck in, because as long as you believe it to be true, it will be. It will keep you stuck in that place and could be your biggest barrier to growth. Yes, you may be the best at doing something, but that doesn’t mean you can’t train someone else to do it as well as you or find someone who does it already and bring them on board. (As a DOO/OBM I work with my clients to ‘download’ everything from their brain into documented processes so that we can confidently start delegating.)

The goal here is simple – identify as many things as possible that others could do for you so you can get some of that busy work off of your plate! It doesn’t mean you have to hire a full team of people tomorrow. You can either start with hiring one team member, or you can look to give more work or responsibility to the team members you have already and plan ahead for getting more support.

I know this isn’t an easy exercise for some business owners, especially if you have an inner control freak that doesn’t want to let go, but if you’re feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, it’s a necessity to avoid heading down the road to burnout.

Remember, effective CEOs come up with ideas and hand them off to their Director of Operations or Online Business Manager to evaluate and plan, and for the team to execute.

If you’re a coach or a consultant with a smaller business or team, you can still come up with the ideas, prioritize them, and then delegate as much as you can to your team or virtual assistant.

Question 3: How can I create more space?

At this point you should have a realistic list of what needs to be done in the next week or so. Now you want to ensure you have the space and time to get it done. Here are two of my favorite tips:

• Plan ahead – book the time in your schedule to get stuff done. You might book in specific tasks, or you might book in time for types of tasks (ie: creative time, client time, recording videos).
• Set boundaries – distraction is the death of productivity. Be it team, clients, family or social media – every time you get distracted it takes you off track and it can be hard to refocus. For many people, the distractions happen all day long! Close your door. Shut your inbox. Turn off your notifications. Let people know when you aren’t available and when you are. And get really good at saying no (because they will test your boundaries!).

Question 4: Do I need to re-evaluate commitments and renegotiate any deadlines?

You can’t say yes to everything. Choose wisely. Make sure what you commit to counts and that it’s something that will contribute to business fulfillment or growth, and that it’s in alignment with your core values and goals for the year.

However, if you are truly in over your head right now and can’t get everything done, then you need to re-evaluate your commitments and look at what deadlines you can revise with clients, team members or whoever may be waiting on you. Nobody likes having to do this, but it’s better to deal with it as soon as possible and ahead of time so that it doesn’t keep snowballing, causing more overwhelm… as well as frustration for everyone involved.

Take a hard look at events or projects you’ve committed to (personal and business-related). What deadlines do you have that can be extended? Can a planned launch on your calendar be rescheduled to give yourself and your team more time? Maybe you need to consider how you work with clients and if you can use more leverage (more one-to-many compared to one-on-one).

Question 5: Do I have a strategic plan to run my business by?

Does it seem like you’re often running your business by the seat of your pants? This is a common scenario when you don’t have a strategic plan based on your mission, vision, and values to help you and your team keep focused every quarter of the year.

When you take the time to do that deep dive into every aspect of your business, your big vision, and your goals, you always know what’s coming up and what you need to be focused on, as well as what can be set aside for the future. It plans out your business for the entire year, prioritizing what’s most important – not JUST for upcoming activities and events, but also for improving operational efficiencies, increasing visibility, scaling your team, customer experience, product development, business growth, and more.

Yes, that can seem daunting if you’re attempting to figure that out on your own, but luckily, I have a structured process for that called the Strategic Mapping Model™. As a Certified Director of Operations and Strategic Mapping Consultant™, I use this method to collect all of that information from you over a few sessions. I organize the information, create projects from it that we prioritize together, and I present you with the finished strategy and business plan – broken down into quarters – that you and your team can easily follow and manage.

There’s no need to be spinning your wheels. When you have a strategic plan to follow, you put the proper foundation and operational systems in place, AND you’re willing to trust your team to handle the HOW – the processes behind the scenes, you’ll feel relief from the overwhelm. You’ll have the time to focus on your vision, business growth, and the things that only you can do in your business.

The first few questions above will give you a starting point to free up your time!

When you’re ready for a strategic operational plan for SUSTAINABLE GROWTH that will align your BIG Vision to the Day-to-Day Activities of your business, you can either schedule a Discovery Call or book the Strategic Mapping Model™.