"I just don't have time" is a common cry from female entrepreneurs trying to fit everything in, do ALL the things in their business, run the home, run the family and still try and squeeze in a little time for self-care.
I get it. I'm a single mum trying to juggle everything and as I don't actually want the responsibility of a team working with/for me - I wear all the "business hats" - and there's always some shiny-object just beyond our peripheral vision wanting us to take a closer look...
And yet... there is ALWAYS the same elephant in the room.
And that elephant? ... it's always the same.
A phone screen covered with Social Media apps!
And she's telling herself it's just a "quick check-in" or an "idle scroll" whilst she's waiting for the kettle to boil/dishwasher finish its cycle/kids eat their dinner.
But there it is. Tick tock, tick, tock. Eating away at their time. Hungrily. Never satiated.
Distracting them. Pulling them away from a place of deep thought & strategy.
No matter how much time they devote to it - it always wants more.
And drags them away from all the stuff they want to be doing - tell themselves they must do.
It cuts in to the time they spend with their kids being "present".
It cuts in to the time they spend growing their business - making them consumers, not creators.
It cuts in to the time they want to spend on themselves.
Online entrepreneurs usually say they're "different" from regular folks because they always want to be learning, always seeking out new information.
But what are they doing? CONSUMING whatever the fuck it is their phone is telling them to consume.
Being led through life by a tiny electronic pocket-sized device.
One which draws on their time through pings, beeps & flashing banners.
One which delivers information in 2 second bursts.
One which demands constant feeding.
Kerrrrr-ist - I'd rather deal with a litter of puppies than be at the beck-and-call of a $1000 demanding device! 😁
You want more time in your day? You want to actually GET SHIT DONE in your business?
Cool. Delete all that shit off your phone.
This is how I organise my SM.
It's in easy-to-find folders with a max of 8-10 groups in each folder.
Then, when I check in on SM 2-3 times a week, it's literally a case of hitting the "open all" button on these folders and having a quick scan through any relevant groups.
*All groups are sorted in chronological order so I see just the most recent posts and not the "most recently commented/most popular". Shaves off more time!
Any group in which content is lacking or it's falling down a fucking stupid rabbit-hole or is just plain "annoying"? I'm ruthless. I un-favourite from the bookmarks folder and leave the group.
I will invest exactly 0% of my time into something which doesn't serve either my business - or me as a person!
I invest 0% of my time into something which doesn't serve my business - OR my life! #businessstrategy #femalefounders
The ONLY time I'll put the app(s) back on my phone is if I'm running a particular promotion and want to be able to reply to customers quickly.
Other than that - there is no excuse.
So what does it mean in terms of business and life?
Well, I read real books - and, because my attention isn't being drawn away to a tiny screen I'm able to immerse myself in topics and LEARN NEW SHIT.
I'm able to fully concentrate on what I'm doing and iron out any strategy.
I read fiction books.
I listen to CDs. Yep, real CDs where I immerse myself in the work of the artist - and not what the algorithm THINKS I want to listen to next.
It's about control.
You can either choose to be LED through life by what a computer THINKS you should be doing with your time - or you can make the choice to dip in and out and use it to your advantage - but using it as a TOOL, not a "way of life".
If you can't be the boss of a tiny electronic pocket-sized device - how can you POSSIBLY be the boss of your business? 🤷♀️
