I was in business for nearly six years before I saw how I was leaving myself wide open.
Recently Perry Marshall was a guest on the Positive Productivity Podcast, and we had an intriguing chat about the 80/20 rule. During the chat I realized I had two clients who were taking up 95% of my time while contributing 5% of my income.
My resignation letters hit my sent file shortly after Perry and I hung up. Although I have great respect for these clients and the work they do, I realized that considering the direction I was trying to steer my business in, they were the rudders keeping me pointing in the wrong direction.
Just a few months later, Jarrod Haning was on the podcast (his episode has not yet been released as of when I when I write this). He shared that the majority of struggling entrepreneurs have to-do lists full of activities they either a) shouldn’t be doing or b) should be delegating.
Up until that point, I thought I was on a roll. I thought I was on the upward path, making progress on the 80/20 rule. But my journal with that day’s to-do list was open next to me, and my jaw dropped as I reviewed it.
My friend, my calendar is swamped with client calls and work. The last thing I need to worry about is whether my inbox has 266 items in it or less than 50. In all actuality, I have team members who could and would manage my inbox if I just asked.
But I hadn’t asked.
Immediately after, I had another “aha!” moment. My awesome podcast production manager and I were in the midst of a late night brainstorming session when she said, “I think you should cut back to 5 episodes a week.”
Her words alone provided me instant relief, and I think I surprised her when I responded, “How about 2 episodes a week instead?”
I haven’t posted a blog in months before this entry because all my (strained) creativity was going in to the podcast.
And it wasn’t good.
Actually, it’s not that it wasn’t good. I hear only positive feedback about the podcast. But it was burning ME out AND burning out the listeners. (If you’re looking to launch a podcast, do NOT do a daily show unless it’s focused on the news or a daily short! You don’t have time for it and neither do your listeners! You CAN get MORE downloads off LESS episodes!)
Immediately, I locked up my podcast recording schedule. My calendar is not accepting new recording sessions for the next six months, and even then I will only record two episodes per week.
Phew.
Knowing that 3-8 hours per week (minimum) has instantly been reclaimed for me, my team and our clients is more than just a little bit… relieving.
I’m locked up but not closing up.
And to me, that’s a win.