How Present Have You Been?
Image by Harald Lepisk from Pixabay

How Present Have You Been?

2023 has been another turbulent year, but if there’s one thing this year has taught us, it’s the importance of being PRESENT.

Like you, we run our own business.

And, like a lot of you, we are a family business.

Add in the mix of virtual group and 1:1 meetings, rolling out a new business model, active twelve-year old twins, and a Springer Spaniel puppy, it’s all overwhelming and often feels like a juggling act.

The challenge is, there’s no such thing as multi-tasking!

Let me say that again…there’s no such thing as multi-tasking and you can only land one plane at a time.

So, how do you go about this without working 24/7, getting stressed and overwhelmed?

There’s no easy answer, but one that has made a massive difference to us, is that of being present...

Whether I’m working ON the business, IN the business, Head of I.T. when James’s Fortnite is ‘glitching’ or being the Uber driver for the Lily’s growing list of football clubs, I make sure I’m only focusing on that ONE thing. ?

For example:

I helped Nigel Botterill with two x ten-hour Masterminds a few weeks back.? I explained to everyone at home, and to our Slack Community, that I’d be ‘out’ for those days, which meant I could focus 100% on listening, challenging, and providing as much value to those business owners in that room.

?When I’m focussing on?Money Future?activities (i.e., developing the business for tomorrow), I set aside specific time and focus on one area that will move our business from A to B to reach our future goals.

?If I’m ferrying Lily to her various football venues, I make sure I stay and watch her sessions (often in the rain), rather than sitting in the warm chatting to parents or sat in the car checking my emails.

When I’m focussing on?Money Now?– activities that drive our revenue today – I have allocated slots in my diary that our clients can access and book, and I focus all my energies on those calls safe in the knowledge that I’m not distracted elsewhere.?

When we have our family meals, I’ll make sure I am 100% present and not distracted by the football results on my phone (this is helped by James reminding me of “no devices at the table”!).

Being present – being aware – can mean many things, it’s not just about being in the same room.?Here’s some ways to help you, and those around you, be present in your business:

  • Become?aware?of how you impact others, as well as how you’re impacted by others.
  • Create the right environment including a culture and process for open, honest feedback.
  • Start listening, stop telling. Telling leaves people feeling you’ve given them all of your burdens but taken none of theirs off their shoulders.
  • Replace bad habits with positive ones (by bad habits I mean procrastination, not letting go, not making decisions, getting distracted by shiny new things…).
  • Stimulate conversations with questions to engage others and allow your team the opportunity to challenge and learn.
  • Communicate to your team on a regular basis how you expect them to think, act and behave.
  • Finally, give yourself a break and be kind to yourself! You’re only human and right now a lot is being asked of you.?

Understanding and executing these will help deliver the results without the stress or burden of being stuck in an environment of chaos.

Today is a gift and that’s why it is called the present….

This week, do some honest reflection – how present have you really been this year? What can you stop doing / do more of to be present in 2024?

BW,

Martin

Martin Norbury

Investor | Business Mentor at?Advocate?| Author of?I don’t work Fridays

要查看或添加评论,请登录

Martin Norbury的更多文章

  • What I’ve Discovered the Last 13 Years

    What I’ve Discovered the Last 13 Years

    One of our maxims is to Always Look for Learning, so this week I’ve collated all the learnings from working with small…

    2 条评论
  • Time Is All We Have

    Time Is All We Have

    I came across this quote the other day: “And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in…

    1 条评论
  • Still Love What You Do?

    Still Love What You Do?

    As a fellow business owner, I know first-hand how rewarding running your own business and being your own boss can be:…

  • Are You on Track?

    Are You on Track?

    We’re already in February, which means you only have 11 months of the year left..

  • Carrying A Cushion

    Carrying A Cushion

    Carrying a cushion makes moving around more difficult than if you didn’t have to carry it. If you add another cushion…

  • A Quick Check-In

    A Quick Check-In

    Yesterday was dubbed by experts as Blue Monday: according to a mathematical equation, it was the most depressing day of…

  • Create Your Future

    Create Your Future

    Peter Drucker famously said that: “The best way to predict the future is to create it”. And seeing it was recently…

    4 条评论
  • START The Habit (don’t kick it!)

    START The Habit (don’t kick it!)

    Well, 2025 is finally here… And as happens every single year around this time, we’re inundated with messages, posts and…

  • Your Milestones

    Your Milestones

    Business owners are notorious for rushing around a million miles an hour, getting bogged down in the day-to-day … And…

  • 2025: Will You Find A Way, Or Find An Excuse?

    2025: Will You Find A Way, Or Find An Excuse?

    This is one of my favourite quotes: “If you’re serious about changing your life, you’ll find a way. If not, you’ll find…

社区洞察

其他会员也浏览了