Planning Helps Reduce Feeling of Overwhelm

 

In my prior post, I talked about the sense of overwhelm we sometimes experience while
transitioning from employee to business owner. There is so much to do, consider, decide and plan,  so it’s no wonder

your mind is always racing. Focusing on one goal, creating a social media plan for example; and listing the tasks that need to be done to obtain the goal, is a great start in reducing the feeling of overwhelm. After you have completed those two tasks, it’s time to complete the planning.

Planning the who

Now we need to determine who should do each task. We really have to be careful with this planning step in the process because oftentimes, we automatically assume that as entrepreneurs who start out as solopreneurs, we must be assigned all the tasks. That is not necessarily the only or best option. Methodically ask yourself the following questions to help decide if you should complete each task yourself:

• Can I complete the task satisfactorily and meet my quality standards?
• Can I complete the task in the time frame I’m need?
• Can someone else do it better? If so, at what cost?
• Are there any good reasons for me to delegate this task?

If you find you are not the best person to complete a task, assign it to who you think is most appropriate. That could be an outsourcing company, a specific virtual assistant, or someone local. Don’t worry if you are not totally comfortable; you have time to revise prior to execution or even change once the task is in progress.

Planning the when

After each task is assigned to someone, the next step in planning is to assign a date. Be conservative to a certain extent. By conservative, I mean add a little buffer time to a realistic date. But don’t add in so much buffer that you will not be targeted to sell your first product/provide service for another two years. I will discuss the details of an overall plan in later posts but keep in mind that your ultimate goal it to sell something. For now, we will concentrate on the one short term goal on which you decided (social media plan).  As you assign target dates,  ask the following questions:

• When does this have to be completed?
• Is there a dependency? In other words, do I have to wait until another task is completed before I can complete this one?

Review plan on regular basis

I would suggest you review target dates on a regular basis and as needed. As you progress in the planning process, you will detail out more and more short term goals, and you will see that your target dates will change. Don’t worry, that’s perfectly normal. Your business will be integrated and with your review and analysis so will your start up plan.

Now that you have a simple strategy for reducing overwhelm by planning, I hope you take the next step and act on it! Select one short term goal, identify the associated tasks, who will complete the tasks and by when. Repeat. I have more tips to help you as you transition, so please sign up for my newsletter in order to get them as they become available.