It’s 7pm and you’re home from work. You grab a bite to eat and fire up your laptop from your couch. Time to start working on that side hustle of yours.
But you’re stuck. You know you need to be working on your business, but you have no clue what to actually focus on. You to-do list is a mile long. There are blog posts to write, social media to schedule, sales pages to write, webinars to watch. The list never ends.
So rather than making some progress, you sit there clicking around pretending to work, but not really getting much done.
Sound familiar?
You’re not alone. As a business owner, you have to wear a million hats. It’s 100% up to you to make your business a success and that can get overwhelming really quickly. Been there, done that.
What are you to do when you’re feeling paralyzed thanks to overwhelm?
1. Take a break
First things first, let’s clear our heads, shall we? If you’re stuck due to overwhelm you’re not going to make any progress until you relax. Easier said than done, but this is key!
So take a night off or give yourself an hour to unwind and step away from your business. Go for a walk. Do some yoga. Watch funny cat videos (I find this one quite amusing). Do anything that’ll get your mind off your to-do list.
2. Make a to-do list
Once you’ve cleared your mind, it’s time to make a to-do list. Now, you might be saying “Allyssa, I already have one. That’s what was making me overwhelmed in the first place!” That’s fine, but we’re going to make another one. Because I find that when I’m truly overwhelmed with my “list” it’s usually all in my head and not written out on paper.
Grab your favorite pen and a fun notebook and write down every. single. thing. you need to get done. And I mean everything. Keep going until you can’t think of anything else to add. If you’re the type of person who will never run out of things, set a timer for 15 minutes and time yourself. While you should be writing down everything that you need to accomplish, there’s no need to spend hours on this. More than likely you’ll just be adding meaningless tasks after 5-10 minutes anyway.
3. Analyze your to-do list
Now that your list is written, it’s time to analyze it. Since your time is limited, you want to focus on the tasks that will make the biggest impact on your business first.
Take a look at your list. What task will bring in money either directly or indirectly once you complete it? Since you’re running a business here, you want to focus on tasks that bring in a profit. Because having a stream of income means you’ll be able to hire out those other tasks.
Make a note of the top 3 tasks that will get you closer to making a profit. Those you’re going to tackle first. Write them down on a new piece of paper. This is your new to-do list. Forget the rest of your tasks for now. Most of them are likely not super important anyway and they’ll keep dropping to the back burner as newer, more important tasks come to light.
4. Talk it out
I’ve found that one of the biggest solutions to overwhelm is having people to talk to. Since you’re so close to your business, it’s sometimes hard to get a clear picture on what needs to get done. But getting an outside perspective is often crucial in propelling you forward.
Where can you find someone to talk to? Well there are always Facebook groups and masterminds. Or you can hire someone to help you figure it out.
Which brings me to my newest offering: Game Changer. Game Changer is a 1:1 service that helps you stop spinning your wheels trying to get results. We’ll take a look at your business, including your website, branding, and content, and see what’s holding you back. Then we’ll come up with a plan of action that’ll move you forward. Say adios to overwhelm and hello to clarity!
Click here to book your session
What to Do When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed With Your Side Hustle was originally posted on Allyssa Barnes.