How to Prioritize your Way out of Overwhelm

I have a to-do list a mile long.

Create more content.
Repurpose existing content.
Get content out into the world.
Revise my opt-ins.
Get featured on podcasts.
Reach out to potential partners.
Grow my email list.
Market my online program.
Fundraise for my foundation.

Ahhhh, if you've ever been there, you're going to want to listen to today's episode of Strategy Snacks! 

I got this question from a client and friend of mine named Saleema Noon and Seleema is a sexual health educator for kids in kindergarten through seventh grade. The work she does is incredible and she has reached so many people through her work in schools and online. And yet, it still feels entirely overwhelming at times. 

So today I really, really want to dig into this feeling of knowing there's all these micro tasks on your to-do list and you feel like you know exactly what I need to do, but you don’t know what you need to do next.

The first thing that I always always want you to think about is how to take a step back from your to-do list as any sort of indicator of a strategy. A to-do list is not a strategy. 

I will say this over and over again, and whether you have been in business one year or 10 years, it is very easy to forget. The urgent tasks that are sitting in front of us feel like the priority often and they are not always.

So, what are you going to do when you're in this place of feeling like holy cow, there are so many things I could do, but I don't have time to do all of it, so now what? Is my business just going to crumble? Am I not going to hit my goals? What exactly am I trying to do here? And what can I do differently?

So the first thing that I want you to think about is that this is not a matter of you being bad at time management or you not knowing how to run your business or any other sort of narrative around your ability as a business owner. The fact is, that by definition, there was no way for us to do everything. Most of the time, it's not even possible for us to do all of the things that we would like to do and that's okay. That does not mean that your business needs to suffer as a result. 

What you need to do, and I go into this a lot in my guide, Trim Your To Do's, but what I really want you to think about is this idea of what is your overall overarching strategy? Which means what is your goal and what is your plan to get you there? If you don't have that, that's going to be the first nut to crack in all of this is that you probably actually need to get something in place that becomes like your filter, your sieve for all of these tasks to help you quickly. 

That is the first thing is to make sure that you have a clearly mapped out strategy. Even if you think you have a strategy, make sure that it is a strategy that follows the structure of setting a goal and then setting out your tactics to get there. A lot of times we think of strategies, either as tactics or as like really big visions, but strategies really live in the middle. They live between this world of holding the big vision, but carving out the path to get there.

But what do you do when you have your strategy, you're super clear and yet you're still finding it really hard to filter? The next filter, and I would argue the most important filter ever in your business is going to be about your audience. What does your audience need from you? That is always going to guide you in the right direction.

For example, let's just say that one of the things on your task list is to clean up your Asana and the other is to write a blog post. Assuming that your audience likes your blog, you want to get that blog post done before the Asana, because that is what your audience needs from you.

Now sure you could argue, but Frenchie, if I don't have the Asana sorted, then I'll never get to the blog posts and I get that. If you want to make that case, you have to make the case that you really need to clean up the Assana because that is the best way for you to then consistently deliver to your audience. But if the Assana is really just a distraction from you delivering what your audience needs and wants from you, then it's not the right path.

The thing that I really want to be mindful of is the “My four-part framework” and rinse and repeat strategies out there, not because they never work, but because they only sometimes work. Do you know what always works? The tools and frameworks to ask yourself questions and dig in more and explore what's working or not working in your business. 

Okay! So assuming now that you have a strategy and you are prioritizing your audience’s needs, but you're feeling like they need everything – this is the third step in this deductive process. Look at the data that you have, where are your clients coming from? What are people engaging with most? What has really helped you in your business and business growth and what hasn't done a whole lot for you?

When you start to look at that information, you start to be able to navigate the pile of tasks that you think you should do and really narrow it down into what we would call the needle movers. 

Between your clarity around your strategy, clarity around your audience and clarity around your data, there really is no reason that you should find yourself in this position over and over again, because it's going to be so much easier to prioritize all of that. And once you prioritize all of it, you're doing the right work at the right time and that leads to massive results.

Now here's just a really important caveat to all of this, that this is not a one and done approach. This is something that personally I need to do daily. This is something that I coach my clients through regularly. We talked through this all the time, because what happens is that slowly we scope creep on ourselves. We add more stuff to our plate. We keep throwing more on there little by little, a couple crumbs, then a whole cookie, then a whole cake and suddenly we're in the same spot. So there's this constant auditing and reviewing process that needs to happen as you go through this.

Seleema thank you so much for this really valuable question. I think anyone listening has been there and will appreciate that you brought this up. To everybody listening, make sure you connect with Seleema!

Now, as you wrap up this episode look at all the tasks on your plate and ask yourself, how does this support my strategy? How does this support my audience and what data and insights do I have to support this as a priority?

Let me know what you find out. Thank you for being here!