Latest / Online Business Uncovered: Simple Strategies for Female Entrepreneurs / 64: Simple strategies to boost focus and turn ideas into results

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64: Simple strategies to boost focus and turn ideas into results · Online Business Uncovered: Simple Strategies for Female Entrepreneurs

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Hello and welcome to the Digit Lee She Does It Show.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: This is episode 64, and in today's episode, I'm going to be talking about how to stay focused when you have so many ideas running through your head.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: So let's jump right in and let's get started.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Digitally She Does It Show.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host Karen and I'm here to lift the lid on what it actually takes to create a successful business.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: If you are an ambitious creative ready to build a business on your own terms and without compromise, then this podcast is perfect for you.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: With my award-winning approach to marketing and expert knowledge in creating online courses, this show will leave you feeling inspired, energized, and ready to bring those big dreams to life.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: Join me each week for a dose of motivation and marketing know-how, along with actionable step-by-step strategies to help you accelerate your business's growth.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: So let's dive in and don't forget to subscribe to all my upcoming episodes, which drop every Wednesday.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host Karen and I really appreciate you hitting the play button to listen to today's episode.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: Now, in today's episode, I'm going to be talking about a topic that so many entrepreneurs and business owners struggle with, and that is staying focused when they have so many ideas running through their heads.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: As entrepreneurs and business owners, we often come with creative minds, and with that means that we're most likely going to be constantly generating new ideas, which is great in one sense because ideas are great, that's how we stay ahead of the curve and how we innovate.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: However, when you have so many ideas running through your head, it can be overwhelming, and it can also be the thing that prevents us from making any real progress.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: And so in today's episode, I want to share five tips with you to help you harness that creativity whilst maintaining your productivity.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: Now, before I dive into the tips that I'm going to be sharing, I think it's important to first understand why having so many ideas can be challenging.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: Now, one of the key issues that comes from having all of these ideas is that it gives us a lack of focus and clarity because it means our attention is constantly being divided between all of those different ideas, and it can be really difficult to execute any of them effectively.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: Now, studies have shown that multitasking, especially when it involves switching between different tasks, actually reduces overall productivity and it also increases the likelihood of things going wrong and mistakes happening.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: So when you have so many business ideas running through your head, you're constantly shifting focus, which is going to reduce your effectiveness and the and your efficiency and your productivity, and it's also going to hamper any progress that you're going to make in the long run.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: But it can also lead to decision paralysis, where when you have so many ideas in your head, it's difficult to make a choice, and that choice that you know you have to make is what overwhelms you and then immobilizes you, which is then going to result in a delayed action, it could result in missed opportunities, and it could also lead to unfulfilled potential in business, which is not ideal.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: Now, often entrepreneurs are very creative people, and with that, they can experience things like creative blocks.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: So you've most likely at some point experienced that where you've tried to come up with an idea and it's just not flowing.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: On the flip side, we also experience too many ideas syndrome as well, and this often leads to frustration and anxiety, which then leads to procrastination.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: So rather than taking action, things don't get done.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: So this is why having too many ideas can immobilize us and stop us from taking action and moving our businesses forward.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: Now, in our businesses, we want to be in a state of flow where everything feels light, it feels easy, and you cannot be in that state if you're struggling to make decisions because there's just too much stuff going on in your head.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: Now I see so many clients struggle with this.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: I often see them feeling overwhelmed because they just don't know what route to take or how to get their businesses to where they need to get them because there's so many avenues open to them.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: Now I often have conversations with clients who want to create online courses, and this is where having too many ideas really comes into play because they struggle to pinpoint the topic that they want to teach because of all of these ideas that they have.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: I work with so many passionpreneurs who are skilled and expert in so many different areas.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: Often they're running a business because of their past experiences.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: They're bringing that to the table and they're creating businesses off the back of those.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: But so many times they have different strings to their bow.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: It isn't that they're just skilled in one area, they often have multiple areas that they've built a skill base in.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: So then when it comes to creating an online course that they want to teach others, it's like where do they start?
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: What do they choose to teach, and how do they move forward with that idea?
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: And again, all of this stuff is swoshing around in their heads, and this often leads to overwhelm, confusion, anxiety because they don't know where they need to place their focus.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: So whilst having ideas is great, it can also be the thing that stops progress, and so we want to avoid that at all costs.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: So, how do we combat this?
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: How do we manage our thoughts and our ideas so that we can move forward in the right direction?
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm going to share five tips to help you to do this.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: So if this is something that you're currently struggling with, then these five tips will help you to move forward.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: Now, the reason why I'm delivering this episode today is because I know firsthand how challenging this can be.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: So these five tips help me when I get stuck in that cycle of feeling overwhelmed by everything I have going on in my head.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: Now, my first tip is about brainstorming those ideas and getting them outside of your head because when they're in your head, you are using up so much energy thinking about them, and actually, what you want to be doing is taking the time to brainstorm all of your ideas and write them down.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: Now I use a mind map.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: I've spoken about this before in previous episodes.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: I love a mind map, it's visual, it helps you to kind of lay everything out in front of you so that you can just get really clear on what you're thinking.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: And often ideas come from things that you pop down on paper.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: So it could be that you write one idea and then you write another idea, and then you realize you've got another idea that's born out of those two ideas, and so you can really build up this map of all of these really good ideas, but you can see them out in front of you so you can make sense of them.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: Now, what you can then do once you've done your spider diagram or your mind map is you can start to evaluate each idea and then you can categorize them.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: So once you've got your ideas written down, you can then evaluate each one individually and consider the factors around that idea, such as feasibility or resources that you might require in order to bring that idea to life, or whether it aligns with your goals and whether it's going to give you the impact that you're looking for.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: Once you've done that and you've gone through that process, then you can categorize your ideas based on their relevance and value, so then you can start to really streamline your thinking and start to put some weight behind the ideas that actually are worth exploring further, and ones that are just ideas.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: So maybe they go into an idea vault for a later date.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: But I think the key thing to do here is get them out of your head, so whatever you're thinking, whatever ideas that you are mulling over, get them out of your head, get them on paper, and start organizing them because that will instantly make you feel so much better.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: My second tip is about setting specific goals.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: It's really important that we are connected to our goals, like we know what they are and what they mean to us as well, and we want to kind of have an idea on what we want to achieve in the long term and what we want to achieve in the short term as well, because where we want to be in five years' time is going to impact our decision based around our 12-month goals because what you are going to achieve in the next 12 months is going to determine whether or not you're on track to achieve your five-year goals.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: So it's really important that you have a really good understanding as to what your goals are so that you can align your the ideas that you have with those goals.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: So often we have, as I said, we have so many things going on in our heads, and it may be that they're born out of experiences that we are currently experiencing in the moment, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the idea is valid.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_00: That idea that you're having right now that maybe was born out of conversation could completely take you off track to achieve your 12-month goal.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: So you have to be really clear on what your goals are because that will help you to know whether the ideas that you're having at the moment align with your overall objectives.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I think prioritizing your ideas is an important step which is going to contribute directly to you achieving your goals.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: Your goals are what you measure everything by.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: So, for example, should I create an online course?
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: Well, is your goal to create passive income?
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: Is your goal to create a business that supports you long term, that brings you in extra revenue that allows you to make money when you're not at your desk?
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: Is an online course going to give you that?
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_00: Of course it is.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_00: So then if your goal ultimately in five years' time is to have a business that fully supports you when you're away from your desk, then yes, absolutely.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: That idea of creating an online course is aligned to your overall goals.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: However, if you are coming up with an idea that completely takes you off track, that ends up taking more of your time and means that you're going to be trained to your desk more than you are now.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: Well, then no, it's not going to align to your overall goals.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_00: So therefore, that idea shouldn't then be taken to the next level.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: So I think we have to be really clear on what our goals are because that's what we're going to measure everything by.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: If the idea that you're having right now moves you towards that goal, then absolutely.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: If it takes you away from achieving it, then it's a no.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: It goes in the ideas vault for a later date because that idea might come into play later on.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: So really connect to your goals, really understand what it is that you want to achieve, and then that will help you when you're deciding what ideas to move forward with.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so my third tip is about creating a pros and cons list and then going through and looking at the potential benefits and drawbacks of each idea.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: So you need to consider any risk involved, any associated costs or challenges that is going to be associated with implementing each idea.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_00: So this is where you really build up a picture of what it is you need to do to execute that idea and what it's going to take from you in order to bring that idea to life.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: So you're really analyzing each idea, you're getting clear on what each idea is going to look like should you move forward with it, and that will also help you to determine whether or not it's worth pursuing.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: So again, just going back to my example of an online course.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_00: So one of the things that could be done in this instance, if you're thinking about creating an online course, is about looking at the pros and the cons of creating an online course for your business.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: Now, it could be the fact that you are currently full to capacity in terms of the clients that you have, the time you have available, and maybe you have a limited budget.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: So it's really worth looking at those components and exploring whether or not it's right for you.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: So, for example, if you do not have any time available, but you're looking to build a side of your business that is going to generate passive revenue, then an online course is going to require you to give it time.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: You need to carve out time to be able to create your online course.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_00: And if you have no time available and you do not have flexibility in your calendar to create time, then is it a viable idea for you?
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_00: Because the only way you're going to bring in that idea to life is by investing time in making sure that you can create your course.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: You have to be realistic with each of your ideas and really evaluate what it's going to require from you.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: And this is obviously going to then reduce your ideas list because very quickly you'll be able to say yes or no to ideas.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I can I can do that, it takes me towards my goals, but it doesn't require me to do X, Y, and Z.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_00: Therefore, that is a viable idea.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_00: It's another way where you can just really think about all of your ideas and get really clear on whether it's the right idea to pursue right now.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: So my fourth tip is about asking for feedback.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_00: If you have somebody that you trust, then you can talk to them about your ideas because getting an outside perspective is a great way to get valuable insights, which is going to lead to you getting more clarity around those ideas.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: They may raise questions or maybe even offer suggestions that can really help your decision-making process, so it's really worth speaking to somebody that you trust and actually talking through the ideas that you are really thinking about moving forward with.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I have certain people in my circle of friends that I will always go to and I will ask them for their opinions, and more often than not, I come away feeling so much more clearer about how I'm going to move forward and what I'm going to spend my time on.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that is one of the most valuable parts of the process is having those open discussions about those ideas because sometimes we see things only from one perspective and we don't always take on board other factors that may impact those ideas that we're we're coming up with.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: So I really encourage you if you have a trusted friend or a coach or a business mentor, reach out to them and don't be afraid to talk through those ideas.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_00: The clarity that you'll achieve from doing so will really help you to move forward.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so my fifth and final tip is about starting small with small manageable tasks.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_00: So I think one of the things that we can all be guilty of is that when we have an idea, we often jump 10, 12 steps ahead to how it's gonna look, how we're gonna get it out there, how we're gonna sell it, rather than focusing in on the first few steps.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_00: What can then happen is because we're focusing down the road, it can then lead to that overwhelm because we haven't got the answers that we need in order to know how that piece is gonna look.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_00: So when you are creating something for the first time, you need to really focus in on the very first step, and by starting small, you can then start to build momentum and then gain confidence as you're executing that idea.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: Once you start to take action, you'll then, as I said, build that momentum, and then you can start to assess what it is you're creating and how it's gonna look, and then adjust as and when needed.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_00: But there's no point focusing in on step 10 when step one hasn't been achieved, and so we just need to rein it back and start at the very beginning and take small manageable steps, and I think by doing that you're going to reduce your overwhelm, and you can just focus one step at a time.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_00: Now, one of the things that I'm creating at the moment is I have an Etsy store and I am listing my products on there.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_00: I have so many digital products that I have created over the years, and I am wanting to put them all onto my Etsy store so that they're available for people to buy.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_00: And I have so many different things.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_00: I've got workbooks, I've got planners, I've got strategy documents, I've got templates that I know has tremendous value to the right people.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_00: But when I start to think of how many products I have, how many I need to get onto the store, it can feel really overwhelming to the point where I don't even want to get going because I'm overwhelmed, because I'm thinking about it, I'm I'm stepping back and looking at it as though I've got lots and lots of work to do.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_00: And so for me, I just have to start with listing the first product, and I just have to take one step at a time.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_00: And over the past few weeks, I've been doing this and I've been making headway, and I've been getting my products listed and onto Etsy.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm building out my store by by putting my products on there, but at the very beginning, when I started to think about everything that I have created, that everything that needs to go into my store, it's really overwhelming.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_00: And so by breaking it down and starting at the beginning and taking small steps, I'm now a few weeks into that process and I'm filling my store up and I've made headway and I'm building momentum, and so taking small significant steps at the beginning is what then leads to results being achieved.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_00: So try not to think about the end goal.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: Once you've decided what that idea is, break it down into manageable steps and take one step at a time, and before you know it, that idea will be brought to life.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_00: Now, in business, it's normal to have multiple ideas.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_00: We're going to have lots and lots and lots of ideas, but it is really important to prioritize and focus on the ideas that align with your business goals, and that you can deliver because you've got the resources, the time, the capacity to do so.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_00: Now, by taking deliberate steps to evaluate each idea, you'll be then able to prioritize what needs to be focused on, and then you'll be able to move forward with more clarity and more confidence.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to today's episode.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you found this episode of value, and of course, please feel free to share it with others who you may think will also benefit from listening to today's episode.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_00: If you are feeling inspired and would like to know more about getting started with creating an online digital course, then why not download my free ebook, 10 Steps to Digital Course Success, by visiting my website www.pink-lemondigital.com.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: I will be back next week with another episode, but until then, have a great week.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you enjoyed this episode of the digitally she does it show.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: Don't forget to check out the show notes for all the links and resources mentioned in today's episode.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_00: New episodes drop every week on a Wednesday.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_00: So why not rate and subscribe so you never miss an episode?
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for tuning in today, and I will see you next time.