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I want to start out by saying: my first words of advice is to not listen to anyone else's advice... However, if you are still reading this then you actually think I have some insightful things to say. Jokes on you... I am a workaholic...
The thing is in order to do all the things, I had to learn how to slow down in order to be efficient in all the things that I do.
Let's start with boundaries. Most people will say they have them, but most will break their own boundaries to still accommodate those around them. You are probably thinking "I have boundaries..." I want you to sit with that for a few minutes and ask yourself: How many times do you change your plans to accommodate others? How many times do you work a little later just to finish that one last thing? We all do it, the question is, how often? I know I have done it and will unintentionally do it again, but becoming more aware of it will change our perspective and start to change how we respond to situations.
I have some serious boundaries. While most people I come across know this about me, they will still tell you I never stop. I am here to set the record straight. They are right... However, I would love to discuss what that looks like and how you can make simple changes to slow down and be able to do more!
I am able to do all these things because I have a team of people that I have surrounded myself with to allow me to be able to do more. For those of you who do not have the resources of other people, don't worry there is still hope for slowing down.
A few years ago, I started another business. I was pregnant and on baby number 3. I wouldn’t have slowed down but Covid happened and I was put on bed rest. So, I did what any logical workaholic would do. I put my feet up and worked from the couch. This company was genius. I started a professional babysitting and nannying agency.
What does every mom need, help! So after my youngest was born, I hired a nanny to hold him in the other room so I could work and still be home with the baby, then something started happening. This was an idea before Covid, so I thought I had no chance, well frontline workers needed to work! My business picked up and I got busier.
We added all kinds of services, and inevitably I had to start another company. This was the launch of my residential cleaning company. I was working seven days a week and while I loved what I was doing, I started to get burnt out. I had to figure out a way to keep doing what I was doing and also educate other business owners. So, I did the next logical step in my entrepreneurial journey, I started a 4th business in consulting. I knew I was good at starting businesses and running them. But I had to learn something while doing all of this. Any guesses? I was working so much that I started to miss things: baseball, karate, dance, field hockey and band concerts to boot. I had to actually step back and start to assess all I was doing and figure out a way to be able to do them all and also attend to my most important job, being a mom!
Something had to give and I wasn’t letting stop me from doing all the things. I started incorporating systems for efficiency. Way to better manage my day and clients! I started with a calendar system. I have all my calendars linked so I know where I am at all points in time. I want you to ask yourself this question: When are we the most efficient in doing certain things? If you are better at sending emails in the morning, make it a habit of doing that first thing in the morning. If you like to have your meetings in the afternoon, only schedule your meetings in the afternoon. The better you are when knowing when you work best, you will be able to do more work in a shorter period of time.
Let's go back to the boundaries. Ask yourself what do boundaries look like for you? If you think about your doctor's office for a minute, they will cancel an appointment if you are 15 minutes late, and that is a you problem and not a them problem. You should have been on time. If you need to talk to them at 5:01pm and they close at 5:00pm, you are out of luck. What if you started thinking like this? For me, my boundaries are for my children. They get home from school and extracurricular activities start around 4:30pm. So I typically will not take a call after 4:00pm, unless it is scheduled and planned. But there are exceptions sometimes. I alway say after 4:00pm and before 9:00am the next day and weekends are dedicated to my family. My footer on all my emails also says: Outside of office hours and weekends, my time is dedicated to family. “In business what can’t be done today, can be done tomorrow… but missing out on family time can never be made up” thank you for support! Most people will look at it and say "I wish I could do that!" the truth is you can, but will you?
Another fun topic is distractions and social media. Did you know according to a recent study in 2024 the average person is on social media 2.25 hours per day. That is about 16 hours a week on social media alone. How many things could you get done if you weren't aimlessly scrolling. We are all guilty of it, some not a full 16 hours a week but some a lot more. I want you to go into your iphones and androids and look at this feature. Look at how much time you spend on social media. I use my phone for work and social media posting so my number is a little high. But nonetheless, it gives me an idea how much I am on my phone. I told you we are all guilty of scrolling, myself included, but the more we are aware of how much time we are wasting the less you will do it and start to be more productive.
These are just a few things to get you to think about how you are spending your time. If you want to be more present with your family, but you are a workaholic like me, there is hope. I know I will never actually slow down. And you might not either! But start making a few changes to your everyday schedule. Include a little down time for yourself and you can thank me later!
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Meet the author:
Jen Potter is an accomplished Speaker, Ultrapreneur, and Business/Life Strategist. Her mission is to help people realize their ultimate potential while changing their thought process both in business and their personal lives. She does this by inspiring others to dig deep within themselves to find their “WHY” and understand that when they start to listen to what they want, their lives will indeed change, then recognizing that they have the potential to transcend the confines of their environment.
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