The art of doing less, better: simplify how you work this September
- Business, Mindset & Self-Trust, Personal Growth, Planning & Strategy
- Written by Denise Oliver
There is a kind of tidying-up that I think we sometimes overlook and that is – the way we actually work.
It is entirely possible to have a beautifully organised business that is still far too complicated… yes, I know this because I have done it myself.
I have added tools because someone said they would make business easier, for example a constant contact system when a simple spreadsheet would have been much easier and at no extra cost. I have started projects because they seemed like a good idea at the time and never had the time to bring them to completion. And I have collected enough information to fill several lifetimes ten-times over.
Perhaps you have too.
When simple becomes complicated
Running your own business gives you an enormous amount of choice – you can work when you want, use whichever platforms you like, create whatever offers you choose, and more… all of which sounds wonderfully freeing.
That is, until you realise that all that choice can also create a lot of decisions that can cause quite a few headaches, especially for those not very tech-minded.
For an introverted woman, the sheer volume of decisions can become exhausting, for example… which platform, strategy, content, offer, etc.?Â
This isn’t because you aren’t capable of making them. I believe it’s because of being finite with finite energy that leads to finite attention and changes in capacity.
Perhaps you don't need another system
We often respond to feeling overwhelmed by looking for something to help us manage the overwhelm… or is that just me?
What about another planner or an app that promises it will run your business for you, or no, perhaps it’s another course you need, or is it another strategy that includes a multi-coloured spreadsheet?
I’m not saying that these things aren’t genuinely useful, but sometimes the answer isn’t to manage everything better. Sometimes the answer is to simply have fewer things to manage.
That is a very different approach.
Instead of asking: “How can I fit everything in?“ Try asking: “What can I make simpler?“
Start with one part of your working day
You don’t need to redesign your entire business. Simply choose one area that regularly feels more complicated than it needs to be, for example creating content.
Then ask yourself:
- What am I doing here that isn’t actually necessary?
- What could I remove?
- What could I do less often?
- What could I make easier?
And perhaps most importantly:
- What am I doing simply because I think this is how business is supposed to be done?
That last question can be surprisingly revealing.
You are allowed to have a simpler business
There is a persistent idea out there in the business world, that a growing business should become increasingly complicated with more offers, content, platforms, etc.
But growth doesn’t have to mean complexity. Your business can grow while becoming simpler to run (I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I closed down several social media pages and then focused on content for only two).
These aren’t signs that you are taking your business less seriously. They may simply mean you are becoming more intentional about where your resources go.
Your energy is part of the equation
This matters particularly if you are building a business alongside a full life and honestly who isn’t these days?
When this is the case, your business doesn’t get access to an unlimited version of you because you have other responsibilities. And your capacity will change from one season to another.
So perhaps the question isn’t: “How much can I get done?” Perhaps it is: “How can I work in a way that leaves enough of me for the rest of my life?”
That is not a lesser ambition, it’s a different definition of sustainability.
A quiet moment
Before you start changing everything, pause. Think about your “typical” working day or week…
- Where does your energy disappear?
- What takes far longer than it needs to?
- What are you constantly maintaining?
- What do you keep doing simply because you have always done it that way?
You don’t need to solve anything yet, just notice. Sometimes noticing is where simplification has the space to begin.
Try a "September Simplify"
Choose one thing – not five and definitely not your entire business, just one thing that could become easier.
Now, remove one step or reduce one commitment, or stop doing something altogether. Then (and this is important) leave the space you have created without immediately filling it, and see what happens when you have a little more capacity available to you.
The quiet shift
You may discover that simplifying your business doesn’t just change your to-do list… it might actually change how you feel inside the business.
Is there less noise, fewer decisions, more clarity, more room to think? And perhaps more room for the parts of your business that you actually enjoy?
That matters.
Because surely the purpose of creating a simpler business isn’t simply to become more efficient, it is to create capacity for what matters.
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The Enrichment Collective is a community and business growth space for introverted, quietly ambitious women who want to build successful businesses without sacrificing their wellbeing, their values, or the life they actually want to live.
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