11 Things to Stop Doing to Have a Phenomenal 2017
Hopefully you saw the title of this post and thought “FINALLY!… I can take some things away from my already busy life without compromising what I want to accomplish.”
We’ve all seen those posts (specifically listacle posts) that tell us the additional things we should/could be doing to achieve more success, stay more grounded, explode our business (I almost used the word explode for this post title but it seemed like a bit of a contradiction) or become a better version of ourselves.
The challenge with these posts is that it basically means that what you’re doing right now isn’t enough. And let’s face it… there’s always more you can do, but is it really necessary?
Usually it’s not… but it is exhausting.
The idea of removing things from our lives isn’t a new concept, but it was like a lightbulb went off the first time I heard this. Earlier this year I set an intention to simplify my life… in all areas. The easiest way to simplify your life is to have less….
- Less stuff
- Less responsibility
- Less pressure
- Less expectations (i.e., “shoulds”)
When you start removing things from your life it’s much easier to see what really matters and how in alignment you are with what you want. Not what you think you should want.
This has probably been one of the most freeing things I’ve ever done in my business.
Deciding what was most important to me, the quality of life I wanted to live and the type of work I wanted to do has been a game changer for me.
Here are my suggestions for things you can STOP doing to have a phenomenal 2017.
- Stop Telling Yourself You Can’t Create Content
I’ve seen soooo many people struggle over creating content. They think they don’t have time (more on that in a minute) and don’t know what to write about. First of all, there’s no way you’re ever going to get good at creating content without practice, but I promise you it gets easier and easier as you do it. Don’t get caught up in becoming the master keyword researcher or worrying about whether or not you’re creating the ‘right’ content. Simply share what you’re doing, what you’re working on and what is happening in your business (and life). Once you start creating content you’ll see what resonates with your audience, what drives the most traffic and where you should focus your attention. No one has a crystal ball and trying to get it perfect right out of the gate will hinder you more than help you.
- Stop Trying to Be “Everywhere”
I promise this isn’t a rant against Snapchat, but I’m going to use it as an example (again) for this point. There are only so many hours in the day. If you’re just getting started (brand new business, rebranding or a new venture), pick the platforms you are already comfortable with and focus your energy there. When Snapchat became the next ‘big thing’ and everyone was jumping into it for marketing I had to put my foot down (with myself). I simply don’t have the bandwidth to understand one more platform right now and know that if I tried to get good at Snapchat everything else would suffer. Why not master the platforms you’re already on where you have an audience? Again, if you’re new, then make sure you know where your audience is. That should be a determining factor when deciding where you want to spend your energy.
- Stop Censoring Yourself
I did this for way too long. You don’t need to be controversial or nasty, but people want to know you stand for something. When you own your opinions you make it that much easier for your ‘right tribe’ to find you, connect with you and do business with you. Step into this in whatever way works for you (ideally sooner rather than later).
[spacer] - Stop Waiting for Things to Be Perfect
I don’t know that this point takes much explaining, but we’ve all been there. You can tweak and adjust things indefinitely. At some point you need to simply ship it… sell it, make the offer, launch it… whatever it is. Put your thing out there, ask for feedback, talk to your customers & subscribers… stop messing around with the perfect logo, font, copy, or funnel.
Make the offer.
- Stop Doing What Other People Do If It Doesn’t Work For You
This goes along with the ‘Stop Trying to Be Everywhere’. I see this most often with ‘guru’s’. There will be a marketing guru someone follows and admires (or unfortunately worships) and now they’re promoting a new tactic (Facebook Ads, livestreaming, webinars, whatever…) so you think you should jump into it too. You attend their webinar (or follow their launch) and next thing you know you’ve bought another product for $1000 when you haven’t finished going through the previous tactic product you purchased. Get clear on your business and what works for you first, then you won’t be tempted by the latest & greatest whatever (this doesn’t mean you don’t ever try something new… but be honest with yourself before blindly following the latest tactic).
- Stop Making Excuses About Why You Don’t Put Your Business Before Your Clients Business
I wished I had mastered this sooner. It took me making a commitment to a mentor that I would spend the first part of the day on my business. My content, my site, emailing, scheduling sharing, and working on my projects. Anyone who has a service business knows how quickly the day can get away from you when you start out working on client projects. My creative juices are much better the first half of the day and if I don’t set that time aside for myself it won’t happen. This feels contrary when often times it’s the client work that is paying the bills. Don’t overthink this. Stay in integrity with your commitment to your clients and you’ll be able to manage this just fine. If we get really honest with ourselves this is more of an excuse than anything else.
- Stop Taking Work You Hate Because You “Need the Money”
I know this one all too well. Been there, done that… and it never pays off. EVER. It feels counter intuitive, I know. You have responsibilities, mouths to feed, bills to pay. The thing is every time you take a project or work with someone you don’t want to work with you’re robbing yourself of the business (and life) you really want. If you can’t do this cold turkey then start with making a commitment to yourself that you’ll at least spend x amount of time a day on an activity that will get you out of this type of work AND you’ll only work with the people you want to work with.
- Stop Holding Yourself Back from Engaging & Connecting
Social media can be a time suck… I get it, but find the places where you can provide some value and create real relationships. I’m in a few Facebook groups that are really quality groups with lots of engagement. I pay attention to what’s happening in those groups but rarely engage. That needs to change. I can provide value as well as create new relationships and get insights from people I respect and admire. This is part of growing a business, it’s not something you do when you “have the time”… because that time will never come.
- Stop Being Afraid to “Show UP”
I’m still a fan of this phrase. You’re the only one that knows what this means for you. It might be live streaming (something I’m going to be jumping into), podcasting, guest posting, emailing, sharing socially… it doesn’t matter. Find that thing that you know will help your business and commit to doing it consistently. It doesn’t have to be anything massive… just stick with it.
- Stop Caring About What Anyone Else Thinks
We’ve all done this (and do this). I did this for years. I was worried about what other people would think… forget the reasons why, they’re really not important. At the end of the day most people aren’t thinking that much about you to begin with. There’s no way to please everyone and some people are just bent on being dillholes. Let them and go about your business.
- Stop Taking Everything So Seriously
Let’s face it, most of what we deal with in our businesses is simply part of doing business, it’s not the end of the world. There will be bad days, annoying people, payments not received, snarky people, and days where you wonder if you should just get a job. Then you wake up the next day (or week) and get right back at it, because you know at the end of the day that there’s nothing else you’d rather be doing. Creating and building your own business is worth all the challenges. There will also be good days, awesome people, payments received, kind people, and days where you are truly grateful for what you’ve built. Make a conscious choice to hold onto those moments. Business, just like life, is ebb & flow.
Doesn’t the idea of doing less sound appealing?
Even though I’d like to think I’ve put some of these things behind me, I know I’m going to be ‘stopping’ some of these things myself in 2017.
Hi Kim,
I don’t remember exactly when I stumbled upon your blog for the first time, but now I notice that I’m landing here more and more often. Probably there’s a good reason for this and the perfect timing too. My WordPress business was slowly losing traction in 2016 I found myself doing more and more things in hope to compensate that. I am starting to realize that doing more sometimes means that you’re actually doing (and delivering) less, especially as you start neglecting and forgetting the good things you’ve done and enjoy in the past.
I am glad I read this blogpost. 2016 it’s not over yet and there’s no reason to wait for 2017 to stop doing things. I am putting this in practice today!
Let’s keep in touch!
Hi Primoz, Thanks so much! I’ve spent a lot of this year working on simplifying & streamlining things. Along with giving more time & attention to the fundamentals, which doesn’t sound very fun but it’s kind of like compound interest. All of the sudden your efforts start multiplying. 🙂
Love your site btw, we should hop on a skype call after the holidays! Happy to see how I can support you too!
Thanks again for the comment (& visiting the site more often).
Kim