How to Keep Going When the Sh$t Hits the Fan

Life has a funny way of getting in the way of your business, whether it’s the school holidays, illness, emergencies, financial difficulties or any other ‘thing’, it can soon distract you from your business. But if you want to pay your bills, you need to get back on track as business must go on.

This is something that I can relate to very easily – during the early weeks of my pregnancy, my energy levels were down and I had morning sickness that lasted all day.  We tried to keep it a secret from everyone until we’d had our dating scan (I’ve had a miscarriage before so learnt the hard way not to tell my eldest daughter until we had that important scan) so it was hard keeping the exciting news from our loved ones.

But business still had to go on, I had projects to work on, launches coming up that needed my attention … and I still needed to get paid!

So how do you set your challenges and concerns aside and stay motivated and focused during difficult times? I find the following strategies work really well for me.

Know Your Why
Why did you start the business in the first place? What exactly was the motivation behind your decision as that can bring your motivation back.

For me, it is all about my girls. Being there for every school and nursery run, going to the school events, going to the toddler groups, running a term time business.

Create Some Goals
Goals help you stay focused and motivated. The trick during difficult times is to make sure the goals are easily attainable yet still move your business forward.

For example, launching a new website or product might not be a good idea to tackle if you’re not feeling great. However, if you write content for the following month for your blog or newsletter might be a better idea.

If you are dealing with health problems then you may prefer to break your day up into smaller segments. A goal like creating an information product or writing your content for the next month is something you can tackle in small sections of time.

Choose goals that you can tackle easily in smaller segments of time.

Don’t Be Too Hard On Yourself
Seriously! If you put too much pressure on yourself to be supermum you’re going to burn out quickly.

Everyone has difficult times. If you accept that you may have to cut back a bit or get help during this trial, you’ll be much more able to focus on your business when you have time to. Stress and pressure are a sure-fire way to lose focus and concentration.

Change Your Schedule
If something has happened that affects your schedule, you may not be able to work when you normally do – so change your schedule to fit with what you can do.

For example, a sick child can consume your day. Instead of struggling, get up an hour earlier or stay up an hour later. Just focus on the essential work during this time, everything else can wait until you’re back to normal.

Look After Yourself
You must take care of yourself, simple!

Manage your stress, get some sleep, do some exercise and eat healthily. These will all help you to focus and concentrate when you have time to work on your business.

Difficult times will happen, it’s how you deal with it that will make you get back on track sooner.

Your action plan
What can you do today to get yourself back on track? Do you need to take time out of your business for a couple of days to recharge?