It finally got to the point that I was spending most of my time in my inbox, replying to customer emails. I was overwhelmed and frustrated. I was afraid to take a break from my computer because I want to be on-call for my customers.
This created problems in both my business and my personal life. I felt like I was chained to my desk. Then I read the book Essentialism and learned to ask three questions about every task.
Does This Have to Be Done?
Think about your business and what you want to accomplish with it. Then consider why you're completing your current task and if it's truly necessary for the health of your business. If it's not necessary, they why are you doing it? Could you just let it go?
I know that answering customers emails is essential. But I also noticed that I receive some of the same questions again and again.
To answer these questions faster, I created this blog, and some ebooks, and now a YouTube channel. When I get a common question, I copy and paste the link to the information directly into the email, saving me time. And as customers learn about these resources, they now often go there directly instead of emailing me.
Is This Important or Merely Urgent?
Important tasks are the ones that move your business forward. They get you closer to meeting your goals. Posting fifteen updates on your Facebook page might seem urgent but it's not necessarily important.
Urgent tasks feel important but they don't get you closer to meeting your goals. An example of an urgent but not necessarily important task is replying to comments on your social media posts. Sure, it feels good to monitor those little heart notifications. But unless it is a request for info or a question about your business, it isn't vital to reaching your current goal. Save it for when you're scrolling during your lunch break or while having your morning coffee.
Can This Be Done by Someone Else?
It can also be helpful to ask if a task can be handed off to someone else. Many business owners think of outsourcing as an expense. But it's smart to think about it as an investment. That's because you'll be able to work on the areas of your business where you shine without constant interruptions.
Answering these three questions can reduce your feelings of overwhelm. To make it simple, choose to implement these questions in one area of your business first, like customer support, social media promotion, or list-building. Once you start seeing results, you can apply these questions to another part of your business that you want to overhaul.
