I'm not going to bore you with the details of my life. Let's just say I have an 80-year old mother in law who lives alone, a son in law in the Navy, and a husband who, as we all know, has health issues. And when they all need my undivided attention at the same time, something has to give. And it usually means I go in "zero-level" mode.
What is "zero-level"? It is the absolute least amount of activity I do to keep my business functioning. It's kind of like when you don't feel great. Maybe you aren't stay-in-bed sick, but you don't feel well. You probably don't get up and get all dressed up and put on the makeup and do the hair. But you have a certain level of grooming that you do no matter what. No matter how bad I feel I always wash my face, brush my teeth, and comb my hair. For you it could be something different. But unless I'm simply unable to stand long enough to accomplish, these tasks, I will do these things no matter how sick I feel.
It's the same with my business. When life is demanding more of me than there is to go around, I have a baseline of activities that I will accomplish no matter what. And not that I don't love you all, but blogging isn't one of them. When I'm stretched that thin, it just takes too much of my time to try and write consistent, valuable blog posts. And so I resort mostly to hanging out on social media and meeting people.
Why? First, because I do it from my phone and I can do it anywhere. Second, because people are the lifeblood of my business and social media is where I meet them. And third, because I find the interaction energizing, especially when many of my friends have been around me long enough to know that if I suddenly disappear, it means that I am dealing with family and they reach out to see if I need anything. That is very comforting when I'm knee-deep in stuff!
Zero-level is a good way to be sure that no matter what is going on in your life and your business, you are at least doing something to ensure you don't just quit. You might not be dealing with family health problems. You might be dealing with your own. Or maybe you're just bummed out because you aren't getting the results you hoped for as quickly as you thought. Or maybe you've been pushing so hard you're just burned out. Determine what is the absolute least you can do and still keep your business running. That's your zero-level. Then make sure that no matter what, these things will be done every day.
You might even find, like I often do, that after you have completed these tasks, you have a little bit left to do something else! That zero-level just became zero + 1.
The good news is my mother-in-law is home. My son-in-law is home. My husband is home. And all is well.
Time to get back to work! Full tilt! Thanks for sticking with me.
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