Ep #16: Business Minimalism and Why We Overwork
Episode Summary
Jenna explains the reason so many entrepreneurs are chronically overworking, and how business minimalism can stop this cycle.
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Show Notes
Something I see so often in entrepreneur circles is chronic overworking. If we have more time in the day, we believe it means we should do more things to fill it. We increase the quantity of our workload rather than the quality and we end up doing far more than we should be doing because we believe there is a correlation between doing more and gaining positive business outcomes. But doing more things doesn’t actually create results, so what does?
At its core, overwork is a product of believing you can control your business results through action. But in order to really create results, you have to divorce yourself mentally from the reliance on doing, and invite in space to play with the idea that results don’t come from doing more, but carrying out what you’re already doing better. You need to explore business minimalism: the art of doing more with less.
In this episode, I’m diving deeper into overworking and business minimalism, and showing you how to focus your efforts on improving the quality of your actions and mindset. Discover why minimalizing your business can help you take it to the next level, and how to do things that stretch you and help you grow while focusing on quality over quantity.
What You’ll Learn From This Episode:
Where the need to do comes from.
The kind of work you need to be focusing on frequently for maximum long-term results.
Why a large amount of Instagram followers doesn’t equal success.
A huge clarity gap for entrepreneurs at all income levels.
Why all the marketing in the world won’t make up for a lack of messaging.
How becoming a business minimalist requires vulnerability and a leap of faith.
What really creates burnout.
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Full Episode Transcript:
Today, we'll be talking about overwork versus what I call business minimalism. It's the art of doing more with less. And it's a huge part of why you got into business in the first place. If you can allow yourself to really go there, it is what's going to take your business to the next level.
You're listening to The Uncommon Way Business and Life Coaching Podcast, the only podcast that helps you unlock your next level in business and life, by prioritizing your clarity and your own Uncommon Way. You will learn to maximize your mindset, mission, messaging, and strategy in order to create a true legacy. Here's your host, top ranked business coach and reformed overanalyzer turned queen of clarity, Jenna Harrison.
Hey, everyone, welcome back to The Uncommon Way. I'm settling back in from Italy. It's still such a mind bender that I can be on the beach one week with my family, carrying a bunch of beach towels. And then the next, be bundling up and going to a fall festival, carrying the pumpkin that my son has very definitively chosen.
It's amazing, of course, that we live in an age when this is possible. I've been thinking, when you can travel between two worlds, and that doesn't have to be two countries. I know some of you have one foot in your corporate world and another in the entrepreneurship world, for instance.
Isn't it just such a fantastic way to compare and contrast, and really challenge your assumptions, and the way you've been doing things and thinking about things? This is a huge part of why I travel, in the first place. I mean, I planned to work less when I was in Italy, as I've done in the past.
But I was really interested in how quickly my brain released the internal pressure of needing to be busy. Those are two separate things, right? The hours you work are one thing, and the pressure you feel to work, to be doing things, is another.
I was studying myself like; huh, what am I thinking, exactly, that's allowing me to do this? As I mentioned last week, I was working what many would consider to be an obscenely low amount of hours per week, and yet my business didn't suffer.
And, it's because of business minimalism. Which is when you're solely focused on the areas of greatest leverage in your business. And, that can only happen when you're willing to not satisfy the urge to work on a bunch of other things, too. And you'll only be willing to restrain yourself, when you trust that you don't have to do any more to create bigger results. You just have to do what you're doing better to create bigger results.
But before we go there, I want to give a shout out to some people I know are listening. One is a podcast listener, who told me that she goes back and listens to earlier episodes, two or even three times in order to get more out of them. And, I can completely relate to this and appreciate it.
Because I remember once, I was going to see a coach of mine, and I kind of wanted to brush up and I looked over my past notes. And there was something from a year ago, that was almost exactly what she was just telling me on a call. And so, it's like our brains can't fully receive it until we're ready to receive it.
And so, this is a practice that I've started doing with my own coaching; is really going back to refresh my brain and hear things, listen to calls, hear things, or see things, see my notes, several times, in order to absorb more than I would have the first time. So, I just really want to honor her for doing that, and really committing to getting the most out of this podcast that she can.
There's another woman I wanted to give a shout out to, who wrote me that beautiful note about my blog. I have a feeling it was the post on abstract thinkers. And she was really saying how she's just never felt seen before, never felt really understood. And has had such difficulty explaining to her friends and family, why she is the way she is, why she sees things the way she does. And she just felt so validated reading these posts about what an abstract thinker is.
I want to thank you for taking the time to write. In my response, I suggested you listen to this podcast. And so, I just wanted a chance to kind of say that, in person, that I really love hearing from you. And, it means the world to me that you would take the time to write.
And lastly, this podcast has started ranking in Sweden. Yeah, there are a few countries that we're ranking in already. And now, Sweden is a new addition. And so, I know that there's a person or some people in Sweden who are finding this valuable. Downloading the episodes, maybe sharing it with some of their friends. And I just want to say welcome, and I'm so glad to have you here.
Okay, let's get back to it and dive right in. Business minimalism is not the normal way of doing things. That's true for pretty much everyone in the U.S., but many other countries, too. We tend to pile on more and more and more. If I have more time in the day, that means I should do more things. Let's call it maximalism. But at its core, overwork is a product of you believing you can control your business results through doing.
You believe there's a correlation between doing more and positive business outcomes. Which is understandable, especially if you've grown up hearing; you can have anything you want, if you work hard enough. Most of our society still run on a factory mentality; I clock in, I clock out, and I get money for those hours. If I work for more hours, I earn more money.
We start thinking like, how much does that doctor, or lawyer make per hour? We're not always thinking about the overall result they bring, or the years of investing and honing their skill that now allow them to create those results. No, we're like; $500 per hour? That's crazy talk. Plus, we see these well-known business gurus with huge teams, that are churning out social media, webinars, free challenges, live events, etc., etc. And our brains figure, well, the more I approximate that behavior, the closer I'll get to that person’s success.
But nobody is paying you for the hours you work anymore. You know this logically. I know, you've heard it 1,000 times: If a dentist says it will take six months to do your root canal, you're not going to pay her more just because of all the hours she's putting into it. Right? You'll happily pay a premium to the dentist down the street, who can do it in one day.
And yet, we see so much chronic overwork in entrepreneur circles. It's like you're moving the vacuum around frantically, back, and forth, right? But it's not plugged in. Yes, you have the lines on the carpet to show for it. But that doesn't mean it's effective.
I know of someone who posts all the time on social. Responds to comments, engages with others, and has built up 40,000 Instagram followers. I know for a lot of you, you think that must equal success. But she makes no money; none. It's a classic case of, all the marketing in the world won't make up for a lack of messaging.
Now, you're probably thinking; okay, Jenna, if doing things doesn't create results, what actually does? This is a huge clarity gap for entrepreneurs, at all income levels. I see six and multi six-figure entrepreneurs frequently saying things like, “I'm not really sure what creates my results. I think that was just a fluke,” etc., etc.
Friends, this is of foremost importance in your business, you've got to be attuned to the levers in your business that create the most results. This is what I help my clients do. I help them find their own uncommon way. And, it changes everything.
Now, there are often overlaps among different people, right? I've touched on several important factors in past episodes, like, clarity about what you're offering and your people, for instance. That's a very important lever. And, I'll gladly do a future episode, just on the topic of what actually creates results. Because I want to help you plug your vacuum in, I really do. And then, I want to help you set up your Roomba.
The world changes, with the more women that do this. But what I really want you to take away from this episode, is that in order to really hear this discussion about what creates results, you first have to divorce yourself mentally from the reliance on doing. Or, at least invite, in a little bit of space to play with the idea that maybe results don't come from doing.
Don't get me wrong, I want you to do things in your business. I want you to do very challenging things that stretch you and help you grow, into exactly who you're here to be. But quality over quantity. When I say quality, it's both the quality of the actions you're taking, and the quality of your frame of mind. So, let's break those down.
Quality of actions means that you're focused on the things, and only the things, that truly move your business forward. Rather than spreading yourself thin, you're giving more to the few selected things. In the beginning of your business, you're solely concentrating on the steps required to prove your business is viable. And, that your language and assets will resonate with your people in the quickest and most effective way.
You won't be filling your time with all the low yield activities that most new entrepreneurs fill their time with. Like, creating a website when you're not even exactly sure who your people are, or what they think the problem and solution is, and what moves them towards a sale. Or, spending time scrolling social media, because that's what the algorithm likes. Or, listening to tons of webinars.
You know what you're focused on. Why you've chosen that. It makes sense. You're decided, and now you're executing it. So, you're not watching ten different webinars every day. Now, how you go about this can be different for everyone. Again, that's your uncommon way; your secret sauce.
If you don't have a feel for this yet, get support to get clear on it, stat. I've had clients that were big networkers, and their method was creating group offers, and doing things like running Facebook groups. I've had others who were really great in person, and tested language at networking events. I've had others that would invite people to free mini-offers, so that they can really have that one-to-one experience for a lengthy amount of time.
So many ways; there's no one right way to grow your business. The right way is the one that plays to your strengths. And later on in your business, you're still focusing on the few selected levers that create the most results. But your work now, lies in creating higher degrees of value and impact for your people. You must trust that your current portals or methods are enough. By portals, I mean, the places through which people can find you.
And, that's hard work. Trust is hard work. Becoming a business minimalist is scary work. It requires vulnerability. It requires a leap of faith. Believe me, I know. I've been doing a lot of this work myself for the last few years, so that I can now help my clients through it more easily. And, I know how hard it is to stop moving all the controls and pushing all the buttons.
Okay, okay, that's a fun image. It's like you're on one of those kids’ rides, where you put in the coin, and then it moves up and down. Dylan became obsessed with this Spiderman ride in Italy; I lost many, many euros to that thing.
But anyway, there's the airplane, and you're pushing all the buttons. But really, it's inserting the coin that makes the thing go up and down. All the other things are distractions that give you the illusion of control. But really, all it's doing is making you feel better to push them; oh, I push this button, and the plane moved up at the same time; dopamine hit, right?
That's not a perfect analogy, because I would never advocate for anyone to just sit there and let the plane move up and down. But relinquish the superfluous stuff, just let it go. I know of many coaches that have seven-figure businesses, purely through referral business and their own networking.
There's my mentor, Brooke Castillo; she has a $40 million business, and until this year, wasn't on social media. She created that through her podcast and Facebook ads. My own multiple six-figure business comes through a few different places where I'm featured.
With all of the above, the people are working less than 40-hour workweeks. And, that is the power of clear focus. It's also a product of really knowing yourself, knowing your people, and learning to speak to how those two connect, of course. It's creating assets that work in the world, on my behalf. So, I don't have to hustle to get clients, they come to me.
Now, I thought I'd just share with you some of my thoughts that I identified, while I was in Italy. So, you can try them on and apply them to wherever you are in business if they're a fit.
One was it will get done. This was my absolute favorite. I could compare that to some thoughts that I have here, sometimes. Where I'm thinking; there's not enough time to get everything done. And in Italy, I was thinking; it'll get done. I love it.
There was another, where I said, “If it's important enough, I'll get to it later.” So, that was showing me I trust my mind not to forget it. And I trust my mind to be able to sit with something, and then have that discernment to decide if it really is important enough, later.
If it's meant for me, it won't pass me by. Again, there's that trust, right? I don't have to worry about jumping on this offer or launching this new initiative, right now, because otherwise I'll lose that opportunity. For instance, I'm thinking of, maybe a person that markets with scarcity. And they say that right now, is this great offer, this discount, or this opportunity. And ,I could hire them, right now.
Again, if it's meant for me, it won't pass me by. I can still take advantage of this when it feels aligned.
And then, this one will be really big for a lot of you; There are plenty of people within my current pool. I can reach my goals within my current pool. So, of the areas, of the portals, I have where people can reach me, there are enough people there for me to reach my goals. Like, I was talking to a client the other day who was going to be doing some market research, and she was concerned about whether she should be talking to her network or going into Facebook groups, or you know, trying all different angles.
We broke down the numbers and she had twenty people that she tended to message, just within a very close networking group, and I know, they all know twenty people, right? And so, maybe you're looking for three people to speak to, to interview. And you've got to remind your brain that it's very possible, and very likely, that it will be the easiest solution of all. You'll just send out a note to your friends, and all you need is three people.
So, there's plenty of people within my current pool to reach my goals. Therefore, I don't need to add anything extra to my business. The only question is if I want to add something extra at an appropriate time. And, I'm not alone in this.
Now, this is something I personally believe, that the Universe wants to bring my clients and I into contact. The universe will help them find their way to me. Like, I had a client who happened to pull out a t-shirt from a conference from five years ago. It said, an uncommon way of living, or an uncommon way of life, or something. And she just had the random thought, “Oh, that would be a great name for a business.”
She googled and found me, right? So, there was no way I could have made that happen through effort. Okay, well, I shouldn't say no way. Maybe I could have created the top viewed Superbowl ad or something, and she would have seen it. But she wasn't even looking for a business coach until she read my site.
So anyway, that is always powerful for me to remember; that I'm not alone in this. And, that what I'm searching for, is searching for me, too. What I want, wants me, too. It really allows you to relinquish a lot of the nervous energy that drives you to do this in the first place. And, we'll talk about that in a minute.
But bottom line, you can work smarter, without working harder, and create even bigger results. Bottom line, you can work smarter, without working harder, and create even bigger results. All right, that was quality of actions.
Let's talk about quality of your mindset. The need to do, do, do, is always driven by some form of discontent. But discontent is the emotion you feel when you're asking for more than you're letting in. I'll say that again. Discontent is the emotion you feel when you're asking for more than you're letting in.
You might want to go back and re-listen to the episode on allowing yourself to receive, in order to fully understand what I'm saying there. But when you're tapped in, when you're really in alignment, things are unfolding steadily. You may not have the exact result you want yet, but it's coming.
There's so much happening, so much unfolding, that you don't have space for discontent. There's too much gratitude, and excitement, and anticipation. But when you're asking for more than you're letting in, there's not enough action in the world to compensate for that misalignment.
Again, think of pinching the flow. I talked about that in the receiving episode. You're saying, “I want a million dollars. Where's my million dollars? A million dollars isn't happening fast enough.” But there's a million dollars right on the other side of that hose. You're the one who's pinching the hose.
It's like the clients are definitely there, but we're effectively blocking that sale. We aren't able to tap into our creativity. We aren't showing up as our most grounded self, or we're missing opportunities. Or, maybe we see the opportunity, but we're like; I just don't have the bandwidth for that.
Patience is what you need when you aren't tapped in. Believe me, I know about this. I'm an MG (Manifesting Generator), for those of you that are familiar with human design. We want everything to move fast, fast, fast. And, I'm intimate with the frustration that comes from impatience. But we can catch ourselves when it's happening, right? We all have this ability.
Let's talk about that ‘aligned’ word, let's break that down. When I say ‘alignment,’ I mean a few things. One, there's integrity between what you're preaching and how you're living. That you're actually using the tools you're talking about and are a product of those tools. Big one.
I also mean that you're aligned with who you are. You're following your true north, your uncommon way, your design. And I mean that you are rested, and well-nourished, and have a balanced nervous system. And then again, you're not pinching the flow.
If you're asking for a six-figure or a seven-figure business, but deep down, you're thinking; I don't really want that many clients, because I won't be able to deliver for them all. And then, they'll hate me, and I'll feel awful. Then, you're not in alignment.
Or, if you're thinking; I don't really want that big of a business, because then I'll have to work too much, and I don't want to burn out. You're not in alignment. Your internal world is not aligned with what you're asking for. And, it's okay. None of us are perfect with this, in every way, at every moment.
But having this knowledge helps expose us to where we're not in alignment. Where we're not aligned with our higher self, our highest potential. And we're grateful to have that exposed, so that we can heal it, so we can work on it and grow.
We're not beating ourselves up. We are where we are, for 1,000 very understandable reasons. It's all good. And thankfully, we're seeing where our areas of growth are. You exposing an area of growth doesn't mean you're doing it wrong. It means you're doing it right. It means things are happening for you. Change is unfolding right in front of your eyes, shift is happening.
When you can start moving away from this whole, why isn't it working? type of energy, you will start to see your world transform. I have a client who has really dived into this work. And now, she has more clients than ever. She's booking more sales calls than she cand believe. Her Instagram has exploded. And she's doing all this inspired work, and gets 1,000s of views and really good engagement.
Much better than really well-known coaches with huge followings, by the way. Her clients come to her when she's staying out of her head. Out of her doubt. When she's riding the wave.
I have another client with a product-based business, who uses Facebook ads. And when she is in an aligned place, her revenue increases. When she's not, it declines. And, these are “set it and forget it” ads she's got going.
In the episode that's called How Entrepreneurship Made Me Woo, I talk about my own journey through this. I don't change my copy and yet, the clients coming to me change. Maybe this is correlated rather than casual, all the things I just mentioned, right? Maybe this is all chance or confirmation bias. I'll let you make your own decisions about that.
But for me, and many of my clients, we believe our alignment and whatever we're working on in our growth at that moment, plays a huge part in our business results. And the work of this alignment, is work. And that's the kind of work you need to be focusing on frequently, for maximum long-term results. Rather than filling your time with all the frantic busyness. A little bit of balance, please. And focused, intentional effort.
This is business minimalism, focusing on what really matters. Your efforts are going into the quality of your actions and the quality of your mindset.
And before we wrap, I just want to say that we don't do any of this because we're afraid of working long hours, or afraid of burning out. You never want to be resisting something, to be moving away from something; you want to be moving towards something.
We don't need to be scared of working long hours, because it's not the long hours that create burnout, it's the mind that creates burnout. When you're in flow, when you're in alignment, it can be hard to stop yourself from working because you're so loving what you're doing.
So, for those of you who are under working, and I meet some of you sometimes too. You're under working and not moving your business forward effectively, because you're so worried about overworking and burning out. Probably because you've done that in the past.
Obviously, if you knew how good it feels to be in alignment, you wouldn't be afraid, you'd be doing more of it. You'd be trusting yourself to balance the alignment side with the productive action side. The reason we purposely choose to work fewer hours isn't to avoid work, it's so that we have full multi-dimensional lives.
And so, that we give our nervous systems a chance to rest, in order to do the big scary things that really move us forward. But challenge us emotionally because we have human brains. Not things that require time necessarily, but things that require cha-chas. For you, that might be telling old colleagues that you're now a coach. Totally activates your nervous system. Or, it might be holding a live event.
And we also choose to work fewer hours in our business, so that we can be working on ourselves. On the alignment pieces that fuel our business in so many ways. Alignment really is the assignment.
Okay, my friends. That’s it for today. Remember, deep down, you know who you are, and what your strengths are. And, each day you're moving forward into what you are here to create.
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