Something’s Gotta Give! Yes You DO Need to Make Sacrifices to Grow Your Business

Stop trying to do it ALL!

Calling it trying to be a SuperMom wouldn’t do justice to all the things we try to do (or feel guilty that we aren’t doing). It’s no wonder we resort to the most ineffective time management tactic of all: multitasking. We take on so much, even if it’s just mentally, that we literally have no hope of achieving everything.

We want to bake homemade cookies, volunteer weekly at the school, chair the organizing committee for your local community group, shuffle kids to lessons, find time for our own health and fitness, make awe-inspiring dishes worthy of Pinterest and grow a sustainable business.

And yes, the list goes on (and on and on and on).

Something has GOT to give. This may be the first time you are hearing this because I know those guru types like to tell you that you can have it all, but it’s not true. You probably sensed what I am about to tell you: You do have to make sacrifices to grow a business.

How to Pick and Choose What You Give Up to Grow

Make a List of Non-Negotiables – Get to the core of what you value by making a comprehensive list of things you absolutely positively will not sacrifice. Be honest. If walking your Kindergartner to school every morning before going to Yoga class is important, put it on the list and design around those activities.

Get to the Essence of It – Ask yourself why you do the things you do (or at least, why you add them to your guilt list and agonize over not doing them). What is it that you truly value about the activity? What do you get out of it in terms of personal growth, fulfillment, pride?

Find Substitutions for Activities – Now that you know why you choose to do what you do, next determine if there is another (simpler) way to achieve the same goal. For example, can you enlist other members of the family in the preparation of homemade meals? Can you contribute to the community in a less time-intensive role?

Involve Your Family in the Process – Enlist your family’s help in vetting your list. Ask them to share what is important to them. The answer may surprise you. For example, the extra duties you take on at school may not be as important to your children as you participating in the occasion in-classroom activity or field trip.

Do the Reality Check – Tally up what you are left with on your list and what you need to grow your business. If the numbers don’t add up, go back to the beginning and re-examine your answers to the above questions because if you don’t, the something that is going to give will be you!