Whitney joined experienced entrepreneur Ande Lyons on an episode of Startup Life with Ande Lyons to talk about “Strategies for Founders to Get More Done in Less Time.” On the show, Ande and her guests share insights and advice to help entrepreneurs launch, brand, and build their businesses. In the interview, Whitney shared insights based on her experience as an entrepreneur and six key strategies to help founders do more with their time.
Whitney has worked with startups, small businesses, and large organizations through her innovation practice, Afara Global, and her Small Business Accelerator. Through her work, she sees so many founders who have incredible visions for their businesses and the impact they want to have. But, they’re pulled in so many directions on a day-to-day basis between all their tasks and ideas that they’re overwhelmed and at risk of falling short of their full potential. Instead of focusing on the real outcomes and results they want to achieve, they get caught up in the hamster wheel of busyness. Whitney works with her clients to shift their mindsets and implement strategies that help them beat procrastination, take back their time, and get tangible results for their businesses and their lives.
How can you get more done in less time?
- Stop procrastinating. It’s easy to fall into the trap of procrastination, but if you don’t focus on the most important priorities that drive your bottom line, your business will fall apart. The key is to shift your mindset. Get clear on what your vision is for your life and your work. Then, focus on building a path to get there. Once you have a roadmap for the things you need to get done to achieve your vision, you can stop dreading the work you need to do. Instead, you can know that you’re moving in your purpose and accomplishing the tasks that are going to get you the results you most want.
- Set goals you’re actually going to meet. Whitney does not believe in aspirational goals. In both her own life and with her clients, she focuses on getting clear on what you truly want and figuring out how to make it happen. As a founder and business owner, your time is so valuable. Don’t spend weeks and months theorizing. When you come up with a plan, go out and test it instead of wasting time with over-analysis.
- Don’t feel like you have to do everything alone. So many founders believe that they have to do everything themselves, especially at the beginning. But that can lead to feeling overwhelmed and being at risk of burnout. Don’t underestimate the value of external expertise. Recognize when you need to bring in experts or support to help you get things done. Look at areas where you’re struggling and reach out to people who have the skills and expertise to help you get back on track.
- Protect your calendar. Everyone has different work styles and some people work best when they can bounce ideas off others. But that doesn’t mean filling your days with meetings for the sake of meetings. Look at the core results that you’re after and make sure the meetings that you’re in are aligned with the outcomes you want. Ask yourself if something really needs to be a meeting versus an email. If it does need to be a meeting, make it a shorter meeting.
- Track your progress. Keeping track of your progress and results is critical to holding yourself accountable. You need to be able to see if things are going off track early enough to course correct. Then, you can shift your time and energy to meet your goals and get back on track. Check in on your progress on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis so you can identify and fix any potential issues early.
- Fight impostor syndrome. Many first time founders struggle with feeling like they don’t know what they’re doing or where they’re going. When that happens, take a step back and look at your whole life — not just your business. All the parts of your life are connected and if one piece feels like it’s off track, that will spill over into your work. Get a holistic view of your life and zero in on where you need help or support. Then, you can get back on the path to achieving the outcomes you truly want most.
Launching a new business and watching your vision come to life is exciting, but it can be so easy to get off track and get overwhelmed if you don’t have the right mindset. When you get clear on what you want for your business and your life, you can set goals to help you reach your most important outcomes and stay on track to achieve them.
Check out the video to see the full conversation.
