Act, auction... avoid

The Victory Report - email header image that reads "Regular musings riffing on the Four Fears® of business ownership

It's Christmas next week Reader... EEEK!

If, like me, you've had moments this year when you have felt that you just don't have enough time, the following advice should help you get ahead of the game in 2025.

Ahhh the toxic positivity of time management...

Let's begin with the bad stuff. It is true - you DO "have the same hours in the day as Beyoncé". But being told that, when your to-do list is creating both anxiety and overwhelm, is unhelpful to say the least.

Most time management tips and productivity hacks centre around two simple rules:

Do the things that you need to do first
Don't do the things you don't need to do

Well, duh!

That seems pretty obvious doesn't it? Work smarter, not harder... okay then. My issue with this approach though is the following:

How clear are you on what it is you NEED to do (clarity)?
How willing are you to actually do it (bravery)?

The secret to embracing the fear of not having enough time (the most obvious of The Four Fears®) is understanding that it is not about the hours, minutes or seconds spent working - it is about clarity and bravery.

There are countless books, articles and podcasts written on prioritisation and focus; drilling into the tasks that serve your story best (the ones that will make the biggest difference if you dedicate time to them).

I am willing to bet that you have a pretty good idea of what you should do - that is rarely the issue. But the other three fears (not being ready, not feeling good enough, a fear of getting it wrong - i.e. failing) are almost certainly why you aren't doing those things. i.e. they are interrupting your bravery.

Hmmm... just in case you aren't sure of what you 'should' do

The 20-Point Challenge gamifies the whole 'Eisenhower Matrix' model of both urgent and important, urgent but not important, not urgent but important, not urgent or important.

By giving the tasks to currently do / should be doing / shouldn't be doing a score, you are gaining clarity around what the best use of your time would be, in order to 'beat that score' tomorrow and the next day.

Graphic-based image of a clapperboard, an auction hammer and a stop sign. Under each are the words 'act', 'auction' and 'avoid' - as appropriate to the image above.

Act, auction... avoid those tasks:

Act on high-scoring tasks without hesitation
Auction (delegate if you can) the medium-scoring tasks
Avoid (remove from your schedule) the tasks that simply do not serve you or your ultimate business vision

Back to the bravery thing...

The above will give you the clarity. But before that step, you may still need to find your bravery. Which brings us back to the Five Why's concept I have shared before:

What is it you REALLY want from your business and why is that important to you?

And when you have an answer to that question, ask yourself again - why is THAT important to you? And keep going - at least another three 'why is that important(s)...' until your reason for 'doing' those tasks moves from a surface-level "this is good for my business" to a deeper, more personal and more precious "this is good for my soul".

"Good for my soul" tasks are irresistible - you can't not get them done!

Gaining both clarity and bravery around that very deep, personal 'fifth why' will keep you aligned with the must-do magic that ultimately will unlock the success you deserve.

So then...