“Finish your homework, then you can go play outside.”
How many of us heard that growing up?
It’s a simple formula: work first. Then when work is done, you can play.
I’ve thought about that formula a lot recently, especially as I talk to entrepreneurs about their businesses.
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“Work-before-fun” is a great way to run a household. (Can you imagine if it was the other way around??)
But when you run your own business, that strategy runs into a harsh reality: Your work is never done.
You might finish a project, but as it relates to the work of your business…
… there’s never an end.
And when there’s never an end of work, there’s never a time when it’s OK to play.
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So what do you do about it?
Well, unlike when it comes to closing sales, I’m not the expert here. This is something I’m constantly working on.
But awareness is the first step toward changing, and I’m fully aware of how “work-before-fun” plays out in my life.
And I’m doing one big thing to flip the script.
Tomorrow I’m leaving for a hiking trip in Patagonia. My wife and I are packing our backpacks, meeting a friend, and hiking “The W” trail. It’s 5 days of hiking, 1 day on a glacier, and 3 days in Buenos Aires.
Totally disconnected. All play.
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What about you, __? Starting today, how can you bring more play into your life?
Can you…
… give yourself a day or two off after you bring on a new client?
… step away from your computer to take a 10-minute walk outside?
… institute phone-free dinners, or get one of these?
… read a book in the middle of the day, for no reason other than you simply want to?
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to try one new thing to flip the work-before-play script.
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Have a great week and I’ll see you when I’m back!
To your success,
Leah
P.S. If you want to learn some of my best sales strategies, check out the podcast interview I did a couple of weeks ago. In the 35-minute interview I talk about:
- How to conquer your fear of selling
- The “bad math of entrepreneurship” and why most entrepreneurs are under-charging
- How to find the real value you provide your clients/customers
- What cold emailing is actually for
One listener said: “I wish I’d had this conversation a year ago! I recommend this episode for any woman entrepreneur who’s at all intimidated by sales.”
