3 Steps to Beating Overwhelm in Your Business
I can still remember the day I left the corporate world for good.
I was sad to leave — I’d worked for some amazing entrepreneurs throughout my career — but I knew this was the right path for me.
I confidently walked out of the building and headed out to my LAST commute home (yay!), knowing I was on my way to a more balanced life. One where I spent quality, uninterrupted time with my girls. Where I wasn’t on the verge of burnout at every turn. Where I got to call the shots on what was best for me and my family.
Today, that dream is very much alive and well — but I’d be lying if I told you it had been an easy ride to get here.
My Story
So — there I was. Armed with my laptop, my industry contacts and MASSIVE enthusiasm to get going and start creating my dream business.
Soon enough, I found — like so many of us business owners do — that my passion, my expertise and my WHY weren’t the things that were filling my days.
I wore ALL the hats in my business. I was CEO, COO CFO, Head of Marketing, Head of HR, Admin Assistant… the list goes on. I mean EVERYTHING!
My time and energy started to drain away. I felt like every time I ticked something off my to-do list, three more tasks appeared in its place. I was working SO hard — but I felt like I was barely treading water.
Before I knew it, I was staring burnout in the face yet again.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way!
My Lightbulb Moment
The penny dropped for me when I realised that just because I could do all of these tasks myself, didn’t mean that I should.
And, just because I could do certain tasks, didn’t mean that there wasn’t someone out there who could do it even better and quicker than I could — and that’s a GREAT thing! Rather than admitting defeat, I’d landed on a way to level up in so many different areas of my biz and become a happier person in the process.
So I did what I needed to do, and I reached out and asked for help.
And I’m telling you, at that moment — the game changed.
I was back to being CEO. Back to being Mum. Back to being an amazing wife. Back to being the best version of me I could be.
My 3-Step System to Beating Overwhelm
Take stock of where you are
Before reaching out to any suppliers for help, I recommend getting a really clear picture of exactly where you stand in your business right now.
Take a look at your to-do list — how does it make you feel? Are you filled with dread? Does it seem like it has a mind of its own, constantly growing no matter how many tasks you manage to tick off the list?
Take a look at your calendar — I recommend Google Calendar for this! — and block out the time you spend working on your business vs. in your business, as well as any downtime. Colour code each different category and you’ll immediately get a visual representation of what’s taking up most of your time. How is that balance looking? Is it where it should be or is working in your business taking over?
2. Take action
Revisit your to-do list and categorise all of your tasks. Flag which tasks you MUST do, which ones you LOVE to do, and which ones you absolutely HATE to do. Are there any tasks that take up too much of your time, or would need you to skill up in a certain area which doesn’t contribute to the overall growth of your business?
3. Ask for help
Armed with your list, you’re in the PERFECT position to find an amazing virtual assistant who can take these tasks off your hands. Prioritising the tasks you must do and those you love, your new VA will allow you to focus on the bigger picture and get back to working on, not in your business.
Pro tip: consider working with a virtual assistant agency if you have a number of different tasks requiring different expertise. They will have a wide variety of experts in different fields who will all be able to come together as a team and deliver some outstanding work for you.
What’s next?
There you have it — the exact 3-step system I used to banish overwhelm and get back in my genius zone.
Want a shortcut? Download my FREE checklist on the ultimate list of tasks you can download to a virtual assistant here.
It’s helped SO many entrepreneurs to ditch the doubt and find a system that works for them and their business — I can’t wait for you to get inspired!
Selina Johnson — Business Support Expert, solution seeker and freedom fixer — helps successful coaches, consultants, speakers and entrepreneurs from across the globe to scale their businesses, make more money and achieve faster, sustainable results without compromising their time.
Over the past 16 years, she’s supported high profile individuals like award-winning architect Dame Zaha Hadid DBE, Sunday Times Top 20 Most Influential Entrepreneurs In The UK Sháá Wasmund MBE, former Co-Director of the Serpentine Gallery Dame Julia Peyton-Jones DBE, and Russian billionaire Timur Sardarov.
Today, she teaches brilliant entrepreneurs just like you how to implement her simple methods that result in BIG wins in their businesses — including the dynamite delegation strategies, time management hacks and mindset mastery she’s used to halve her hours, double her income and ditch her commute, leaving her free to create and live the life she loves.