clear the clutter e-book - erinthorp.ca€¦ · our “personal” life at the door when we come to...

© elf solutions inc. 2016

workbook

Your guide to finding focus and moving forward.


Welcome …

Feeling a little (or a lot) of the “Entrepreneur Overwhelm” symptoms?

Chances are if you’ve downloaded this workbook you are feeling overwhelmed, stuck with your wheels spinning, a million (and one) things to do and no energy or drive to actually DO anything! (Am I sort of right??)

The fact is our brains can only hold so much information in short term memory. When we start to overload it & stop taking time to clear it out things become unmanageable. When I find myself saying “I can’t take time off!” or “I’ll just finish this one thing and I’ll have more time” is precisely when I need to take a break, unplug and start to work on clearing out my own clutter.

I truly hope you book 30 minutes with yourself, make a cup of tea or pour a glass of wine and DO the simple, yet effective steps outlined in this workbook!

erin

xo

”Clutter is postponed decisions” –Barbara Hemphill


A bit more about me!

Professionally I have a civil engineering degree and a background in project management and sales. Crazy right? What I discovered about myself during my 15+ year corporate career is that I am an authentic leader with a natural flair at finding focus, organizing the seemingly impossible and doing it with ease & flexibility. I have learned the importance of playing to people strengths; the art of delegation; experienced the grace of flexibility; and reaped the rewards of reaching for BIG (and sometimes scary) goals. I am an integrator.

Personally, those who know me best say I was born “bossy”. I’m the eldest of four children and have had a lot of practice telling them what to do … Ahem, I mean, spent a lot of time looking out for them. I grew up on a farm in northern Alberta Canada and learned early on to be a “jillof all trades”. I love to cook for my family; read everything I can get my hands on; and to express my somewhat rigid creativity, I enjoying sewing & crochet.

“I believe we all have inherent strengths and when we use them daily to fuel our work, play and passions we WILL move mountains while living a fulfilled life.”


What to expect inside …

v The BIG Brain Dump

v Gratitude

v Organizing & Prioritizing

v Setting Goals & ACTION STEPS

v The Parking Lot

v Review & Improve

v BONUS!


The BIG Brain Dump

v Business Ideas

v Project Ideas

v Website Updates

v Social Media (posts & management)

v Grocery lists, birthday presents

v Cards that need to be sent

v Books to Read

v Library Returns / Banking / Car Repairs

v Laundry / Cleaning / House work

v Cooking / Meal prep

v Yard work / House maintenance

v Course to be Completed / Certifications

v Personal appointments (Medical, Esthetics, etc.)

v Any and all frustrations

In this exercise write down everything you are currently thinking or worrying about. Anything at all that is renting space in your head belongs on this list. I’ve included some prompts below to get you started …


The BIG brain dump

I understand you may need more than 1 sheet – print as many as you need!


Consider this …

We are all whole beings – emotionally, spiritually & physically. We do not leave our “personal” life at the door when we come to work nor do we leave our “work” life at the door when we return home. (Especially if you work from home as I’m sure most of you do!)

Look at your whole self and all the “hats you wear” or “balls you are trying to keep in the air” when you do your ‘brain dump’ exercise. Trust me it will make the next steps more impactful!


Gratitude ...

Now that you’ve had a chance to get out all you have do, all that’s bugging you and your BIGGEST frustrations …

TAKE A DEEP BREATH!

Spend the next few minutes noting all the things you’re grateful for in your life. A few places you might want to start are listed below.

Because there is always something to be grateful for!

v Your Health

v Your Business

v Your Friends / Family / Support Network

v Where you live

v Your lifestyle

v Your mindset

v The opportunities you have

v Your “team” at work

v Your “team” at home

v The 30 minutes you’ve set aside to complete this work


I am grateful for …

I understand you may need more than 1 sheet – print as many as you need!


What does success over the next 1-3 months look like? Take some time to really get clear on your objectives and articulate them concisely. Trust me you’ll thank me later!


Organize & Prioritize

In this step we are going to organize your “Brain Dump” list into three categories:

1. Decide To Do: These are high value, big impact tasks & projects that you must plan for and make time in your schedule to tackle

2. Must Do It: Small tasks, little to no time required to complete yet are highly distracting when they pile up

3. Delegate / Hire Out: things you dislike doing, are not good at or just don’t enjoy

Tip: Keep in mind what you said success wouldlook like and ensure that the things you put in theDecide To Do list align with your vision.


Decide To Do

High Impact, Strategic Work(writing, creating, networking,

marketing, sales funnels)

Must Do It

Urgent Tasks – Must Do’s(newsletters, sales reports,

family commitments, learning)

Delegate / Hire Out

Low Return, Energy Sucking(house work, email & social media mgmt., writing copy)


What I’m just not going to do!

Everything you put inside this box I give you permission to let go of. You DO NOT need to carry them around anymore or worry about them.

When you do this part of the exercise treat your list as if it was your friends list and help her clear out items she doesn’t have to carry around anymore. We’re so much better at doing this for friends then we are for ourselves! J


Goals & ACTIONS

Most of us are familiar with SMART goals. Hey, if you’re not – no worries, just keep reading! Now, there are opposing schools of thought on SMART Goals. Not surprising really! I happen to believe they can be effective when combined with specific and measurable actions. More on that in a bit!

S – Specific M – Measureable A – Attainable R – Realistic T - Time bound

For most of us it’s easy to set the goal …

v Get 100 likes on FB by June 15.v Get 500 new followers on FB by August 31.v Sell 100 spots in the new course within 5 days of launch.

It’s the actions detailing HOW we are going to make the goal where we fall short. That is ... until now!


Getting started with Goals & Actions

We are starting with the “Decided To Do” category. Why you ask? It’s simple really. If you don’t decide to do these things, they will eventually become “Must Do It” and you will be running around with your hair on fire, stressed out and always feeling behind.

We are trying to move you away from this. We don’t want you fire-fighting every day in your business.

1. Goals should align and support your vision of success for the next 1-3 months.

2. Goals should also be aligned to support the items you noted in the “Decide To Do” list.

3. Actions are the things you’ll do to meet the goals. These may change, in fact you probably won’t get it right the first time.

Tip: Be paitent with yourself; be open to changing if its required; celebrate the small wins – no matter how small they seem. You’ve SO got this!


Goal #1

Specific action required to meet goals:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Specific:

Measureable:

Attainable:

Yes No

Realistic:

Yes No

Time-bound: (By when)


Goal #2


1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Specific:

Measureable:

Attainable:

Yes No

Realistic:

Yes No



Goal #3


1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Specific:

Measureable:

Attainable:

Yes No

Realistic:

Yes No



Parking LotThis is for all the items that will come up in the next few weeks which are distractions from your goals and actions. Write these items here so you can keep your brain clear and free from clutter!


Review & Improve

A few facts …

v You most likely won’t acutally hit all of your goals. If you did - aim higher and stop playing so small!

v You WILL get better at this – keep going!v You increase your chances of success if you review and improve ...

So let’s get started!

This is a very simple exercise that really shouldn’t take any longer than 15-30 minutes. I highly recommend that every 2 – 4 weeks you book a time with yourself, have that cup of tea or glass of wine and complete the next page.

Here’s to improving our skills, our mindsets and our businesses!


Stop Doing

People or things that suck your energy, leave you uninspired and

no longer serve you

Start Doing

People you need to meet, things you need to start doing

(nutrition/exercise)

Continue Doing

People you need to stay connected too and things you

need to keep doing!


There are literally hundreds

of little ways to lose focus. You must

build systems to ensure success!


What do I do now?

In a nut shell you keep recycling this simple process ideally before the overwhelm hits you.

1. Do a BIG Brain Dump whenever you are feeling overwhelmed, stuck or lacking focus & motivation

2. Categorize your thoughts; focus mainly on the “decide to do” category3. Set goals algined with your vision of success4. Detail the actions you will take to achieve the goal5. Set aside time every 2-4 week to reivew and improve

Now for some fun bonus material ... Beacuse really, who doesn’t like a good bonus!


Clear the Clutter Call

If you’ve worked through this and still can’t quite get there or just need more accountability (I’m someone who needs accountability all the time, so I totally understand)book a “Clear the Clutter” call now.

It’s completely FREE and could be the key to moving you forward!

www.erinthorp.ca/work-with-me


Daily planning sheets to keep your mind clear so you can achieve more in less time.


Marketing Mondays

Parking Lot:(jot down items here as they come up during the week)

Key Marketing Tasks for _______________ (date)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

“Marketing Mondays” are when you focus on all things product and marketing. Sales funnels, email campaigns, new groups on FB, social media strategies, you get the picture!


Teambuilding Tuesdays


Key Team / Teambuilding Tasks for ___________ (date)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

“Team Tuesday” is when you focus on the people who help you do what you do! One on one calls, team meetings, cheerleading, coaching … All things “Team”!


Web Wednesdays


Key Web / Website Tasks for _______________ (date)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

“Web Wednesdays” are for all things website and internet related. Researching, reading, bookmarking sites and working on your own site … it all happens on Wednesday!


ThoughtfulThursdays


Key Vision Building Tasks for _____________ (date)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

“Thoughtful Thursdays” is about creating space to be creative. Maybe it’s a blog, course or copy you’re working which needs your time. Perhaps business building or R&I activities.


Freedom Fridays


Key Tasks for _______________ (date)(TIP: tasks that take care of you and fill up YOUR bucket!)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

”Freedom Fridays” are just that! FREE for you to do whatever you feel like. You should try and plan on and keep one day a week for inspired play, rest or relaxation.

clear the clutter e-book - erinthorp.ca€¦ · our “personal” life at the door when we come to...

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