Hey, it’s Dhiren 🧛 bringing you the Spooky Edition
🚅 This is Issue #60 of the Double E Bullet where I share two action-packed bullets to help you build a business that runs without you, elevating you from Full-Time founder to Part-Time CEO.
Ever wondered how successful entrepreneurs seem to juggle their tasks effortlessly, stay focused, and achieve their goals without burning out?
This wouldn’t be the spooky edition without a spooky story, one that is closer to real life than you think:
🎃In 1969, the Cuyahoga River in Ohio, USA burned. That doesn’t sound too alarming till you realize it burned 13 other times. In 1868, 1883, 1887, 1912, 1936, 1941, 1952, etc. Locals had a general rule about falling into the Cuyahoga River: if you fell in, you should immediately go to the hospital. Due to industrialization, the river was constantly covered in oil slicks and it bubbled like a deadly stew.
If that wasn’t bad enough, wildlife could not survive in the waters of the Cuyahoga River. Why? Due to all the factory discharge and chemicals that flowed into the river.
In 1969, officials considered the Cuyahoga River to be biologically dead. It was so bad, a stray match could ignite the surface of the river, hence the burning river. Fortunately, because of how bad the Cuyahoga River got, it led to the creation of the Clean Water Act of 1972.
It’s a good thing that not all spooky stories have bad endings. 🎃
Back to the developing story of entrepreneurs (not rivers) burning out:
Juggling tasks, staying focused, and achieving goals isn’t magic; it’s the art of strategic prioritization and energy management.
In the past three weeks, I’ve shared three top-notch prioritization methods, (you can click here to read the older issues ) focusing on the ‘how.’ But here’s the real question: why bother with prioritization at all? You see, productivity isn’t just about ticking tasks off your list. It’s also about mastering another vital aspect: energy
In today’s issue, I’m sharing three crucial lessons I’ve gathered over the years in learning how to be more intentional and managing my energy to keep staying productive.
BULLET ONE
🦇 3 of my best learnings to help you be more intentional with your productivity
🎃Be Realistic
Why burden yourself with expectations that are practically impossible to meet? Setting overly ambitious goals only sets the stage for disappointment. It’s akin to attempting the impossible. Yet, strangely, we often repeat this pattern when crafting our daily to-do lists.
Think about it: if you overload your day with tasks beyond your capacity, you’re bound to exhaust yourself. Pushing beyond your limits leads to a breaking point, hindering your ability to accomplish anything effectively. It’s like running a marathon without pacing yourself – burnout is inevitable.
Realism is your ally. Recognize your limitations and be practical about what you can achieve within a day. Acknowledging what you can’t do is as crucial as understanding what you can. Prioritization isn’t just about what’s possible; it’s about what’s realistically attainable, ensuring you work efficiently without compromising your well-being.
🎃Don’t Fall Prey to Sunk Cost Fallacy
Drawing from personal experience, the sunk cost fallacy is a genuine challenge. It’s a psychological phenomenon where we’re inclined to persist in an activity simply because we’ve invested time and effort into it. This fallacy can stop your prioritization and productivity in its tracks. No matter what you spend your time doing now, you’ll never get the time you spent on a now irrelevant task back. The best thing you can do is move on and stop working towards the wrong priority, refocusing and reprioritizing so you can stay productive and get important tasks accomplished.
🎃Expect & Manage Anxiety
You know, some tasks can really get your heart racing. Take making a will, or checking that weird lump you found – just the thought can make you anxious, right? And hey, full-time founders deal with this too, especially when planning for the future or diving into year-end budget and strategy discussion. Even something as crucial as creating a plan for your company’s 2024 budget can bring on some serious nerves.
But it’s not just the big stuff. Everyday situations can give us anxiety too. Imagine trying to hire a team member, attempting something totally new, or having that slightly uncomfortable chat with a client or colleague. And oh, correcting mistakes or tackling those giant projects that stretch over months – they come with their own set of anxieties. It’s all part of life, right? It’s important to know that this anxiety is not only normal but expected; in the words of Robert Frost, the only way out is through.
BULLET TWO
🌍 Things That Aren’t Doing The Thing
Speaking of prioritization, I came across this post on how we tend to spend a lot of time avoiding doing that one thing that we need to do; in my case, it’s been restarting the Elevated Entrepreneur podcast and this short essay served as a great kick in the butt. I hope it helps you to get started on that one thing you need to do but aren’t 😈.
Oh, and if you haven’t checked out the Elevated Entrepreneur podcast yet, here’s a link; cheeky I know 😁
That’s all for this edition! What was your favorite bullet?