My client Rebecca was always running out of time. 
We’d
have a productive coaching session together, make a lot of headway
toward starting up her business, and then she would get nothing done
between sessions. Or, she would scramble to get something
finished minutes before our next meeting and send me an apologetic
email saying, “Sorry to get this to you so late. I just ran out of
time.”
Rebecca had all the best intentions.
She also felt guilty about not getting things done and vowed she would
get started—right after she baked cupcakes for her son, walked the dog,
and picked up her husband's dry cleaning. Pretty soon, a week had gone
by. And the very thing she was so excited about doing still sat,
waiting.
After months had gone by,
this thing that originally made her so energized had now become a
“project.” Something that was hanging over her head. The joy of
starting up her business, once so wonderful, had become a burden.
Does this sound like you?
It used to sound like me, too. That was until I developed the Inner
Samurai Priority System. This system acknowledges how important it is
for business owners to be able to make decisions with complete
confidence and get things done. The Inner Samurai Priority System is
easy to use and highly effective.
It’s Never about Time
How much time is there in one day?
There are 24 hours. That’s 1,440 minutes or 86,400 seconds. We all have
the same amount of time, so why is it that some people get a lot done
in their day while others do not?
It's because those who get a lot done understand that it's not about time. They know that it's about priorities. Specifically, about making yourself a top priority.
Right now, stop reading and take a self-priority check. How's your commitment to yourself?
Is it pretty balanced or a bit lopsided? Favored in your direction or another's direction?
Rebecca's relationship with herself was lopsided.
She made sure she had everything done for everyone else first, before
she took any time at all to work on her new business. She put her
children’s and husband's needs before her own. She put household tasks
before business tasks. She even put taking the family dog to the
groomer ahead of taking care of herself.
Rebecca was always putting other people and their needs first.
Her priority system was out of whack and heavily weighted in the
direction of other people's needs. As a result, she wasn't getting much
done for herself.
Rebecca was out of control of her time. Why? Because she had not made herself a top priority in her own life. In fact, Rebecca had made herself the last priority.
“Yeah … but,” I can still hear her saying, "You don’t understand. This thing and that thing happened this week."
Sure, life happens.
But here's what Rebecca wasn't taking reasonability for: It wasn't
about whatever came along and "took" her time; it was about what she'd
been doing with the other 1,440 minutes of her day. “This and that”
hadn't stolen her time. She had stolen time from herself because of
whom and what she had set as her priorities. Because Rebecca had placed
herself last on her own list, she was not in control of her time. Other
people's wants and needs were.
This was hard for Rebecca to hear. Fortunately,
hear me she did. Soon she was taking the steps that placed her higher
up on her priority list. She put the Inner Samurai Priority System into
action.
The Inner Samurai Priority System
What the heck is the Inner Samurai Priority System?
Inner Samurai is a term I coined to describe the “inner voice.”
The Inner Samurai Priority System is one of the tools in the Inner
Samurai Way of Business I've developed. These tools are designed to
help the spiritually conscious businesswoman connect with her powerful
inner voice and make it the central guidance system compelling her
toward business success.
Everyone has an Inner Samurai.
Inner because the voice resides deep within your being (to distinguish
it from the voice inside your head). Samurai because of how powerfully
it stands, fully knowing what's true for you, able to act on that
knowing in every moment of every day.
If you are struggling with your business,
getting in touch with your Inner Samurai will transform you into a
powerful business owner able to operate in dynamic and powerful ways
that are compatible with your deepest inner principals.
Step one: Identify your top two A-1 priorities each month.
Let’s
return to my coaching client, Rebecca, to see the Inner Samurai
Priority System at work. The first thing I did was ask Rebecca to
decide what her top two A-1 priorities would be for the month. She was
quick to respond, “Be a great mom to my kids and get my business plan
done.”
“Okay, great! Let’s get more specific. How would you like to be a great mom to your children this month?”
Rebecca
thought for a moment and then said, “I’d be present, fresh, and there
for them when they came home from school. I’d take them to the park to
play on the weekend. I’d take them to swim lessons and stay there
watching, without answering my cell phone. I’d be involved with their
homework assignments, instead of just asking them if they’d gotten them
done. I’d be fully present when I read them their bedtime stories and
not skip any pages.”
Rebecca had a
great list of things she would do with her children this month, given
they were one of her top two priorities. Best yet, when she talked
about the things she would do and how she would be, there was an inner
strength and confidence in her voice. I could tell she was connected
with her Inner Samurai Priority System. Nothing on her list felt like a
should, ought, or must. Rebecca was energized and motivated from
within.
“Rebecca, does it seem realistic that you will complete your business plan?”
“Yes!”
“How can you say yes so emphatically?”
“Because I only have two priorities this month!”
Bingo! That’s the key. Two priorities; one-month commitment.
That’s all. A one-month commitment to two priorities is achievable.
With only three remaining parts of her business plan to go, Rebecca
certainly could finish it in a month and still have plenty of time to
spend with her other priority—her children.
Step two: Stay on track and know what to do by asking this question.
Once
you've decided on your two A-1 priorities for the month, there's only
one question you need to ask yourself in order to stay focused and on
track: Does or doesn't this activity support my two A-1 priorities?
Let's return to Rebecca to see how she handled this step. She wondered, “What about the laundry?”
“Does getting the laundry done support or get in the way of either one of your priorities?” I asked Rebecca.
”Yes … No. I mean, I want my family to have clean clothes to wear. I can’t go all month without doing laundry!”
I
chuckled, imagining a month’s worth of dirty t-shirts and socks waiting
to be washed in stacks outside the laundry room. “Yes, of course, do
the laundry. After—not before—you’ve attended to your top two
priorities.” That's the key. Your two A-1 priorities come first, before
anything else.
“Oh. So that would be the same for dishes, going shopping, and committees I’m serving on at school and church?”
“Yes.
Being a great mom to your kids and getting your business plan done are
your two A-1 priorities for this month. Let nothing and no one get in
the way of them.”
At first, this was a
difficult task for Rebecca. She was used to putting everyone else's
priorities before her own. Therefore, changing to be in alignment with
her Inner Samurai Priority System was a challenge. Yet, she persevered.
One week later,
she reported that she had been successful at reorienting her day. She
worked on her business plan while her children were at school and was
present for them when they came home. She completed the one-year
objectives section of the plan and reported feeling energized and
optimistic.
When I asked her how she managed to stay focused,
she said, “I kept asking myself that one question: Does or doesn’t this
activity support my priority? The answer was immediately clear. Then
all I had to do was take action in that direction.”
At the end of one month,
Rebecca completed her business plan. She was ecstatic! She also had
done every one of the things she said she wanted to do with and for her
children. She felt good about herself, her priorities, and all that she
had accomplished.
Moreover, Rebecca learned, not
through reading a book but by direct application, that she was in
control of her time—time was not in control of her. Best yet, she was
able to take back control very simply yet powerfully. By assigning two
A-1 priorities each month, she made herself a priority and became more
aligned with her Inner Samurai Priority System.
Rebecca was no longer out of time.
Susan L. Reid
Inner Samurai Business Expert
Susan L. Reid
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