To begin, we first have to have some idea of what business flow actually is. It is different things for different people, but generally, when you’re in a business flow, you feel empowered and purposeful with whatever comes your way through the day. You don’t feel like you’re drowning and not able to make head or tail of what is happening in your business and what you’ve committed to doing for the business, your clients, potential clients, employees, contractors, suppliers, family, etc….you get the gist. Being stuck and not in flow feels YUK and creates all sorts of issues both personally and professionally.
Identifying the stuck points
Do you arrive in your office or at your home desk feeling like you’re on top of everything - the filing/work trays (if you still happen to be using paper….some still do for many reasons) have a few current documents in them instead of overflowing with paperwork; your work and personal calendars are synced so you always know what meetings and calls you have and where you need to be; your email inbox has a few unread rather than 800 unread emails (so overwhelming); you’re looking for a presentation for your first meeting of the day and you find it easily and quickly in your electronic filing system; you’ve contacted everyone you were meant to contact first thing in the morning; and now you’re ready for your first meeting – with all of this you are bound to be feeling empowered to begin your work day from a place of feeling settled, inspired and purposeful. To the majority, this is very simply a business flow, and for others you may look at this list and think, WOW, I’m about as far away from this as Antartica is away from the Equator, or an elephant is from a mouse (in size only).
All I can say is that finding out what your stuck points are in your business and making it a priority to get unstuck and in flow, is not complicated, and can easily be changed with just a little organisation and focus.
Before you can do anything, you have to admit and acknowledge that your business structure and systems aren’t working in a way that supports you and your business. The first thing I would consider as a business owner is the cost to me and my business of not making changes. This is often motivation enough for you to get on with what’s needed.
A lot of people take time to get to that point when they can’t cope and they feel anxious and overwhelmed, and that’s usually a big STOP moment for them, when they get to the point of ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. It’s never too late to make the changes needed to bring your business into flow.
So you’re at the point that you’re ready and willing to take the next step…what now?
How to identify the stuck points in your business
If it was me reviewing this for my business, I’d start by looking at it from a day-to-day perspective. Often, by introducing a few foundationally simple steps to your day, can make a huge difference. The big things can happen later. It’s also way less overwhelming to start small. However, if what you consider small things are done, then by all means, start big! There are no rules here, it’s simply being discerning about what is important…..which leads me to identifying those stuck points preventing you and your business from soaring:
What are the most important and/or key factors to ensure that you and your business function seamlessly, and enable you to be on top of your day? This could include things like:
ensuring that at the end of the day your day is complete and nothing, or very little, needs to be rolled over to the next day’s task list - the key is to not attempt Mount Everest on your daily task list – keep it realistic, otherwise it defeats having a ‘daily’ task list
being on top of your emails at the beginning of each day, which means at the end of the day your emails are mostly, if not all, complete – I get though that this sometimes isn’t manageable, but it’s important to know what is outstanding and needs to be dealt with in your emails
having an organised schedule for your day so you know where to be and when – that way you’re always on time. There’s nothing worse for you and your business than to be known to be notoriously late. It’s a sure-fire way for people to reach out to someone else for anything they need that you could have supported them with
making sure you can easily access everything you need for your commitments/meetings that day
being able to at the click of a few buttons have to hand from your well organised electronic filing system all the documents you need to ensure your day flows, so you’re not running around in circles through the day much like a dog chasing its tail trying to find things you need
having a task list to begin your day and updating it at the end of the day for the following day - I use an electronic task list (there are many out there), or you may prefer to use a notebook and pen - either way, both work if you keep them current, realistic and relevant
ensuring you have refreshments available for your day, especially if you have visitors to your office, so you’re not in a blind panic 5mins before your visitor arrives because you have no coffee, tea, milk, water, biscuits, fruit, etc
…..and so much more - these should give you a starting point.
When you review the above, you should easily be able to identify where your stuck points are.
Remember though, that you’re starting small so that the change to your life and your business doesn’t overwhelm and create unnecessary procrastination because you think you need to start big or you’re not doing enough. The key is to begin, it’s as simple as that.
The acronym KISS speaks volumes to me about business flow….KEEP IT SIMPLE ‘STUPID’ – I don’t particularly like the word STUPID but couldn’t think of an alternative to make the point clearly.
Business flow is all about being empowered and being able to lead your business so that what you provide to others is a solid and cohesive offering, which is ultimately known as ‘front-footing’.
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