on April 23, 2020
We’re a little more a month into navigating the hot mess that is COVID-19, and it hasn’t been easy. As business owners, we’re under intense pressure for rapid-fire decision making, and it feels like we don’t have the luxury of taking a hot minute to decide if the “pivot” we’re working on is the right move.
We’re anxious about figuring out ways to appropriately respond instead of impulsively react; yet, right now, it’s exceptionally difficult to tell the difference between the two.
We’re being asked to build a new car while it’s driving down the road.
Many of us are also dealing with some pretty hefty emotions and unavoidable distractions — we’re worried about friends and family, we’re struggling with the isolation, some are quarantined at home with active kiddos, and none of us can avoid the wild uncertainty of the economy.
As a result, decision fatigue and mental exhaustion are very real. We’re used to taking risks and making quick decisions and navigating uncertainty as business owners, but when the world exploded, none of us was mentally or emotionally prepared. There’s no way we could’ve been.
So, what do we do when we have days when there simply isn’t any gas left in the tank? When our positivity meter is in the red, we can’t stomach one more Zoom call, and we want nothing more than to succumb to the call of the bed covers?
I’ll tell you what you can do.
Designate an Anti-Stress Business Day.
You take a day (or two!) to refuel. You work on stuff that’s productive, but low stress. You focus on things that are interesting, yet maybe without any intention of actioning it right now. You work on something for no other reason than it sounds kind of fun. You focus on something that takes very little thought, but may pay off down the road.
Take time to focus on the long game, instead of the (ultra!) short game we’re playing right now.
Pretend the world isn’t in a total tailspin and, instead, pretend you’re on a very short sabbatical and have the freedom to focus on anything you choose.
To get the juices flowing, here are 10 ideas from my own notebook of “Anti-Stress Business Day Project Ideas.”
1. CLEAN SOMETHING
When was the last time you cleaned up your contact list? Or your digital files? Or your desktop? It’s like cleaning out a closet … it can be very cathartic. It doesn’t take a ton of brain power, and it always feels good when it’s done. And you know your life will run a tiny bit smoother because of it.
2. SEND HELPFUL STUFF TO PEOPLE
Pay it forward and remind people how important they are to you. Spend a day focused on everyone important to you, and scour news and resource sites on their behalf for relevant info that would be useful to them. Or order and ship a little gift from a local retailer (who could also use a little help!).
3. REVIEW AND UPDATE YOUR WEBSITE
Look at every page on your Website, and update outdated information. Or get that blog updated with new content!
4. LEARN SOMETHING NEW
Bury yourself in learning something new. Learn how to record videos, or more about SEO, or how to use webinar tools, or binge watch TED talks… The list is endless!
5. CREATE A DEFAULT CALENDAR
Blow up your calendar and create a new, more efficient, more impactful way to track and spend your time. Now, while things might be a little quieter, is a great time to redraw a few boundaries on your time. Create blocks to work on your highest value work, make it a habit, and it’ll be that much easier to maintain it once we get through this mess.
6. DEVELOP A RESOURCE GUIDE OR WHITE PAPER
You know a TON of stuff. Create white papers or guides to tell the world! If well designed, this is also a fantastic sales and marketing tool to showcase your expertise, when the flood gates open and you’re back to prospecting again.
7. DO A DAY-LONG CONNECT-A-THON
Line up all your favorite business friends and have catch-up sessions. No agenda, other than to simply connect, check in, and ask about their families.
8. EMAIL MARKETING
Developing and executing a consistent email marketing plan takes time and effort to pull together. Work on a strategy to launch an email campaign this summer – brain dump content ideas, write draft articles, create graphics, perhaps an ideal a distribution calendar, develop/clean your list, or set up (or update) your email management tool.
9. SOCIAL MEDIA
Perhaps social media has been on the periphery of your marketing strategy until now, but you want it to play a bigger role. Research best practices in social marketing, think about a content calendar around relevant topics, and perhaps start developing initial content to reach your followers. Include things like tips, links to resources, videos, relevant news, infographics, questions, testimonials, etc.
10. TESTIMONIALS AND CASE STUDIES
This a good time to connect with your clients and explain you’re working on some future marketing materials. Assuming they’re happy customers, they should be glad to provide a testimonial (and they’ll probably be happy to help another business owner). You can add testimonials to your Website and/or add them to your digital channels. Or work with a client on a case study project that showcases how they benefited from your services.
These are just a few Anti-Stress Business Day ideas to help you continue to be productive, but might (temporarily) calm a little bit of the anxiety. After getting a few things done that are within your control, you’ll be ready to get back into the fight of rapid-fire decision making and determining your next moves forward.
