Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/225798
about growing your income, but also the chance to restore some sanity to your day and get back to the joy of doing what you do best. You probably already outsource a few tasks, such as annual tax preparation. What else in your practice could be outsourced? If you hired a cleaner or laundry service, how many hours would that free up for you to spend on incomeproducing services? Have you wasted five hours struggling with a marketing project that you could pay a professional to do better in one hour? There are many websites that can help you outsource some of your administrative work, either longterm or to cover a temporary need. ODesk.com and Fiverr.com are two that offer everything from online personal assistants to proofreading services. 3 Do One Thing Now Years ago, I had the pleasure of helping organize a spa owner who was overwhelmed by paperwork. Even though she had a good filing system in place, she still felt so inundated she didn't know where to begin. What was causing so much strain for her? It turned out the main issue was that she was thinking too much about each item of paperwork: not just the single small step needed today, but every other step that would eventually need to be done. Because it seemed like so much work, she couldn't focus on the fact that she really only needed to do a few of those things right away. Define your duties within your practice, stick to those, and delegate the rest. You'll find yourself with more time and energy to put toward the things that are most important. I suggested to her that when addressing a project, she should always ask herself, "What is the next step?" Less than a week later, I received this message from her: "I feel so empowered now. Everything fell into place once that sunk in. I have been getting things done that have been plaguing me for weeks and months. It feels so good to have a bit of control over my attention and workspace now. I can't express to you how amazing it feels to be in that position." If you have a similar problem, here is a process that will help: 1. Identify the very next step—just one. 2. Decide when you will work on that step. 3. Schedule a block of time to do it, as if it was an appointment with a client. Choose a time when your energy is at its best. By thinking of it as an appointment, you are less likely to look for excuses to put it off, allow distractions, or cut the time short. After all, you wouldn't do that for a real client booking. 4. Be sure to include a note in your calendar to specify exactly what task you will be doing during that time. This way, you will know exactly what you need to do and when you need to do it, and the project will be less overwhelming. Small Steps Win the Race Be nice to yourself. Getting organized is a process. If you've never been an organized person, or if you find it challenging in some situations, recognize that your habits, your piles of work, and your physical workspaces didn't get this way overnight. Don't hold yourself to an unrealistic standard and expect you're going to fix it overnight either. Procrastination is beaten by taking consistent action on a consistent basis. Even if it's just tiny steps each day, you'll get there. Here's to an amazing, productive, prosperous 2014! Christine Kominiak is co-author of Insights on Productivity (Dawson, 2007) and owner of small-business marketing company Big U Marketing. She loves helping her clients and readers become highly focused, organized, and productive. Contact her at www.facebook.com/ckominiak. Get connected to your peers @ www.skincareprofessionals.com 25