One of the biggest problems we face as we build a business is the noise. It’s everyone sharing and shouting their latest and greatest ideas. It comes on thick and fast from the moment we start our day via Facebook, email, Twitter, blogs and events.
There are always a ton of webinar replays waiting to be watched, books wanting to be read and podcasts ready for us to consume with just the quick tap of a screen.
It’s a never ending distraction of “what’s new” and the promise of the “perfect answer”.
I get it! I’m even being a part of that noise by writing this article…
But it’s time to step back and take control of how you consume all these wonderful ideas.
Time to focus
As awesome as this content can be, it can also hinder your progress. Yes there may be plenty you still need to learn, but if you stay focused on consumption, you’ll start to slip into overwhelm and lose your own voice along the way.
Think about how many times you’ve been distracted away from the ideas that are calling you each time you see a new post, open up a new offer or end up in a new sales funnel.
Instead, I want you to cut down the noise and keep you focused on what you’re here to do.
I want you to find confidence and clarity in your identity and ideas, rather than losing sight of your brilliance along the way.
Time to create
As you start each day I want you create rather than consume. This simple flip is one of my favourite ways of overcoming lost productivity and uncertainty.
Let your ideas come to the surface, get out what’s important to you and remember why you started your business in the first place.
Create your content, map out your plans, write your book, and develop your programs.
Do this before you’ve been side-swiped by the truckload of noise and distraction hurtling down the road beside you.
The more you consume the more blurred your vision will become. You’ll get distracted by what everyone else is doing and saying, and lose sight of your own path.
So I urge you to make this simple flip in your day and watch your confidence and productivity soar.
Time to cull
The next step I want you to take is to be brave and do a serious cull of everything you’re subscribing to. Find the few contributors that truly resonate with you and say farewell to the rest.
If there are things you can’t let go of just yet, move them to a new email address, set up Unrollme or create a rule in your inbox so you won’t see them straight away.
Go through your inbox and delete everything that’s been “waiting” for you for more than a week. If it was truly important, you would have watched or read it by now.
Time to reset
An important part of creation is allowing space in your day to let your own ideas form and your creativity come to life.
We tend to fill every minute of our day allowing no time for our minds to settle and sift through everything we’ve been pouring into it.
Giving yourself time to stop and reset will allow you to feel into what’s right for you. This could be a morning run, an afternoon walk or downtime in the garden. And it needs to be true downtime with no consumption.
I used to always have a podcast on for my morning run but now use that time for my mind to settle and process everything. It’s amazing how much easier the ideas and clarity can bubble to the surface when they’re not weighed down by another layer of noise.
Time to start
I know it’s tempting to want everything to be perfect but procrastinating via everyone else’s content is not going to get you closer to your business goals.
Choose to create before you consume and you’ll soon start to get the traction you’ve been looking for.
By all means continue to learn and be inspired by those around you, but do it on your terms.
