Do you want to make some real changes? Then start with removing your obstacles to growth.

What are your Obstacles?

For most of us there is so much going on in our lives that is it difficult to focus on what is important. Our obstacles are the things we have to do, or think we have to do, that fill our lives with distraction.

Have you ever felt like you just start one thing that could not be finished until you addressed another thing, which could not be started without something else, and so on? These are the distractions that take us in unproductive circles, never fully completing things we start. Here are a few things that may be a distraction to you in your business.

• Desk is cluttered
• Too much email
• Calls that are not made
• Documents to complete
• Licensing or Incorporation papers to file
• Work interfering with marketing
• Marketing interfering with work
• Doctor/Dentist appointments
• Kids
• A messy home
• Health issues
• Loneliness
• Etc.

I work from a home office. For five years in my business I put up with this hideous wallpaper we inherited from the last owners. I could not stand it, but I knew to change it would be an investment in my time. I had to remove all my desks, cabinets, computers, and book shelves which were just too much to think about – so I put up with the wallpaper, year after year. What was really happening was that under the surface of my conscious thought was a constant reminder of an unfinished task.

This reminder took up a small part of my thought process and my emotional structure. Alone this would not be an issue, but on top of the other reminders that fill our lives when we are starting a business, getting educated, raising children, and working to keep a balance in our lives it can become an anvil on our growth.

How Can You Start Clearing a Path?

If you want to really start growing your business you need to first get rid of all these reminders of things you need to do. Here are a few things you can do to start reducing your mental checklist.

Create a List

Create a list of things that are your ‘incomplete reminders’. Put down everything that fills your mind with anguish or worry. List all the things that are part of your regular responsibility that you are having trouble managing. Anything that is an irritation to you is something that should be addressed.

In Jack Canfield’s book, The Success Principles, he describes a process for addressing your irritations. It is worth reading.

Set Aside Time

Don’t try to tackle every item on the list. If you have to do it yourself then work on one item at a time. If there is something that is part of your regular responsibility then make sure you have time that is set aside specifically for that task every day/week/month. Prioritize items so you can get the tasks complete that will allow you to tackle secondary tasks more easily.

You will never find time to look after these tasks because you have not found it so far, so set aside the time. Make it a small manageable time slot so you will not overwhelm yourself. Then, let go of the list and release the reminders from your mind. It will get done because you have set a priority to manage it. Any time you start thinking about it you can say to yourself, “oh yes, that is slated to be looked after”, and you won’t have to worry that it needs to get done.

Hire Someone

I met a business owner through BNI that loves to paint (Bev Morgan of Fresh Look Painting Services). She says she “makes love to your walls” and it is true. She is focused on the details and a beautiful result. To her, this is the most rewarding job ever.

I hired her to remove the wallpaper and paint my office. All I had to do was remove the items in the room. What I found was that moving the items in the office were not the stalling factor, it was completing the job. I was so excited to have someone else looking after the project that I joyfully cleared out my office and my kitchen too.

Now my office is a whole new workspace. A place of ease where I can be creative without stopping to panic about the work I kept putting off.

Get your kids to help

A much cherished mentor of mine, Donna Douglas, once said to me, “even a two year old can scrub a toilet. You just have to be accepting of the level of clean they can accomplish.” Her point was, if you start your kids young, when they want to help you, and you give them praise for the results they are capable of managing, then you will create kids that will help when they are asked.

You cannot run a business on your own and run a home on your own too. Get some buy-in from the rest of your family. If they are unwilling to help, then explain to them the level of “clean” you are capably of managing on your own and if they want something more then they will need to help you with that.