- va@virtuallyuntangled.com
- Monday - Thursday 7:00am - 3:00pm (CST)
Favourite Holiday Hacks I Learned as an Entrepreneur …
I’m back two days in a row this week. A special treat (haha!) with yesterday’s post of 15 Giftspirations for the Entrepreneur in Your Life and now today with exactly what you’ve been waiting for all month … Yes, we’re here today with some holiday 101! And only because we know the more suggestions (and help) you have, the greater the chance you’ll have of finding something valuable for your own work life!
So, let’s just dive right on into what I like to call our list of holiday efficiency hacks …
Improving your long-term productivity (whether during the holiday season or on a daily basis) is all about routine, communication, ensuring your team is on track and well taken care of (they are people too, just trying to live their best lives – just like you!), personal and professional development and mental and emotional hacks. (Sometimes we forget about those last two, but they are SO important!)
Okay, list time …
The importance of a good break is something most of us feel we don’t have time for. Just five more minutes, just two more emails … But those menial tasks can sometimes get away from us and add up to hour. And before we know it, we haven’t even had a sip of water and our butt stupidly sore from sitting too dang long and not leaving our screen. But the reality is breaks are good for your brain as they help you feel rested, improve your focus, gives you through process time and boosts your mood. Yes, all at the same time! So trust me when I say this … TAKE A BREAK as in the end you’ll actually get more done!
Once and awhile go on a satisfaction strike! Honestly, what is better than the feeling of satisfaction … that huge sigh of relief that comes from crossing something off of your to-do list? This is one of my most favourite things! Grabbing that big black Sharpie and striking (yes, with great force) an item off that list. Try starting each day by prioritizing what you “must” get done and bumping the most difficult tasks to the top of your list. Doing this will make you have a clearer sense of what is important and in the long run will help you get more stuff done. And, the reason I suggest “the bump” is because your energy is most likely the highest at the start of the day.
More Energy = Getting More Done = More Free Time
Learning to say NO is something most of us have a hard time doing as we don’t want to feel as though we’re not living up to the expectations of others. But, the more often you say yes, the more indispensable you will end up feeling and the bigger your task/project list(s) will grow. Working hard and on many fun projects can bring you joy if you truly love what you do. However, amp up the confidence by saying NO once and awhile … It surely won’t kill your reputation. It just places boundaries when they need to be placed. And keeps you at a sane and healthy level.
Stop it with the S.O.S. I know it’s the holidays and everything is so sparkly, bright and filled with great promo deals BUT you’re already trying to juggle so many different responsibilities and possibilities. As entrepreneurs, we constantly crave new technology. (I’m also bad for everything new that comes out – I just want to try it all!) And most of us usually aren’t afraid to sign-up and dive right on in (or get our team to do so on our behalf). Sometimes this can be a great characteristic, but when Shiny Object Syndrome (S.O.S. for short) sets in, it tends to force one to chase platform after platform. Or project after project and change after change, all the while never settling with one option. It is called “Shiny Object Syndrome” because it’s the entrepreneurial equivalent of a small child chasing after shiny objects. Once they get there and see what the object is or does, they immediately lose interest and start chasing the next thing. This can put your business is danger and stump growth because you’re never really getting anywhere.
And trust me, I’ve experienced this with some of my Virtually Untangled clients. Instead of letting me “untangle” them … we spent more time switching platforms or projects as opposed to actually getting anything done. So, once you realize you have these tendencies (or one of your team members lets you know that things are kind of getting out of hand), you can start to correct your choices and compensate for them. Thus, ultimately forging a more consistent, reliable path forward for you and your business.
Make automation is your new BFF because sometimes as entrepreneurs we can live inside a tech bubble. I am right now actually, due to the nature of my business. But with the right systems, you can maximize not only your time (which is what we’re trying to create through balance; more time), but also the efficiency in which you run things as well as your profits. Because truthfully, we all know that too often, repetition, waste and unnecessary bureaucracy can slow your business down.
To end today’s post on a lighter note, I’d like to leave you with some motivating words from Steve Jobs as his personal life philosophy of pursuing one’s own dreams, regardless of the opinion of others, played a key role in why he was able to imagine, create and execute on such grand ideas! Even during the holiday season …
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma–which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.
Like this blog post?
If you found today’s blog post to be exactly the type of inspiration and know-how you were looking for, we would be very grateful if you would help this post spread
by sharing the LOVE 
with it socially, emailing it to a friend or dropping us a comment with your thoughts. You never know whose life you might change.
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Linkdin
Share on Pinterest
Crystal Kordalchuk
Crystal is an artist, a writer, an organizer, a dreamer, a doer, and down-right proud of it NERD!.
Struck with a love for #AllThings creative at a very young age, Crystal dreamed of a life fueled by her passion for creating and bringing the stories and images in her mind into reality.
As she worked toward her dreams, she earned a diploma as a Computer Applications Specialist then another in Graphic Design and from there began to develop her extensive background in multimedia and the arts. She began her worked in the magazine industry as a layout designer and had a succession of design jobs thereafter. It was her role as a graphic/web designer that gave her the first real glimpse of her future. Soon she began a side job as a freelance designer while keeping one foot in the corporate world. A spark was lit! She turned her freelance gig into a full-time business combining design work with her other passion: creating organization from virtual chaos.
Crystal is one of the most organized individuals on the planet. She is by all means a Zen master of her crafts. She excels at helping others become “untangled” and provides her clients with tools to run their businesses smoothly while she takes care of the details behind the scenes. Thus Virtually Untangled was born. A successful business where her work as a top notch creative in graphic and web — with a twist of virtual assistant — married into one amazing place where clients can come with their virtual messes and become magically untangled. Crystal can always make sense of even the most unorganized chaos and offers a virtual detox of order and peace, so her clients can get busy doing the work that they love the most.
