Loading summary
Transcript5 lines
- [00:00]
A
Lawn care and landscaping pros. Listen up. If you're tired of guessing your way through pricing, marketing, hiring and sales, this is your wake up call. The LCR Summit hits Downtown Louisville October 19th and 20th at the Galthouse the same week as Equip and it's going to change the way you run your business forever. This is not another sit and listen event. It's two full days of hands on workshops from leaders who've actually built what you're trying to build. Neylor Taliaferro shows you how to generate better leaders through smarter marketing. Paul Jamison teaches content that converts. John Pajak breaks down your numbers so you'll stop working for cheap Eric Triplett, the pond Digger, reveals how he built a multimillion dollar business, making more money with less work. Plus, you'll have a surprise guest speaker, add in live Q and A panels, powerful networking, and an exclusive VIP dinner with all the speakers. When you purchase at the Platinum level, grab tickets and infolcrsummit.com or just tap the link in the podcast description. That's LCR summit.com stop guessing. Start growing. Build the business you've always imagined at the LCR Summit. Here we go.
- [01:37]
B
You will always be Too Busy throughout the years when I have that thought or I say that out loud to someone who asks me for help with something or suggests a new project or initiative, whatever it is, there's definitely been plenty of times where I have thought to myself or said out loud that I'm too busy. And when that happens, I have to focus on two aspects of that fact. 1. Am I too busy because I don't actually really want to do whatever the thing is, whatever it is that I'm saying I'm too busy to do, or thinking that I'm too busy to do. And because I don't want to actually really do it, I'm not willing to find a way to find the time or to make it work somehow, some way. And the other aspect of the fact of being too busy is or is it do I actually really want to do it? I really, really really want to do it, but I cannot find the time. I cannot figure out how else I can find any more room to in my schedule to do the thing, to do whatever it is, to add whatever that is that I'm too busy for, but I really want to do it, whatever that is, right? Like could be going to an event, could be adding on more work, could be doing something fun like oh, I want to go for a mountain bike ride. I want to add another day, another gym day to my, to my week, or I want to go to the pool or the beach with my family or whatever, whatever it is, you know, go play golf. Like, adding stuff into your schedule can be very challenging, especially when you say you're too busy or you feel like you're too busy. And you might be technically too busy in that moment, but when I feel that way and say those things out louder to myself, I focus on those two aspects of the fact of being too busy. Is it one, because I'm really not interested in the first place, so I'm not even willing to find time in my schedule, in my busy life to add that, or do I really want to do that thing very, very badly to the point where I'm stressed out and anxious about it because I cannot figure out a way to add that into my schedule, into my life. So with that being said, what do you do? So the first step is, if it's option number one, if it's aspect number one of the fact that I don't really want to do it anyway, well, then that should be kind of the easiest solution to just not have to worry about it. Like, just don't do it. Just say. Instead of just saying you're too busy, just realize that you don't want to do it anyway, so just decline, decline the offer or whatever it is. Like, no, it's not the right timing, or that's not the right fit for me. That's not part of my future goals. It's not part of my brand. It's not part of my morals. Right. My moral standards. Like what, whatever, whatever it is. Like you say that thing. I mean, you, you just have to be honest with yourself. Whatever the reason is that you don't want to do it. I mean, so that's the first, first solution, which I believe is, Is the easier one. I mean, it's easier said than done. If it's like a friend or family asking you for help with something, that's definitely challenging, get it? So you just say, oh, I'm too busy. And if that's what you want to do, that's, that's, that's what you're going to do. But I, I just don't, you know, I, I personally don't want to lie to myself and say that I'm too busy. It's just not. I just don't want to do it, or it's just not the right fit for me. Like, it's, it's just not all the things that I just. Any of the things I just mentioned, so I should just get better at. And I have at times just been honest and said the things that I said. Like, no, I'm sorry, it's not the right timing for me, or it's not something that I'm interested in or whatever. You know, just be honest, but. But fair and nice about it, but be honest. But the other aspect of the fact, I think is more challenging when you really want to do the thing and you, you really can't figure out how to find time to do the thing, and you're. You just have no idea how to. Like, I really want to go mountain bike riding this week or one, you know, least once a week, but how the heck do I fit that into my schedule? You know, a lot of people have this challenge when they want to get more physically fit or healthy, you know, whether they want to get stronger, more muscular, more toned, lose some weight, all the above, whatever that requires going to the gym. Like, it's more than just your diet that is the first step. Like, you know, I think they say, I've heard, like, abs are built in the gym or in the kitchen. Abs are created in the kitchen, something like that. Like, you can do all the crunches you want at home or do all the. Go to the gym and do all the ab training in the world, but if you don't lose some of the calories or, you know, AKA fat around your midsection, then your abs are never going to be shown. So, I mean, I've. I've had to deal with that myself. I'm a thin person, but I still don't have a six. I don't have a visible six pack all the time. It just depends on my current diet and situation that I'm in. But. So diet isn't everything, but it is important. So. So if you want to add in time to go to the gym because you want to have some, you know, you want, whatever the goals are that I just mentioned physically, well, that's something that stops most people from even starting is, well, how am I going to fit in a couple of days a week to go to the gym? I mean, I even struggle with that to this day. I mean, that was one of the reasons why I hadn't consistently gone to the gym for most of my life until I became my essentially accountability partner for my son, and then he became my accountability partner without realizing it. You know, just the fact that I wanted to help my son as he was, you know, young teenager in middle school going into high school and, you know, going through puberty and testosterone pumping through his body and all the changes that young kids have to go through. It's an awkward stage for all of us. But I, you know, I told him, like, if you focus on. On the gym, going to the gym with me and working out, you can shape your body however you want. And, and, you know, he listened to me and we started going together. But he also had specific goals. I've told this story before, but. But the brief summary of it is he wanted to. He's a music major in college now, and in high school, he wanted to be on the marching band. And he wanted to be on the drum line of all things, a marching band, because he's a percussionist, but he wanted to be on drum line. So you got to carry some sort of heavy drum. And of course, he wanted to do the. The heaviest one, the tenor, which is the five drums just all attached, sitting out in front of you like that. So it's a lot of weight pulling down in your shoulders and your lower back, your upper back, obviously, with your shoulders and just. And your legs walking around marching and holding all that. So he had to just get. He had to get a lot stronger. Like, he wasn't, he wasn't built for that. He was, you know, just a middle school kid. So I'm like, well, let's go to the gym and start focusing on overall body strength, but really focus on your, Your, your back. You know, like, you can't do a single pull up. Like, we need to start working on that. Just get stronger and work on your lower back. And in addition to the rest of, you know, the body in general, but. But targeting a little bit more on his back, lower and upper back and his. And doing shrugs for his traps and everything just to really help support drum line. So that was, that was his motivation, which I say that because that was the key. Like, that was his motivation so that he could be driven to go to the gym, you know, with. With me. So anyway, without going into that whole rabbit hole there, pull myself out of that rabbit hole. But it's been. It was very successful for him. He was in marching band. He stronger, got, you know, really addicted in a good way to the gym. Like, he just really is. Is a. Is a gym fanatic, just like me. So that. So the two of us have kept each other motivated to go to the gym. So I, I haven't missed more than a week from like a vacation or a work trip that just could not find a place to Work out or whatever. I haven't, I haven't gone more than a week without working out. Somehow, some way. Even when I was on my 25th anniversary, two week vacation with my wife, you know, there was a fitness, a fitness center there. And then I went a couple of times just to stay, just to stay active, I guess you would say, right. And I got pretty good workout, you know, both times. But that's something that I, I use as an excuse as to, I used not having being too busy as an excuse to go to the gym. Also. I was like, I'm too tired, I'm doing lawn care, I'm out all day every day and I'm walking around doing all these things and I'm getting exercise, doing that. And yes, to a certain extent you're definitely getting your steps in and you're getting cardio in, but, and some muscles, but not your overall body strengthening like when you go to the gym and do a whole bunch of different types of exercises for your entire body over time. So I was just using that as an excuse. I was too busy to go. And my son really was the one that motivated me to go for his sake. And then I became consistent and then I, I've always enjoyed it myself, but I just used excuses like I said of being too busy and tired. But once I got back into the swing of it with him, I was, I was hooked again. And I'm like, man, this is great. Like I feel great, I look great. I'm just going to keep hitting it hard. So even when he went to the, by the time he finished high school and went to college, we were already a couple years in of consistently going to the gym week in week, week after week after week with each other. And we both got, got stronger and bigger and more muscular and everything else. So I was fine on my own and he wasn't as fine. But you know, he did his best. He's, he does his best over the last few years of going to the gym regularly, but he definitely goes weeks without going to the gym. But you know, that's, that's on him and he's in college, he's got to deal with all that. But I, I stick with my schedule and it's not necessarily as frequent as when he's home because of the lawn care season. You know, I definitely have a lot more on my plate and I have less motivation to go because I'm going by myself. So it's definitely harder to push myself. But at the end of the day that's what you have to, you have to figure that out. Like, I, I want to go to the gym, you know, for one of many examples again. So it's like, how do I figure that out? How do I, how do I find the time? I'm too busy. Well, guess what? I ended up going with our son, with my son, even though I was too busy, quote, unquote, too busy. But I figured it out. I found a way. So you have to. I had to be honest with myself, and you have to be honest with yourselves. If there's something that you really want to do, whether it's something that's reoccurring, like go to the gym or go play this sport or that sport or whatever the activity is. Date nights with your spouse, like, things of that nature that should be reoccurring. Or if it's just a one off thing, like, oh, there's this event that I really want to go to, like, equip Expo or whatever it is or whatever. Like, if there's. Maybe it has nothing to do with business, maybe just a personal thing. I really want to go to this concert. My favorite band is in town for the first time ever, for the last time or whatever the scenario is. I really want to go. Like, but I'm too busy. You know, Like, I work every weekend. Like, that's where you have to. And I had to look at my schedule and be really honest with myself. Like, where, where am I potentially wasting time or where am I not optimizing my time? Like, maybe I'm giving myself too much time for something when, when I could reduce that and then take that extra time and reallocate it to the thing that I say I'm too busy for? Like, instead of giving myself all day for a particular activity or 4 hours to complete a particular task, what if I can get it done in two hours? What if I just readjust my schedule and either create boundaries or reevaluate my boundaries? Like, okay, I'm not gonna work past this time. I'm gonna get started. Like, you know, maybe, maybe your boundaries were all right, I'm gonna work nine to five. And now you're like, well, I'm too busy. But in order to do Blankety Blank, in order to add this thing in, I have to adjust my boundaries and start from 8 to 5 to give myself that extra time. Maybe I'll be done by four. And then from four to five, I can do whatever that thing is. I can bring a change of clothes and go to the gym, or I can go to the Gym in the morning at 8 and bring a change of clothes for lawn care and start at 9. Like, just some random examples. Some are similar to things that I've done. And then like back to the time blocking. Like, maybe you're not, you're not time blocking at all. And you're just like, these are the things I have to get done today. Like, you're not, you're just prioritizing your list instead of listing your priorities. Like, you just write a bunch of stuff down, a whole bunch of to dos, and you try to prioritize some things on that list to just get done that day or as soon as possible. And that's, that's not the best way versus knowing what your priorities are. Selecting priorities and writing those things down. Running a landscaping business doesn't have to mean endless paperwork and constant chaos. That's why LCR Media podcast sponsor Toro built Horizon360 to help you handle scheduling, routing, estimates, invoicing and job tracking all in one place. And right now, they're giving my listeners an exclusive offer, a seven month free trial of Horizon 360 Unlimited. If you're ready to save time, stay organized and grow your business without the stress, click the link in the episode description and enter the code LCR at checkout. To start today, here's my priorities for the week. Here's my five priorities for the week. What can I get done? What needs to be done first, like today? And that's what I'm going to write down and schedule for today. And then what time frame, how long will it take and when should I take it? Like, okay, this is going to probably take me about two hours. Where in my day do I have two hours that I can block off time for this thing? So that's like step one. But if you're already doing that and you're optimizing those things and now you want to add more of something else and you're saying you're too busy, well, that's where you're like, ah, let me take a look at some of this stuff. Like, you know, it really doesn't take me two hours to do this thing. It only really takes me about an hour and 15 minutes, or it only takes me 45 minutes. So I'll give myself an hour. I either got to squeeze it down a little bit into an hour, if it takes me an hour, 15 minutes, maybe I'm kind of getting too distracted and I can just be a little more focused and get it done in an hour, or it only takes me 45 minutes anyway. So I just need an hour and that's fine. And I can take that hour and reallocate it to going to the gym for an example.
- [17:13]
A
Right.
- [17:14]
B
Just as an easy example. Common example for a lot of folks. So whatever the thing is for you that you're saying you're too busy, for how long is that thing realistically going to take? You reevaluate your schedule. If you haven't ever created boundaries or time blocked anything in your schedule and you're just free flowing throughout the day. I get it. That feels great. Until you don't get anything done and then you feel not. You don't have that sense of accomplishment. You feel like you're not being productive. You feel like you're just not whatever you're. I don't want to, you know, say too many two negative words, but you just don't feel as effective as you could have. Like, you know, I'm sure everyone feels the same way by the end of the day. If you don't get certain things done, you're like, man, I just. That's unfortunate. I really want to get this done. It doesn't feel great. And if it does, maybe then that's. This isn't conversation for you. But these are just some ways of how I optimize my life and my schedule, my time, my workload, so that I can evaluate when I say I'm too busy. Like, what is that? Why am I too busy? Do I not even really want to do the thing in the first place? Okay, then just say no or I really do want to do this thing. How do I figure out how to get time to do this thing without necessarily sacrificing anything else either. That's another thing that's. We think, oh, well, that just means I got to stay up later or wake up earlier and sacrifice sleep or sacrifice time with family and work every weekend. Like there might be a season of that where you have to hustle and grind that out with a plan to that to just make that temporary, to get to the point where you're not happy to do that for very long or forever. And you communicate that with whoever cares so that they know, okay, I guess we won't be able to do too many things for the weekend, on the weekends, for too many weekends. I mean, that stinks. But I get it. You got to do what you got to do while you're growing your business or starting your business or whatever, a struggle point in your business. And you have a plan. And maybe I can help with that plan and whatever and you get through it. But that should not be like your forever plan. I mean, unless you don't have anything else going on in your life and you just want to work all the time, then that's, that's your thing. But for those of this is for everyone, that is, that doesn't want to work every weekend or doesn't want to work nights and weekends, that doesn't want to disappoint their kids or their, their spouse like that wants to just spend a little more time doing enjoyable things in their life aside from just work. Right. You hopefully enjoy some aspects, if not every aspect of whatever work you're doing. Lawn care, landscaping, whatever, it has its ups and downs like anything in life, but hopefully you overall enjoy it. But that doesn't mean that you're just that you should just consume your life with that and live to work instead of work to live. And then what's the point of having a family if you never see them? So those are the realizations anyway that I came came up to or came to a while back. And I always have to reevaluate and remind myself of that. And when I say I'm too busy for something, that's definitely a wake up call. That's a time for me to look at the two different aspects of that fact. Like, well, am I saying I'm too busy because I don't really want to do this thing, or am I saying I'm too busy because I haven't optimized my schedule or my life? And let me take a look at that and see where I can do that, where I can re optimize. And we should be doing that in general regularly anyway, whether that's monthly or quarterly, which is every three months or weekly, whatever you want to, whatever frequency you want to do that. But at the very least for me anyway, when I feel like I'm too busy to add something new on that, I really, in general, I have to figure out do I really want to do it or do I not? And if I really want to do it, then I need to figure out how I can fit that in my schedule. And why am I so busy? Am I not optimizing something and do I need to eliminate that or reduce that or reschedule that and so on, re optimize it. So it's a good time to at least evaluate when you say you're too busy. So that's ultimately the moral to this story. And hopefully this was helpful to someone listening. I know we, I Believe we have all said we are too busy and maybe feel like that now at some point in our life, if not right now, feel like we're too busy for certain things and maybe we're not happy that we work as much as we do. And there are ways around that without even getting into the numbers of IT and Profit first and Profit Accelerator and, you know, all these different systems to optimize your time and your money. Even without any of that, just some basic stuff of just how can I, you know, re opt. How can I optimize my life better? My schedule? Like, am I doing things that are taking too much time? Can I delegate some of these things to people? Right? Like, what can I do? Like, there's all. There's AI now, like episode that either came out or will be coming out that I remember recording about AI and how I've optimized my emails and all of that kind of administrative work through AI so I don't have to do. I just get summaries of all the stuff. Replies are already drafted for me to just look at and approve and that's it. It's like I have my own secretary, essentially. But it's AI, you know, it's not, it's not a real person. It's not even a virtual person, like someone that's somewhere else in the country, you know, like, it's, it's an actual. It's actually like 100 virtual. It's AI. So however you got to optimize or delegate some of these things, there's a lot of tools and resources out there now. So definitely focus on that. If you're saying you're too busy and you're not happy that you're working as much as you are, I get it. I've been there, done that, and I'm constantly re evaluating. So that's. That's what this is all about. Like I said, hopefully this was helpful. Thank you all for listening to this episode and thank you tutorial company for sponsoring the LCR Media podcast. Until the next episode, this is Nail Artaly Farrow signing off.
- [23:28]
A
This has been at lcr media and Mr. Producer production.