Can you be too Strategic? Infusing FUN into your business plan.
Sep 26, 2022
Sometimes I can be too strategic.
This means as an enneagram 3, list lover, and color coding, really extreme type A, sometimes incorporating fun and "going off script" can feel awkward and stressful. But when I do, it is usually when I have the biggest breakthroughs.
If you have been on any of my calls lately I have been sharing how I am noticing a shift in my business and personal life. If you have ever read the book "The Big Leap" I feel my upper limit is being challenged.
The interesting thing is I don't know what the shift is yet. I actually lost my voice and our IG account went down during the biggest event of our business ever a few weeks ago (that's that upper limit pushing me!)
I keep waking up and being called outside more to see tons of birds on our patio. I wake up to angel numbers almost nightly (2:22, 5:55). I am such a list, follow the rules type person, but this is something that I can't help but slow down and notice. Has this ever happened to you?
Girls (and Entrepreneurs) Just Want to Have Fun
I usually plan my emails and daily schedule out to a T. I like to know exactly what is happening and am a huge believer in having a plan. While I love strategy, I have been embracing going with the flow a little bit more. (Insert we are currently on a plane taking the whole family to Scotland as this is published so I probably need to get better at this anyways).
My point of sharing this is as we go into launch season and I kept hearing everyone say that September is the new January, I wanted to do the opposite. I wanted to have more fun. And to work less. And to really slow down to listen to whatever the universe is trying to tell me. Maybe it is because this is my first fall not being in corporate and it is truly my favorite season (if you live in Ohio, the leaves are just amazing). Or maybe it is because I am a recovering workaholic and actually kind of like not working as much with some of my new hobbies - gardening, cooking, sleeping more (Is that a hobby?) I honestly think not waking up at 4:30 am anymore might be the greatest gift ever. I say that however as I started my first business when my girls were 18 months old. They are about to turn nine, so there has been a lot of hustle and grind and early mornings that have got us to this point. And I am sure there will be more. But I want to prioritize the work with some fun.
What do you want to get out of this season?
As we head into this season, I took a minute and asked myself, what do I want to get out of it? It wasn't money. It was experiences.
Ask yourself these questions.
- What do you love doing?
- What do you want to experience this season?
- What is the goal?
For me, it was to find a way to serve the clients that I loved (if you have been watching my IG stories, we have been rocking these 90-minute strategy sessions which are getting my clients huge results AND allowing me to serve at a deeper level than ever before. Plus I can control my calendar of when it happens).
I love it. I truly love it. The days that I have these sessions I feel like I am on fire. And I can see the growth in my clients, too.
How I Infuse Fun into My Business
I also love creating. We created a whole's years worth of planner covers which was truly amazing. The planners are like my pet project that on paper doesn't make sense but then it does. We have this amazing following (thank you to all of you out there who love the planner as much as I do) and are so excited to bring more of this out into the world. (p.s. head here to check out our newest cover.)
I share that because both of these business ventures are profitable, but also fun. I literally get giddy when I ship a planner off to someone. I also love the fact that our business was built around supporting other female business owners. Our local print shop. The cover designer. Our web designer.
That is motivating.
So what do you love doing and why do you love doing it?
After going down the business path, I reminded myself that I didn't step away from corporate after 22 years to sit in front of a computer all day. What can you do to incorporate more fun? And joy?
We have been trying to take walks outside every day (which is another favorite fall activity). Maybe it is a sense of old age but I literally know every tree on our walk, when the leaves will turn, and truly enjoy watching the seasons take shape.
You started your business for a reason, but are you enjoying the fruits of your labor? I am such a firm believer in enjoying the journey.
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How to Incorporate More Fun into Your Business
These are a few more ways I have been working on incorporating fun into our business:
- Work in new places (even if it is just a different room in your house). When I was in corporate I would go sit outside or take my laptop down to the cafe just to change things up.
- Create a challenge. I call them micro goals, but since this is published while we are on a plane somewhere between the Netherlands and Scotland, I had to create a challenge to get all these blogs scheduled before we left. I created a micro challenge where I wrote a blog a day for eight days. I would take my chai tea and blanket and go hang out on our patio, surrounded by my favorite plants, and set a timer every morning for a week. Two months of blog posts done. In one week. And it was fun. And inspiring.
- Have a weekly ritual where you celebrate your wins and disconnect. We actually do this in the planner every Sunday, there are prompts for you. But as a family, we celebrate every Friday night with a pizza night. We order pizza which means I don't have to cook. And eat it on the floor which means we don't have to clean up. We spread out a big blanket and watch a movie and celebrate the wins. We call it our "peak and pit of the week" which is fun and a great way to mark the end of a work period.
My whole point of this blog post is that while I LOVE strategy and truly believe in having a plan, you have to be in business for the long game to be successful. And for me, the long game means enjoying what you do and infusing fun and joy into your business and everyday life. I always say the best way to grow and scale is to plan how you want to live first and then work your business around it.
How can you incorporate more fun into the work you are doing? You will be surprised at how motivating it can be, but even better help you get the result you have been dreaming of.
Looking for more on this topic and your High-Level Action items? Check out the Strategy Lab in the Crush the Rush Club!
