How I Start

Last week I published a post on my big sticking point: Getting Started.

It wasn’t until afterwards that I realised that I hadn’t explained how I get over it.

Probably because I started without a plan.

So, here are some ways you can help yourself to get started.

1. Define Your To-Dos

If I sit down to work without an idea of what needs done, it’s a wasted day. So I always write my to-do list for the coming week on a Friday afternoon or – if time gets away from me – on Sunday evening.

Defining your weekly overview before the new week begins clears away the clutter of the week past, gives you a solid starting point, and can always be revised over time as things pop up and change.

For me, this means having a weekly to-do list. At the end of each day I write down my to-dos for the next day. If something moves, no worries, it gets copied and pasted to the next available time slot.

Knowing what needs done and when also gives me a deadline – even if it’s just to finish this blog post before my yoga class this afternoon.

Set yourself parameters and keep your priorities front-of-mind.

2. Remove Distractions

Close the YouTube tab. Close your inbox. Turn on the Do Not Disturb notifications feature. They’ll still be there when you’re done.

Sometimes if the dishes are looming, the best way to get them off your mind is to give yourself time to get them out of the way. It can be easy to get into a procrastination cycle here, but you know how you have the best ideas in the bath, or on the bus? Doing something productive and meditative can ease you into the right thinking patterns.

For me, it’s often something like watching one video, or doing the dishes.

This also relates to…

3. Set a Starting Point

Don’t let a stream of bits and bobs steamroller your day.

Committing yourself to a task that’s a little down the line, and takes place right after a certainty. It can makes a big difference.

So tell yourself: see once those dishes are done? Once I finished this cup of tea? When the postman comes? Then it’s time to start.

4. Start a Timer

Some people swear by the Pomodoro technique or variations on it. Setting a timer for 10-20 minutes and challenging yourself to start work can be really useful. But I also find that as the timer gives me a reason to get going, the buzzer goes off as I hit my stride.

My technique is to use Toggl (more on how I use Toggl here). You start a timer, define the task, then get going. Keep yourself beholden to the task at hand, and to the timer’s tick. You’ll soon realise how little time you spend actually focused on a task and how long it takes. No time feels more wasted than time deleted from a Toggl tab.

Your Turn

What are your tips for getting started? What’s your sticking point?

Here are some responses I got from last week’s blog (See? You’re not alone!):

@robotnic I agree that it's the starting for me, and when I start, it takes me a few tries to get going.

— Christopher Alonso (@ChrisRAlonso) September 10, 2015

@robotnic I like the idea of things more than actually doing them. Things can be perfectly formed in my mind but I don't do them in reality

— Wiebke (@Anywiebs) September 10, 2015

@Anywiebs @robotnic I psych myself out from starting projects because I can never live up to my unrealistic expectations of myself D:

— Candace (@librarianfm) September 10, 2015

@Anywiebs @robotnic That and I'm always interested in too many things, I wish I could just focus on one and be super awesome at it.

— Candace (@librarianfm) September 10, 2015

@robotnic The end. Hate handing it in. Feels like handing in homework aged 12. Coffee, music and getting enough sleep helps starting it.

— Neil Major (@Neilmajor) September 10, 2015

What are your tips for getting started?

Lessons from Small is Beautiful

By Nicola Balkind

As I’ve mentioned before, I love working with Roanne Dods and the rest of the amazing team on Small is Beautiful – an annual conference for microbusinesses and freelancers. I consider myself a bit of both.

This year’s event took place on 17 & 18 June, here in Glasgow. I was live-tweeting the event – a process I really enjoy. There was so much to keep up with, and after a while it became a process of hearing great scraps of wisdom fly in through my ears and straight back out through my fingertips.

The event featured an amazing array of speakers whose talks were filled with brand new advice and valuable reminders.

Today I want to share some of the highlights of the speakers’ shared wisdom – and some things that really resonated with me and my own business.

Standing out often means putting people off

As James Greig put it: “If you want to be magnetic, you must be as willing to repel as to attract.”

There isn’t a big committee mentality among microbusinesses, but when striking out on your own it’s easy to cast too wide a net. The more you try to appeal to everyone, the more standard and boring you risk becoming.

Patricia van den Akker had another way of making the same point, saying simply: “More businesses should be a bit more like Marmite.”

Are you putting off the customers who aren’t right for you?

Your time is a precious resource

Leah Hutcheon gave a talk about the value of time. We talk about spending, wasting, running out of time, but as humans it’s our most precious resource.

She also debunked that quote about how Beyoncé has 24 hours in a day, too. Unlike the rest of us, she has help. She probably isn’t worried about getting the laundry done before tomorrow’s meeting. Remember that.

You can use your fear as motivation

On Day 2, we revisited Akiko Kobayashi’s Pecha Kucha talk, which she delivered at our event back in December. It’s entitled Do The Talk That Scares You. My subtitle would be Apply liberally when feeling afraid.

Her story is a stark reminder about the power fear can hold over you, and how you can choose to overcome it, one challenge at a time. And it’s just beautiful.

On reading & writing

Fi Scott gave a daring talk about her experience with starting a small tech company in Scotland called Make Works. She discussed everything from securing arts and innovation funding to the pit of despair. There were tons of gems in her talk, but the one that stuck out to me most was, “When I panic, I read.” I relate, but I’m just as frequently paralysed by panic.

I also took a lot of solace and inspiration from James Greig’s talk on writing. He told us that writing is like time-travel – an idea I’ve been juggling around in my head with unending amusement. He shared advice that I often give my collaborators, and hearing it back was just as powerful: “Blogging isn’t really about writing blog posts, it’s about telling stories.”

James also shared a great Elmore Leonard quote: “If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.” Simple, effective, and it made me return to my old habit of collecting and squirrelling away useful quotes for anytime I feel under-inspired.

Small matters

One of the biggest themes at Small is Beautiful is, unsurprisingly, the power of being small and staying small, but doing work that has a big impact.

This quote gave me great comfort:

“From little things, big things can grow.” – Lucy Simpson

The greater context in which we exist as microbusinesses in a macro business world was also explored. Ruth Little gave us a visual metaphor of the capitalistic obsession with growth resulting in cancers and Godzilla-sized hamsters. Then Katherine Trebek summarised on the final day with these thoughts:

“We’re overexposing our communities & our planet to the wrong sort of growth: obsessions with big, with status,and with self. [We need to] build from the bottom up, cherish the small in a world obsessed with big.”

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received about running your business?

You can find out more about Small is Beautiful at smallisb.com – and keep an eye out for recaps and videos of all the talks coming later this year.