It’s Two Cents Tuesdays ep. 8! Each week I’ll be answering audience submitted questions over on my YouTube Channel!

Today’s question comes from Anne-Marie. She asks

“Many times when we feel like we have to do something, no one actually asked us to do it or insisted we do it. So, when you have too much to do, how do you decide what to let go of?”

Great question Anne-Marie! Here’s my Two-Cents :

There is more than a little bit of magic in what Anne-Marie said. I once told my friend Ashlyn “as creative entrepreneurs we have to learn to be professional sifters. We have to sift through the good in order to give our energy to the best!”

When we find ourselves with too much on our plate, we have to learn how to label “have-to’s” versus “good-to-do’s”. For instance, (alert : unpopular opinion ahead ?) Posting a social media: A have-to-do? Or just a good-to-do?

Often times, we place self-imposed expectations on our tasks and if you’re anything like me, things tend to take me 2-3xs as long as I estimate them taking. Ugh!

So next time you find yourself with a little too much on your plate (Like daily?) Here is the three step mental checklist I use to sift through my tasks and put the tackle the biggest priority items first!

Three Questions to Ask when prioritizing your Tasks

1.

Is someone else expecting this from me? and When?

When determining if something is a have-to-do versus a good-to-do, it’s really important we assess the promises we’ve already made and the actual deadlines we’ve set. Is this to-do something we’ve promised a client or someone on our team? And when is the actual deadline for achieving it?

2.

Is this a good-to-do for my business? Real or self-imposed?

Ok so, getting out blog posts and Instagram posts is a GREAT to do for your business. But when push comes to shove, sometimes those good-to-dos must be sacrificed to the client and project work (the paying our bills kinda work!). However, if you’re constantly finding yourself not having enough time to work in your business this might come back to a pricing issue.

Related : How to charge what you’re worth!

3.

How can I proactively re-arrange my schedule?

When you just cannot get it all done, it’s time to look at that schedule and rearrange tasks. How can you give yourself more time? While yes, sometimes it’s essential a task get done on time (hello, executing a wedding), more often than not our deadlines can be rearranged. My best advice is to be proactive here and communicate with your client or team.

Here’s a script: “Hey _______, I know we were hoping to get that xyz to you by today but it’s taking a little more time than expected (as I’m sure you can relate!). Rather than rushing perfection I wanted to let you know we need a little more time and look to get that to you by ________. Thank you for your understanding!”

Did you find this post helpful?!

Would you let us know in the comments below? ??

You can find more answers to your burning questions, here!