“What you need is a productivity coach!” I said.

Last week I was on the phone talking to one of my good friends, Veronica*. 

Veronica owns a small marketing agency, and oftentimes has eyes bigger than her calendar when it comes to taking on new projects.  

She’s also a self-help book addict! In her limited free time, she always has her nose buried in another book on productivity or time management. 

She starts telling me what she read this week – some highly unconventional to the point of uncomfortable ideas –  that she believes will magically “solve” her overwhelmingly busy schedule. 

There’s nothing wrong with self-help books. I read plenty of them myself. 

But what she needs is something tailored to her specific needs. Someone that can listen, then take the priorities and goals unique to her situation and turn them into an actionable process. 

What she needs is a productivity coach!

On the phone, while she explained her newest “solution,” I thought of how exhausted she sounded. It reminded me of a few of my clients who had similar stories before they started working with me. 

If there’s anything I’ve learned in all my years of coaching, it’s to ask for help as soon as you need it. Sometimes two heads are better than one. 

What are some of the telltale signs of needing a coach?

  • Your time spent at work is cutting into your personal life.
  • You’re working so much that you’ve barely got time to sleep!
  • You’ve lost passion for your work because you are stuck doing the day-to-day tasks. 
  • You’re frustrated because at the end of the day you’ve put in the work but you feel like you haven’t accomplished anything.
  • You feel trapped by a never-ending cycle of guilt – when you’re at home, you feel like you should be working. When you’re working, you feel the need to be at home! 

 

 

 

And, here are two examples that I see the most while working with clients…

 

Jane* couldn’t imagine feeling fully rested in the morning. 

Jane considers herself a passionate person when it comes to her boutique IT company. She’s been happy with her workflow and subsequent success for several years but when a staff change happened last fall, much of the work that she once was able to delegate, fell into her lap.

Now, to make sure she didn’t miss a deadline, she was doing two people’s jobs and her sleep schedule was suffering. By the time I spoke to her about her business, she was only sleeping a few hours a night. I honestly didn’t know how she was awake to talk with me! 

 

Adam’s* work was taking time away from his family.

Adam was technically taking care of everything he needed to do, but his personal life was suffering. 

He couldn’t remember the last time he spent time with his kids. He was working all day, every day (even weekends!), doing his best to “stay on top of it all” while his personal life was left to wither.

The job he once held so much love for was starting to feel more like a bad marriage. 

 

The good news is, that when you work alongside a productivity coach, these challenges disappear and allow you to fall in love with your business.  Instead of feeling overworked and overwhelmed – you can create a work-life balance that helps you to feel accomplished AND refreshed. 

A productivity coach is uniquely qualified to help you build a bridge from where you are to where you want to be. They know the right time management and productivity strategies and can choose the right one to fit in with your lifestyle, strengths, and preferences.

 

If you find yourself feeling more and more like Veronica, Jane or Adam, hiring a productivity coach may be your next step – and I’d love to help. Our Time Thief Eliminator is the first step in our A.W.E Time Management Process. Learn More about this service and others, so you can take your time back!

 

 

*Names changed to protect the busy

Photo credit: Unsplash