simple techniques

Over the holidays, I made my 2023 plans and they were instantly put to the test after two nights of insomnia. Here’s what I’m doing to fix it.

 

I have a jar where I keep notes of appreciation from clients, colleagues, and organizations. At the end of 2022, it was so full that I couldn’t fit one more in.

I was clinging to them. Hoarding appreciation. With no room to let more in.

And while I logically understand that gratitude is infinite and a crammed jar of notes will not prevent more from flowing in, I felt the need to (both literally and symbolically) create space for more.

So I let them all go. I burned them to ashes, keeping only one note.

Now I’m looking around for other things I can let go of, to make space for more ease, flow and gratitude.

What else am I clinging to and hoarding, embodying the belief that more may not be on the way?

 

It’s a little beat up, but this is my favorite Christmas tree ornament.

I love this for so many reasons. And my reasons have changed over the years.

As a child, I loved it because of how fancy I felt in that Winnie-the-Pooh dress.

As a teenager… ah, who am I kidding, all I cared about was eyeliner and boys as a teenager…

But now, it makes my heart roll on the floor laughing. (there really should be an emoji for this, don’t you think?)

Because it’s made out of a McDonald’s ashtray.

Yes, you read that correctly.

A disposable, aluminum McDonald’s ASHTRAY.

Can you imagine?

My parents were given a list (by a teacher, no less) of supplies for this craft project. And the main item was a McDonald’s ashtray?!

My brain is exploding. So much has changed. But the holiday joy is the same, year after year

However you choose to celebrate, I wish you moments like this to bring joy and delight to your holiday season. 

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1. They give you a dirty look when you start to waste time scrolling through social media.

2. They will keep your fingers warm.

3. They make your inbox more interesting!

4. They retrieve office supplies.

5. They give you great pics for posting!

6. They keep your laptop warm

7. They help “manage” your calendar.

8. They inspect your flip charts.

9. They keep your keyboard warm.

10. They stay alert to Slack notifications.

11. They help with packing.

12. They keep your back warm.

13. They can block out distracting devices.

14. They encourage personal development reading.

15. They inspect garbage cans.

16. They provide much-needed comic relief

1 reason not to:

Here’s a quick casual intro to me and how I work.

Oh! And I also reveal the answer to the burning question, “Is Mary a dog person or a cat person?”

In the hundreds of presentations I’ve done, the subject of social media ALWAYS comes up. And the #1 comment that people make about it?

“I spend way too much time on social media, but I’m not getting any clients from of it.”

Tied for the #2 most frequent comment is, “but everyone says you have to do it” and, “I know I’m missing out if I don’t do it.”

They assume they’re doing it wrong and/or not doing enough.

Let’s cut to the chase here, shall we? If you have a service-based business and you’re not getting clients from social media…

YES, you’re probably using social media the wrong way, and…

NO, doing more is not what you need.

Below are simple steps to take, but here’s the deal: if you truly want to free yourself from stress and frustration, you MUST commit time to stepping away from the busy-ness of your business so you can actually reflect and think it through without interruption.

1.     Realize where your leads come from. Consider two things as you reflect on this:

• Look at your past clients. And to be crystal clear, “clients” are defined as people who have PAID to work with you. What marketing actions did you take that brought them to your door?

• Look at what works in your industry to generate leads. And you have to dig a bit deeper than scrolling through LinkedIn, Instagram or TikTok to get the truth about this. What you see on social media and what is actually building businesses are often VERY different things.

2.     Reprioritize social media. The lead generation strategies that you identified in #1 above? Get very specific about what those actions are, and then instead of putting endless Canva designing in your calendar, put the actions that have a proven track record of generating clients into your calendar first.

3.     Redefine social media’s role. Don’t throw away social media completely, but instead put it in its proper place. For the majority* of service-based businesses, social media plays a supporting role to strategies like referrals and speaking. A professional, on-brand post once a week is usually plenty.

4.     Repeat steps 1-3 quarterly. It’s easy to get sucked into old habits as you build new ones, or be lured by a bright shiny sales pitch that gets you off track.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution, of course, but I hope that this evaluation lowers your stress level about social media!

* I’d estimate this is true for 9 out of 10 service-based businesses, and 9.9 out of 10 for coaches and consultants. 😊