Can a Tomato Save Your Business?
Say what?
You heard me. Can a tomato save your business?
Okay, let me back up. Last week, I shared about the 4 buckets of time, and while the women in my community really appreciated the time buckets, the real issue, they said, was how to take action. They have big dreams and goals. They’re super passionate about their business. They’re committed to doing what it takes to make their businesses grow and be successful, but when it comes time to DO something they just can’t seem to make a decision about where to start or what to do.
I totally get it. In the early stages of your business journey, there are a million and one people giving you advice or trying to sell you something, and it’s a lot. I know how paralyzing it can be when you aren’t quite sure what your next steps are, even if you’re really committed to doing something.
But let’s play this out.
If you often find yourself thinking something along the lines of, “I’m so overwhelmed with all these choices. What if I make the wrong move?” What happens? Most likely, you do nothing because the fear and sense of overwhelm is paralyzing, but that also means nothing happens in your business. Those big dreams and goals you’ve got? Yep! Not being realized.
In order for your business to grow, you have to do something.
I talk a lot about how your thoughts directly impact your results, and in this case that’s VERY true. In the example above, you did nothing because your thoughts were all over the map, but if you refocused and shifted your thinking a bit, you’d likely see a different result.
Here’s an example of how shifting your thoughts can make a big difference. Note the situation hasn’t changed. You still have big goals and dreams, and you aren’t totally sure where to start. But a better thought might be: “Okay, there’s a lot happening and I’m not totally sure what the right move is, but today I’m going to do this ONE thing to get moving.”
If you follow that through, you’re likely going to feel a bit more confident, you’re going to DO that one thing, and you’ll see some result. The key is to move. To take a baby step, test it, and see what the result is. Then you do it again and again and again. There are no right or wrong answers, just try and learn.
So, what the heck does this have to do with tomatoes?
In the 1980s, Francesco Cirillo began using a tomato (pomodoro in Italian) shaped kitchen timer and tackled projects in 25-minute increments. He consistently found having a set amount of time allowed his brain to focus and as a result, he got into a flow and was incredibly productive.
So, today, I want to break this technique down for you, because you have got to say “YES!” instead of “I don’t know how” to get your business moving.
Here’s what I want you to do:
From the list of things you need to do to start moving on your goal, pick ONE thing to work on right now. It doesn’t matter what it is, but you need to be prepared to DO something.
Set your timer for 25 minutes. Bonus points for a for-real tomato timer! Turn off all distractions - silence your phone, close your email, lock yourself in the office (or the bathroom and pray the kids don’t beat down the door), etc. Do whatever it takes to get 25 solid, uninterrupted minutes.
Start the time and GO! Work on whatever it is you’ve decided to tackle and just do it.
When the timer goes off, pat yourself on the back. You just took action! Give yourself a gold star, a smiley sticker on your paper, or even a checkmark on your to-do list.
Give yourself 5-10 minutes to rest and take another 25 minutes, if you’ve got it available. I often find that I’m in a groove and just want to keep working.
The technique is super simple but very effective because you can actually get a ton of work done in 25 minutes when you’re focused. It’s easy to get mired down in all the what ifs, the doubts, and fears, but none of those things are going to help you make forward progress. The goal is just to start.
You’ve got this… and 25 minutes. Go make it happen!
