It took me 3 years to gain my own self-recognition. During that time, I was confused about what I was meant to do, who I was meant to be, how I helped people, and what I was even good at.
But feeling confused didn’t stop me. It meant I wasn’t there yet, I wasn’t an expert…yet.
And during those 3 years, I wasn’t focused on just one thing, first I had to find the thing that interested me. Which took trial and error. I found a lot of things I didn’t want to do. But I also found the things I did want to do.
I continued to learn about the things that continued to interest me. And through the continual learning, tweaking, and learning cycle, I found where I felt most at home. Where it felt like it was fun. Where I was happiest and feeling most motivated.
That is using Human Design in Business.
I learned all areas of Human Design. And yes, I can talk about it. I can help people understand the basics of Human Design, relationships with Human Design, Manifestation with Human Design (this one is actually still a part of my unique process), but none of those were the end goal.
I’m an entrepreneurial spirit. I love – and I mean LOVE – talking about business with people. Setting up their business, recalibrating it when they are having a hard time making sales, all kinds of things.
I love helping people learn how they can better help their own clients.
During the 3 years of trial and error, I had wondered what size of an audience I wanted in the future. Whether it was millions or thousands. And at first, I thought it was millions. But honestly, I want to indirectly help millions. I want to be the person who helps others impact millions.
So I don’t need to be known far and wide. I just want to help the people that impact others.
You can see how through this trial and error process, through this tweaking process, and through my studies, I’ve found (1) how I want to help people, (2) what I want to be known for, and (3) who I want to impact directly and indirectly.
And it all feels good. It feels right. It feels fun.
And not just surface-level fun that every business coach says because it’s a buzzword. Fun, like I’m happy to do it, I’m eager to start, I’m losing myself in the time I spend doing it because time falls away. True fun.
That is how I now see myself. That is my personal recognition.
It took time, but it was worth it.
Recognition for Projectors comes first from within.
What do you want to be recognized for? What do you want people to see from you? What makes you feel like you’re being seen?
Recognition coming from within isn’t knowing everything about yourself.
It’s knowing what you want to do. It’s knowing what you’re great at.
If you don’t have that self-recognition yet, keep learning, keep studying, keep following your bliss. Recognition will come to you through watching yourself learn the information you’re meant to learn + master the systems or processes that interest you.
So when you’re on your way to recognizing yourself, remember that it’s okay to feel confused, lost, and frustrated. You’re still heading towards your recognition. You’re still heading towards being the expert. You’re still going to find the fun at the end of the tunnel.
It’s okay to feel like it’s taking forever. Just don’t give up.
How do you know when you’ve found your Zone of Genius? And what does it really mean to have a Zone of Genius?
Time after time, when you think you’ve found it, somehow it doesn’t seem right. It doesn’t feel right. Or maybe, it’s just too hard to spot. Maybe you think “I just don’t have one”.
For me, the struggle has been self-doubt. Because something that comes so easily to me doesn’t seem all that grand. It doesn’t seem fancy, or unique, or even like it can be considered a “zone of genius”.
But everyone has one. Everyone has a very unique zone that they are a genius in. The struggle is seeing it for ourselves.
If you’ve ever experienced trouble with figuring out what your zone of genius is — what you’re really and truly the best at — keep reading for what you need to know to find it.
What is a Zone of Genius?
A “zone of genius” has become a very popular term and over time has lost its meaning to a lot of people because we — especially as entrepreneurs — hear it all the time.
But I like to think about it like this: A “zone of genius” is simply an area that you are a genius in. Seems simple.
What is genius?
What shows that you’re a genius to you?
That’s where the confusion happens. Because there are so many skills we all have as humans… yet… we can’t be a genius in them all, can we?
Exactly.
And saying that there are a plethora of things that you’re a genius in leaves the phrase “zone of genius” meaning nothing.
So — what is genius?
The Zone Spectrum
There’s a spectrum that’s been called by another name, “The zone of genius method”, but I call it a spectrum because it seems so much simpler that way.
This zone spectrum helps people to visualize and identify what “zone” their skills are in.
It’s broken into 4 categories.
Zone of Incompetence
Zone of Competence
Zone of Excellence
Zone of Genius
It’s my belief that our skills, all of them, go through this spectrum and anything can become a zone of genius if we decide to hone that skill enough.
But many of the skills we learn don’t get past the zone of competence.
So let’s look at what each zone entails and how to know where your skills land, depending on their level of mastery.
Zone of Incompetence
This is the area that skills are when we’re first stepping our toes in their metaphorical waters. When we first start anything, we don’t know much about it.
Therefore, we’re inherently incompetent with it. We’re complete beginners.
We didn’t exit the womb walking or singing or playing the piano — these are all skills we learn, like many others.
The zone of incompetence is an area where there are many other people who are better at it than us.
As we progress our skills, they move into the next zone. So after being a complete beginner, we gain some knowledge, learn a little bit, and move into the zone of competence.
Zone of Competence
This is the level where most of our skills are. We’re competent enough to get by, but about average with the other people who have these skills.
We know about and know enough to get by with this level.
Though there are still more people that are better than us at it.
For instance, these are skills we learn because we have to, not necessarily because we want to or choose to. And this is why most of these skills stay in this zone.
Take, for example, building a website. As an entrepreneur, this is something that we all need to figure out how to do on a basic level. However, not all of us or even many of us will want to further this skill. It’s something we do because we have to, not because we enjoy it.
That’s the basis of skills that are in this zone of competence.
Zone of Excellence
Then we move up into the zone of excellence.
In this zone, we’ve found skills that we enjoy and that we do on a more regular basis.
This could be playing music, practicing art, learning a language, or anything else that you desire to do.
These are things that are more like hobbies or interests.
You learn how to improve your basic skills and then excel at them.
Here, there are only some people that are better at it than us.
Zone of Genius
Then we finally advance into the zone of genius.
You can have more than a handful of skills here in your level of genius — however, there won’t nearly be as many as the other zones. It really depends more on your ability to focus on them, the time you have to dedicate to them, and other aspects.
In the zone of genius, almost no one can do this better than you.
The zone of genius may also not just be about the improvement of a skill, but the uniqueness of a skill or the combination of particular skills.
This is something unique to you. Something that comes so easily to you that it may make no sense as to why it’s considered special.
It’s the things you’re known for. That you’re sought out for. That people highly regard within you.
And this is where your specialty is.
So how do you find what your Zone of Genius is?
Make a list of the skills that you have in your Zone of Excellence.
Write down everything that you believe you do better than most people. What are you really good at? What have you been commended for? What do people tell you you’re really good at?
This list gives you the beginnings of finding what your Zone of Genius is.
Because most of the time, we downplay our true strengths. So your zone of genius may be written in this list.
So what skills stand out to you?
Which skills would your friends come to you for? Compliment you on? Seek from you?
You can even give them this list and have them read it back to you and tell you which they think are your best skills.
Getting an outside opinion can be very helpful, especially with this.
Because like I said before, our Zone of Genius tends to come so easily to us that we forget it’s even special in the first place.
Years ago when social media just started, likes, followers and vanity metrics mattered.
But as algorithms keep changing and platform users become accustomed to the platforms, things are shifting.
And personally, I’d rather have 10 followers who engage and connect every time I publish something rather than 10 million that couldn’t care less.
Think about it
If you were to ask your followers for help with getting a message out, who’s more likely to lend a hand?
The 10 million followers who don’t see your content or care to read it frequently?
Or
The 10 followers who see your content every time you publish and actively engage?
Personally, I’m team 2.
Algorithms are people
I’m not actually saying that an algorithm is a person. However, what do algorithms do?
They were made to help people find content that they enjoy so they stay on the platform longer and see more ads.
Algorithms are based on human behavior.
It’s all a psychology strategy.
Creators of algorithms care about:
What you’re interested in right now
How you interact easiest
What ads should reach you and when
How often ads actually work (to determine ad-blindness and shift to accompany that)
What happened right before you clicked off
When you came back and how long you typically stay on the platform
They’re trying to keep you as interested, engaged, and alert as possible.
So that when you come across something you like, you engage.
When you engage, you’re more likely to see another ad that targets that specific topic or type of content.
And ultimately, they’re leading every person through a path to a sale so they make money.
The problem
The problem is that now we’ve all become accustomed to this working, we’re tired of it. We’re so tired that we’re becoming content-blind.
When you scroll, now it’s more mindless. You engage less. You give less validation to the creators that are only creating to make money and use you.
This isn’t a problem for people, it’s a problem for the algorithm. Because they’re looking for the areas we aren’t blind to yet.
The upcoming solution
Video and audio content.
For years we didn’t have access to video or audio content. We had mainly written and visual.
But now, conversation and connection are key metrics.
Interacting with creators Live, watching a video for a certain amount of time, and listening for a certain amount of time are all the new “vanity” metrics. Because they’re more reliable.
Just like in Email lists, opens are no longer a reliable resource for determining engagement. Why? Because we’re still content-blind.
We read it and forget it. It means nothing to us.
What means more, is more personal interaction.
Personal interaction metrics
Personal interactions are the new best form of making sure people engage.
Like DMs, clicks, commenting, and length of time watched/listened.
As a creator, having more followers doesn’t matter. How engaged they are does.
Having more subscribers doesn’t matter. How engaged they are does.
It used to matter when we were gauging how far of a reach we had. But now, it’s how impactful that reach is.
Final thoughts
If you’re someone who still values followers at face value and is doing follow for follow or like for like, you’re wasting your time, energy, and possibly hurting your own algorithm for the future, too.
Don’t focus on how many followers you have.
Instead, focus on creating content that people actually want to engage with. That you actually enjoy creating (so you don’t burn out). And that creates an impact on the people that engage.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you agree or disagree with where we’re headed? Do you see something else happening that I didn’t mention above?
I wish someone would have told me how hard entrepreneurship was.
Not that I wanted it to stop me from pursuing it, but I wish I would’ve had a more realistic view of what was to come — perhaps my mental health wouldn’t have suffered so much.
We are shown such a grandiose version of entrepreneurship that it brings the “grass is always greener” saying to my mind.
Entrepreneurship isn’t fast. Isn’t easy. And it isn’t glamorous.
It’s real. It’s difficult. It takes time.
But it’s worth it.
That picture right there… the real, raw, authentic explanation of what entrepreneurship really is could’ve helped my mindset as I was “failing” for 2 years straight.
Every day was the same:
Coffee
Set out to tackle the day’s tasks like learning marketing or learning how to sell without feeling sleazy
Getting crickets back from an almost non-existent audience (because other entrepreneurs who were trying to pitch me their services flooded my follower-count, making my actual followers not see my content first)
Taking it personally because I was shown that “entrepreneurship is easy”
Feeling like a massive failure
Day after day
Hour after hour
And suffering mentally and emotionally because of it
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
Over and over and over again.
I honestly have no idea how I kept going for 730 days straight in that cycle. But I did. More actually. And if you’re reading this, I’m willing to bet you’re right where I was too.
Feeling lied to by the people who market entrepreneurship as something so easy that it happens within a month to 3 or even 6 months.
But that’s not even close to reality.
In reality, many businesses are lucky to break even in their first year — because most don’t. And the second year, it’s the same. In the third year, that’s when you’re statistically supposed to start seeing profits.
But that’s not what we hear about.
So I decided to stop everything and reevaluate.
I’m no longer putting my time or effort in places that don’t feel correct for my energy or spending another dollar on yet another copy-paste course that is going to tell me the same thing every other one is.
I’m done.
Not with entrepreneurship; I’m done with the way anyone else tells me to do entrepreneurship.
What do I want to do?
I’m a writer.
Okay. Anything else? I like speaking out loud and talking about my insights.
Okay. Good. Two things.
Two things that are me. Not my business, just me.
What do I think this will do?
Honestly, I have no idea. I don’t have any expectations specifically, and here’s why.
I can’t predict what others are going to want to hear from me. I can only see what they like hearing about from me.
Data.
Meaning I’m not “failing,” because I didn’t do what the course said or what the ‘guru’ was saying to do.
There’s no way to fail here.
Because whether I want to talk about my thoughts and way of thinking; my food allergies and how I live by being gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free; my love of the beaches, my memories at the lake, or my fictional stories based on real events; or even my insights with Human Design, Manifestation, or just Business with being someone who doesn’t fit into the norm of society.
Who knows what will entertain or inform or illuminate?
But I’d like to find out.
And maybe, business won’t have to be as hard as it seems, when I’m doing what I want to do regardless of the system that entrepreneurship seems to be functioning within.
And maybe, just maybe, that’s what you want to try too.
Discussing the fast-result and fast-money industry.
Have you seen the courses, downloads, and masterclasses that are directed to starting a business and getting fast results?
They usually say something like “Follow my 4 step process to profit quickly in business!” or “This training is all you need to succeed in business!” etc.
Essentially telling you that a 1-hour to 6-hour training will be everything you need to start a business and get money quickly.
But all of these claims are bullshit. And here’s why.
There is NO “Right Way”
Just like we humans are all at least slightly different in some unique way, there are many, many more ways for each individual person to succeed in business.
That’s math that I can’t even do. 7 Billion people to the thousands, even millions, of ways for each person.
You don’t need the “one way.”
The one way that it worked for them isn’t guaranteed to work for you. Because you’re already a different person. You have completely different reasons, values, talents, skills, preferences, gifts, and so much more.
Not to mention prestige, privilege, starting point, knowledge, location, availability of resources, and all other external factors.
Both your internal experience and external experience are vastly different than the person trying to sell you the way that worked for them.
And both of these will skew the results you create by using their process.
“Fast” and “Quick” are Click-Bait Terms
If you’ve been duped by these terms before, you’re not alone.
These two words are tossed around carelessly and interchangeably. Yet they’re both vague and broad.
Fast could mean you set it up fast. Not that you’ll succeed fast. Or it could mean that you’ll find your first client fast — because the first client is usually someone you know (40% of new business owners have their first client through their network).
Or fast could mean that you learn the knowledge you need… well, fast.
But there’s no given timeframe. And your perception of a fast timeframe could be slow for them. Or vice versa.
Fast in this context, to me as a 3rd-year Entrepreneur, means you’ll be able to start within 1 year and gain your first client within 2 years.
Entrepreneurship isn’t as easy as it seems. There’s a steep learning curve for many, the industry is constantly shifting, there are new things to learn all the time about it.
So, what really does “fast” or “quick” actually mean?
It means the marketing understands your pressure to get results quickly. That’s it. It’s just a marketing tactic.
What really brings fast results?
Action. You taking action to do the thing. To start the business. To post the information. To market yourself. To start at all.
And yes, you’ll learn that within the masterclass, course, or whatever it is. But it still doesn’t mean their process will work for you if you’re left confused on what to do or where to start.
Just as well, overthinking and procrastination slow any progress. Having someone to talk to, bounce ideas off of, and actually consult with can move you forward faster than a course that is just knowledge sitting in your head.
Without action, results don’t come.
So what’s going to get you in motion? How are you going to take a step forward today? What action step will you complete?
Write it down. Then go do it. Take some action so you can start building momentum to receive real results.
We could get into a whole rant about why this is, and the deeper aspects of what’s going on in the fast-result and fast-money industry, but I won’t ramble that out today.
Instead, I want to leave you with actual, viable options if you’re looking to make fast money.
Fast, in this sense, means within a month. Not days, weeks.
The only faster way that I know of is selling things you own. Then, it may be days.
But in terms of business startups and entrepreneurship, I’m going to assume that you don’t want to sell all your stuff.
2 Ways to Make Money Within a Month
Freelancing gives the broadest opportunity to make money while remaining in your zone of genius and being able to continue working on your own business. It’s where you take the skills you already know and can competently complete and offer them to others who need them.
Signup for a Freelancing Platform and Offer Services – Fiverr, Upwork, and other similar sites are where the clientele already comes to their platform. So you don’t need to go out looking for clients from scratch. – With Fiverr, you set up your profile and then wait for the algorithm to pick you up (usually after 2 weeks) and start showing you on the first page. – With Upwork, you set up your profile and then bid on the work that clients have already posted. Think about it as an interview process.
Offer Freelancing to Entrepreneurs You Already Know – Established entrepreneurs likely have items they’d like to outsource. Such as emails, social media posts, blog posts, website modification, appointment setting, etc. – Offer your services to them and see if they know anyone else who may need the same kind of help.
Remember, there is no “one way” that will work for you.
Your journey is uniquely your own. It won’t be perfect. It won’t be pretty.
It’ll be messy, authentic, vulnerable, easy, and challenging, all in one.
But you’ll be moving forward, figuring it out, and, most of all, it’ll be true to you.
Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor and don’t pretend to be. Everything in my articles is purely experienced from what I’ve personally done or what people I actually know have done. Nothing in my articles is meant to be financial, legal, health, or medical advice of any kind. Make decisions wisely and always do your own research.
Before you quit your day job, make sure you’re ready for the road ahead.
My entrepreneur journey started abruptly.
I quit my job without warning, without a plan, and without knowing how exactly I was going to make money.
But at the time, I didn’t care. I was SO done with being burnt out, being taken for granted, and being relied heavily upon because I was one of the employees that actually did their job plus helped others do theirs.
I was exhausted, drained, and downright upset.
My lifelong dream was to be my own boss. Yet, at 25 years old, I hadn’t begun my entrepreneur journey yet.
I was facing my Quarter-life crisis, (yes, that really is a thing), and decided to immediately effect change in my life.
So I quit my job, moved out of state, and began a new life.
As an entrepreneur.
Fear set in when I realized I had no idea what to do.
I wasn’t a business major, I didn’t have a college degree or any “special” qualifications other than the multitudes of adversity I had already faced from a young age.
Overall, I didn’t know how entrepreneurs made themselves a success. I knew it wasn’t luck, but I didn’t know the road to take.
It seemed like I didn’t have a clear path ahead.
And after 2 months of dicking around, not fully committing to any one thing, I started looking for part-time work.
That’s when I learned the first lesson I hope to help you avoid.
1. Plan Ahead
Do your research now. At the first sign of desiring to become an entrepreneur, start looking for information for free online.
At the very least, start when you’re aware. Even if that means today.
Being an entrepreneur isn’t as easy as some people seem to think. It’s actually MUCH harder than a traditional job.
At a traditional job, you already have the place you work at, the clientele who come to you, the systems that you work with, the operations that create efficiency, the pay scale that is reliable, and the ease of having to do only ONE job position.
As a new entrepreneur, you — and only you — are the one person doing everything.
Don’t leave the details to chance.
You won’t be able to accommodate for everything, however, you CAN set yourself up better by being more prepared with plans.
Here’s a list of questions to help get you started in your search:
What niche are you planning to start in? Do you know what a niche is?
Are you mentally and emotionally prepared to face failure after failure until you reach success down the line?
What platforms do you like? Which medium of content do you want to create?
Who do you want to help? Do you know anyone that could use your help right now?
What type of services are you going to create? Do you want to be product-based or service-based?
Who is your support system? Do you have friends, family, acquaintances, or groups of people to help support you along the journey?
How often are you going to learn and improve yourself to give your entrepreneurship journey a better chance at succeeding?
This list is not all-encompassing, but it’s a list I would’ve been grateful to have at the beginning of my own journey.
Start mulling these thoughts over, building your knowledge base, and planning for the time you start your journey.
Don’t wait forever to start, but jumping in right away isn’t always the best option. Find the place in the middle that works for you.
After I had to get a part-time job for 3 months, I was ready to start at it again.
I had done some research and learned some skills, I had a vague plan of action and began the 2nd attempt.
This attempt lasted longer than the first, at 4 months of solid effort.
This leads to the second lesson I hope to help you avoid.
2. Pride loses. Perseverance wins.
I was so sure that the 2nd attempt would be successful.
So sure, that I was blind to what was actually happening.
I didn’t enjoy the niche I chose. My audience wasn’t responding to the content I was putting out. I was drained, burnt out, and exhausted all over again.
But I begrudgingly held onto this attempt for as long as I could, before I watched it crash and burn.
I’m thankful it did though. I learned a lot during this experience.
I was able to compare my experience with this 2nd attempt to the 1st attempt.
I learned that I didn’t want to be in that niche, so I was able to pivot.
I learned that having pride was holding me back and keeping me blind.
I learned that I didn’t fully enjoy the platform I was on.
And little by little, I was revealing to myself what this journey would need of me more than anything else…
Perseverance.
It’s not something you’re born with. It’s something you choose.
You choose to continue forward; you choose to keep going when you’re faced with challenges, and you choose to forge on, even when you seem to fail over and over again.
Perseverance is by far the most needed trait of an entrepreneur.
Perseverance is what propels you to try again and again, even when it doesn’t look perfect.
Perseverance is what drives you to learn how to do something when you knew nothingabout it previously.
Perseverance is what keeps the spark of joy alive in your heart when you set your goal and attempt to reach it.
The only way you could ever lose — or truly “fail” — is when you choose to give up altogether.
Keep going, and you willmake it.
After the 2nd attempt, I got another job, this time a full-time one.
I had planned to only stay for less than 6 months, but 3 months in is when the big C hit in the USA in 2020.
Amid mass shutdowns, I was given the time to begin my 3rd attempt.
And my 3rd attempt is where everything changed.
This lesson I learned as I went, and thankfully it didn’t stop me in my journey, it merely shifted my path as I moved forward.
3. Pivot, Pivot, Pivot
If you’re a fan of the Friends series, you may remember the episode where Ross, Chandler, and Rachel are moving Ross’s new couch and he consistently says “Pivot! Pivot! Pivoottt!”
This is the word I want you to remember when you feel stuck on your journey.
Change is inevitable; and we grow through changes.
Pivoting in business is as common as bread at an Italian Restaurant.
Get as comfortable with change as you possibly can.
In the first few years of being an entrepreneur, there are going to be massive growing pains.
There are multitudes of skills you’re learning.
There’s knowledge that seems never-ending.
And there’s the possibility that what you choose to niche in, solve, or brand yourself as will change.
Let yourself change. Choose to pivot. Choose to shift your path instead of giving up entirely.
It’s likely that your first idea won’t succeed. Or your second. Or third. Or fourth. Maybe not even until your 30th.
It’s different for everyone. But knowing this upfront can help soothe your mind when or if it does happen to you.
For me, I failed over 30 times before I found my niches.
Yes, niches. Plural.
I’m currently the CEO of 4 businesses. I’m a creative entrepreneur, and I like variety. It took me a while to figure it out, but I did.
And that’s the point.
I allowed myself to pivot so many times that I found the things I wanted to specialize in.
I found the platforms I enjoy.
I found the niches that both light me up and allow me to help others.
All because I allowed myself to Pivot.
I failed fast so I could begin again fast. I attempted and attempted and attempted.
Did I doubt myself at times? Yes.
Did I have breakdowns and moments of despair? You bet.
Did I allow it to stop me? Absolutely not.
This is one of the reasons in the list above I included the question about your support system.
In my times of breakdowns, I consulted the people I trusted. Not for them to give me business advice, but for them to help me see my strengths again.
The entrepreneur journey doesn’t have to always be alone. Yes, it is you that is the sole person working towards your dream, but there are people ready to support you if you ask.
Entrepreneurship is a journey that is like nothing else.
It’s liberating, motivating, thrilling, and fulfilling.
And if you cultivate and incorporate these skills and lessons, you will reach success as an entrepreneur.
You can make your dream a reality.
So plan ahead in a way that feels correct for you.
The future versus the past—how to implement these changes for good.
In the past two years, we’ve seen some radical shifts in the business world.
Work from home, virtual conferences, flexibility in scheduling due to sickness, and a whole plethora of smaller changes that before this time in history, haven’t been explored.
And employees don’t want things to “return to normal,” so what’s the deal?
A Return To Normal
What even is normal anymore?
A 5-day workweek, anywhere from 8 am to 6 pm, long commutes to work, and being in the office every day possible.
That’s what normal used to be.
But now that offices have survived almost 2 years in this new setup, some employees hope that there is more flexibility for them going forward.
Whether you’re an introvert that wants to do the job from home, an extrovert who likes to converse with people in the office, or someone in between who wouldn’t mind having a few days in the office and then a few to recharge at home, the shift may work better for everyone if it stays. And here’s why.
Employees Want to Work Smarter, More Efficiently, and Faster — and For Some, That’s at Home
Now, yes, there are some instances with having kids where this statement isn’t always true. But for the majority of people, having to work from home is more motivating because there’s not a supervisor breathing down their necks.
Or there aren’t as many distractions as around the office. There’s the ability to go out and get coffee in the morning. An ability to take lunch when you’re hungry or finish your work early and be done for the day.
The biggest difference is that the workday is not metered by the amount of time spent at the office. It’s metered by the quality of and the completion of tasks or projects.
There’s less “busy work” and more focus on actual things that need to get done.
Remember in school when the teachers used to hand out busy work when there was a substitute in class that day? That’s how the modern-day office environment feels.
And employees are ready for that environment to change.
Focus on what projects and tasks need to get done, rather than just doling out work to them for them to complete because they’re “on the job.” Your employees will appreciate it, the office morale will increase, and they’ll be more inclined to finish their work at a higher quality.
Flexibility Will Win the Employees Quality
If you’ve ever tried to force something to happen in your office, you’ve seen the turnout. It’s angry at best, and unmotivated at worst.
So why, when so many employees have expressed their desires to work from home, are they being ordered back into the office?
Is it simply because the company can’t “keep an eye” on them while they’re working?
If they’re meeting all of their work requirements and producing quality work, why would the company need to continue to “keep an eye” on them?
Bottom line, if you don’t trust your employees to do the job they were hired to do, why are they hired at your office?
Employees appreciate having more flexibility, even if they have to be in the office 2 to 3 days per week because they get to have more time with their families, friends, and for themselves to relax.
And relaxed, happy employees work better.
So what needs to be implemented going forward to hopefully keep this change? If you’re a supervisor, take these next suggestions into account. If you’re an employee, suggest these to your company.
Suggestions to Keep Everyone Happy
Compromise and communication are the keys to solving any disputes. And it’s no longer the company that’s solely ruling over its employees. So let’s look at some possible ways to compromise between the two.
Work in office 2 to 3 days per week, and work from home 2 to 3 days per week
This may work for those who don’t mind coming in still. Plus, talk to your employees, some may actually want to come into the office still. It’s not that everyone wants to stay home all the time, but the option is helpful for those who do.
And if it’s absolutely imperative for employees to be in the office every week, be flexible with how much or how many days or even for what specific projects they’ll need to be in person for.
Have a scheduled meeting every week or every day to start the day
While this option doesn’t cut down on Zoom time, having a meeting in the morning to simply discuss the week or the day’s tasks is helpful. It’s more helpful for the supervisor to talk to everyone directly at once than it is to have 25 different conversations.
Also, you can set times to check-in or at what point’s to send over the day’s work. But during these meetings, make sure they’re being used properly, and not just sitting around wasting everyone’s time. They could get started on their work instead if a meeting isn’t needed.
Have a trial period of work from home
Though the trial has been these past 2 years, some companies are afraid that if workers don’t return to the office, they won’t continue making their quotas. Which is simply a fear, not truth or representation of what really will happen.
Nonetheless, suggesting a trial period of work from home, say 3 to 6 months, and having monthly quality check-ins to see how it’s going can be the bridge. If this trial period goes well, talk about a longer-term arrangement. If it doesn’t, lessen the time at home. But be honest — on both sides — about what’s working and what isn’t.
Communicate, communicate, communicate
Most companies, as I stated above, are scared. They’re staring an unknown reality in the face.
Communication helps alleviate many of these fears.
So whether that means having email check-ins, conference call check-ins, or a weekly check-in at the office, find out what style of communication would help best. And use it.
What if none of these work and my company won’t agree to any terms?
Honestly, if you’re unhappy with it, they won’t work with you on it, and there’s nothing else you can do about it, it’s time to decide whether or not you want to stay at that company.
You have a choice.
You can start looking for other jobs, you can start your own business, you can start a side hustle, you can look for remote work jobs… There are many possibilities to what you can do.
So instead of asking “What can I do?” ask yourself “What do I WANT to do?”
The business environment is shifting and will shift eventually. This is the path of the modern-day (and the future of) the business world. But this is the time for employees to start asking for the shift to be more permanent.
It’s not a clear-cut road ahead. It’s still vastly unknown territory. However, we’ve seen what’s been possible over the past 2 years.
And I don’t know many people who are happily willing to go back to how it was before.
Wouldn’t it be great if there were a one-time fix-all solution?
Unfortunately, since we live in a place called the 3D world, that just doesn’t exist… yet. (I’m not going to stop anyone from trying, by all means, invent away!)
But even though there isn’t some magic pill that fixes everything, there are clues to what fixes things. And the best ones I’ve found, are the clues that help me run my business successfully, without burning out, as a Projector.
If you’re not yet familiar with Human Design, you may want to grab this practical info packet below and start diving in first. But for those of you already acquainted, let’s look at this.
The basis
First, before we even talk about any rituals or practices that work, let’s just get a basis of what my business success looks like and feels like.
I run my business on, mainly, 3 different platforms. These are my own blog website, Youtube, and my Podcast. These are the 3 areas I focus on every day. Past that, I do have Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter. But I hardly use those ones other than when I feel like it or when I cross-post other things (which again, is minimal).
So, 3 platforms.
Every week, it’s my intention to upload on a certain schedule for consistency. This consistency helps me stay on track as well as helps me to understand my real growth. And it definitely doesn’t hurt the algorithm.
In short: I support my energy the way it needs to be supported, I plan ahead to be consistent, and I only work when I feel the inspiration to. These things help me be a better writer, business owner, and person overall.
My 3 Ritual Must-Haves
If you’re not someone who has routines in their HD chart (here’s a podcast episode to know whether you do or not), don’t be too strict with the things I’m about to share. But for me, routines are the structures that give me more freedom. When I have routines, my brain is freed up to think about other things.
Here are the 3 I live and breathe by:
1. Stretch, coffee, sit down to work.
These are the first three things I do every single day (besides hitting the restroom, of course). But this is a routine that I truly enjoy.
When I consistently show up to this routine, I’ve already done some mindfulness through stretching and I prepare myself to get work done.
It’s not forced and I don’t have a to-do list every day. Because for the most part, I’ve minimized my tasks to the ones that actually matter. The ones that get the most progress. That’s efficiency – and it’s a small spike of dopamine to my brain.
I enjoy my work, so I set myself up to enjoy it. And every day without fail, I get done what I need to do.
But since I enjoy my work so much, and since I’m a 4 profile (4’s are prone to burnout), I have to do the opposite as well…
2. I stop myself from working at a certain time and set limits around when I can work again.
I do what I can, but never more than I have to.
I’ve frequently found myself in the past, (before I built this schedule), working long hours without knowing when to stop (open sacral not-self). And I used to barely get any sleep, feel drained, and the quality of my work suffered as well.
But after recognizing that pattern, I set this schedule in place and held myself to it. And now, I can confidently say that I do what I can, but never more than I have to. I’m mindfully aware of when enough is enough, and sometimes I go past it, but I always just bring myself back into alignment.
3. I followed my flow of energy to set this schedule up.
I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I knew how to do this right away – I didn’t. I had to be aware of my own energy, notice when I had spikes in energy and lulls in energy, and I had to watch it for a good amount of time before I could call it a pattern.
But this is why I work so well in my environment now. I noticed that I wanted to work in the morning right after I woke up – so that’s what I do. I noticed that I don’t really want to work any longer than 2 to 3 hours – so that’s what I do. I noticed that I liked having coffee next to me while I work (regardless of if I drink any or not) – so that’s what I do.
This schedule gives me the structure that my energy enjoys, with the freedom to flow where I need to. And it works for me.
So what’s the #1 thing?
After all of that, after figuring out what way I work best, how I can best support my natural energy, the places I need to keep an eye on, and what upload schedule I like best… What’s the #1 thing that brings success to Projectors in business?
Consistency.
Regardless of if you want that consistency to be daily, weekly, or monthly, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re able to show up in some capacity and be findable,consistently.
It may take some time to figure out where you want to be, what niche you want to be in, what aspects of your genius you want to share, or what clients you want to have, but when you do, focus on being consistent with it.
Our brains love patterns. Our brains are always looking for ways to be more efficient, more effective, and find things that are similar. And it’ll be much, much easier for your people to find you if you’re consistent with it.
So find what structure of your business you want to have, what upload schedule feels good to you, and what rituals or routines can support you in keeping to it.
So, what about if you’re not able to use your energy consistently? What if it feels better to be inconsistent?
Check out this post here, because there’s something I haven’t yet said but that needs to be addressed: I’m consistently inconsistent. But it looks like consistency from the outside perspective!
You must be logged in to post a comment.