134: The power of a mental declutter for entrepreneurs

In this episode of Online Business Uncovered, I’m talking about something every entrepreneur faces: mental clutter. When your mind is filled with constant to-do lists, business ideas, and worries, it’s no surprise you end up feeling overwhelmed and stuck.

I’ll be sharing simple but powerful strategies to de-clutter your mind, reduce overwhelm, and create the mental space you need to stay focused, boost productivity, and move forward with confidence in your online business.

Helping entrepreneurs find clarity and build sustainable success is what I love most whether it’s here on the podcast or inside my masterclasses, where we go even deeper. If you’re ready to feel lighter, clearer, and more in control of your business journey, this episode is for you.

Transcript

Karen [00:00:01]:
Hello and welcome to Online Business Uncovered. This is episode 134 and in today's episode I'm talking about the power of having a mental declutter and how you can create space to achieve long lasting success in your business. So let's jump right in and let's get started. Hello and welcome to Online Business Uncovered. I am your host, Karen, and I really do appreciate you hitting that play button to listen to today's episode. 

So today I'm talking about how to have a mental declutter so you can actually move forward in your business and achieve the goals that you want to achieve. So I'm going to be breaking this down and giving you some tips so that you can start to manage the overwhelm that you're most likely feeling. But before I do, I just want to mention my upcoming masterclass that is taking place on Thursday 9th October at 7pm UK time.

Karen [00:01:15]:
So it's a completely free workshop and I'm talking about how to turn your knowledge into an online course that sells. So it's going to be 60 minutes of me breaking it down and going through the various steps. So by the end, end of it, you'll have a plan on how you can actually bring your idea to life. Now, I've run this session before and I've had amazing feedback from this session, which is why I'm running it again. 

So if you want to book your place, then head on over to www.sell yourbrillianceonline.com and go and register for free. And I look forward to seeing you there on the 9th of October. Okay, so back to today's episode. And today I'm talking about something that I think doesn't get nearly enough attention when it comes to building and scaling an online business.

Karen [00:02:14]:
And that's the power of having a mental declutter. Now, this is something that I have been navigating myself recently and I know if you are feeling overwhelmed, maybe you're feeling scattered in your thoughts or even stuck in a cycle of overthinking, which, let's face it, we're all guilty of, then this episode is definitely going to land for you. So one of the things that I found about running a business is that you're constantly trying to figure out how to move it forward. What do you need to do? What strategies do you need to implement? What action do you need to take? And there is so much information available now. So the challenge is trying to kind of cut through the noise, to actually consume the information and the knowledge that's actually going to work. Now the thing is, because everyone is promoting their stuff and there's always an online course or a podcast or a book to read. What can end up happening is that we consume so much content, content and information that instead of it giving us the clarity that we need, it can actually make us feel more confused and overwhelmed. And I think when you are carrying around all that information in your head, you can start to second guess yourself.

Karen [00:03:45]:
You feel like you need to do all the things all of the time because everybody's telling you this is what you need to be doing. So for example, if you are starting out on social media, because maybe you want to market your business online, the I suppose the temptation is that you try to be on every platform and maybe you want to kind of make money in your business, so you launch multiple offers at any one time, or you just try and be everywhere at once. So you might have five networking groups that you go to and you are putting yourself under that pressure to have to be there all the time. And I think when you do this, what can then happen is that your energy is then diluted, your focus is scattered, and your brain feels like it's running at full capacity all of the time, which isn't healthy. It's not the way to. To really be running your business. Now, I do know firsthand what it's like to feel that overwhelm. So recently for me, I've been.

Karen [00:04:58]:
I made the decision that I was going to strip everything back in my business and really simplify what it is that I'm doing. Scale everything back to and stop trying to do all the things so that I can just focus on one very simple strategy that I know is going to grow my business sustainably. Because the reality is, success isn't about having a hundred different offers or strategies that you're rolling out. It's about having one clear system that works and then giving it enough time and attention for it to grow organically. And whenever I have achieved success in my business where I've looked at it and I thought that I did really well with. It's always been at times where I've gone all in and I've just focused in on that one thing. But I feel sometimes like because we're thrown, like information is thrown at us all the time and we're told to do X, Y and Z because that will give us the results that we're looking for, that in itself can end up throwing us curveballs and sending us down rabbit holes that really don't serve Us. So I think it's about really kind of thinking about what your goal is, what is the one thing you want to achieve and then decide on one simple strategy that's actually going to move that need, move you closer to that goal, so that you know you're going to get the results that you ultimately want.

Karen [00:06:31]:
Now, for me, when I give myself almost the permission to declutter my business mentally, it does feel like a weight has been lifted because there are certain things in my business that is taking up unnecessary space. And so what I've done done this month is I've made some changes, I've gone through things and I've asked myself, am I really needing that? Is that of use to me or is it actually distracting me? And it's, it's kind of being objective around this stuff as well because it's so tempting, I think, to sign up for things that you think that you're going to need and somebody's running an offer and you don't want to miss the offer, so you sign up for it. But then, then what happens is that you get really busy and that you don't use it. But in the back of your mind you know that you're paying for something that you're not getting the value from. And this is where space can be taken up by having these kind of thoughts going on in your head. And I know recently for me, I've just canceled a membership for something because again, I, I found it online, it was a low cost offer, I signed up for it and I just haven't had the time to do anything with it. So I've canceled it because every single month when the reoccurring payment comes out, I think to myself, oh, I'm not doing that. And then that just leads to the guilt of not actually getting that thing done.

Karen [00:08:07]:
So I've just called it, I've got rid of it, I've canceled it and I've gone through my business as well and I've looked at tools and apps that I'm using and I've done the same thing. If I'm not using it, if it's not providing value to me and it's just and nice to have, then I'm getting rid of it because it's taking my energy, it's taking my time, it's taking my money, and I just don't have capacity for that. So I think we have to be sort of aware of where our mental energy is going and not be afraid to actually get rid of stuff that is not serving us. And I know for me, when I give myself the permission to declutter my business, mentally, I feel so much lighter. Suddenly I feel like all the. The shoulds that I'm carrying around, like I should do this and I should do that, has kind of gone. I recently canceled a contract for some ongoing support that I was receiving in my business. And I've had this support for a while and just hasn't been right.

Karen [00:09:22]:
I end up doing a lot of the things myself because the support that I've had in place has just not really aligned with the kind of support that I've needed, which I know saying it out loud sounds crazy, but there's that sense of if I get rid of it and I need it, then it's going to cause me more work. So I've just let it continue. So what I've done this month, month, very recently, is I've actually canceled that contract. And just by doing that, I feel so much better. I feel like that guilt has gone because there's always that thing in the back of my mind. Am I being fair to. To that individual? Am I giving them what they need? Am I doing this? Am I doing that? I'm paying for this, Am I getting the. The value from it? All of this stuff.

Karen [00:10:20]:
But the moment you cancel it, it's gone. It's like having a gym membership, you know, in January when you have this idea of going to gym, losing weight, getting fit, and then you go for a few times in January, and then before you know it, September's come around and you've not been. And then there's that guilt every single month that you're paying for something that you're not actually using. And you carry that around with you. It takes up space in your head that is sitting there that you. You then tap into. And I think when that happens, we need to be aware of it and we just need to get rid of it because it just isn't doing us any favors. And I don't think.

Karen [00:11:01]:
And I think guilt is such a wasted emotion, so we just have to remove where possible. So I know for me at the moment, I'm definitely in that season, if you like, of really trying to strip everything back, trying to streamline everything to make things simpler. I need simple. I have a very busy life. I've got young children, I've got a busy family, home life and lots of things going on in my business. And I just need simple. So I need simple in my business, but I also need simple in my head as well, so that I can just focus on the things that's actually going to make a difference. I think the thing that really helps any business owner to move forward is clarity.

Karen [00:11:51]:
And we have to do what we can to get that clarity that we need so that we can focus on areas that actually matter, so that we can move the needle in our businesses. And the thing about creating shifts in your business, whether it's physically, emotionally, mentally, is that you start to release energy and you start to feel better about what it is that you're doing and that energy is going to be available to create, create new, that perhaps feel more aligned, that light you up and help your audience as well. So it does pay to kind of go through. It does pay to take time to really look at your business and to try and work out where you can start to simplify. And because it's going to make all the difference, it's going to be a game changer. So if you're listening to this and you're thinking, I get it, this is me, my brain feels like a browser with a hundred tabs open, then I just want to provide you with a few tips that has helped me that I hope will help you. So firstly, tip one is I would encourage you to do a brain dump. So get everything out of your head and on onto paper.

Karen [00:13:31]:
You will be amazed how much lighter you're going to feel when you're not holding it all in. You can go and get like a little mini notebook, carry it around with you so that when you have an idea, you can write it in your notebook, capture it, and then you can almost erase it from your head. It does wonders and it just starts to clear up that space so that you can bring other things in. My second tip is to choose one core growth strategy in your business. So instead of trying to do everything, pick only one thing. Maybe it's a launch of your online course, maybe it's focusing on building your email list, maybe it's even committing to showing up on one social media platform. Whatever it is, give it your attention. Because by giving it your attention, by focusing on it, that's when things will happen.

Karen [00:14:34]:
That's when your email list will grow, your audience will grow online, you'll sell more products, because you'll be so focused on that one goal, you'll start to get the results that you actually want to achieve. And I know for me in my business, whenever I have implemented a strategy and I focused on that one strategy, it has really moved the needle. I recently, over the summer, did a Few things to help grow this podcast. And I looked at my figures. I had a goal to increase my downloads, my to bring more listeners to the podcast. And when I looked at my figures at the beginning of September, no word of a lie, I I had grown my podcast to 63% from the 1st of July through to the 1st of September, and that's in a 30 day download cycle. By doing some things and focusing in on applying a strategy which has paid me back in dividends and that's a very recent thing that I've done and that I suppose has probably been what has kind of made me question everything else. Because it's like I've proved it.

Karen [00:15:58]:
If I just go all in on one thing, then I can absolutely move the needle. I can do the thing that I want to do, achieve the results that I want to achieve, and it makes a hell of a difference. So that's what I would encourage you to do. Focus on one thing. Give it your all, give it a time period, be it three months, six months, and just go all in. And I guarantee if you do that that you'll start to notice the difference in your business. My third tip is about creating systems to hold the details. Now what I mean by that is use tools, automations or processes so that you are not carrying all those tasks in your head because this is going to reduce decision fatigue and it's going to free up your space in your head for more creativity.

Karen [00:16:55]:
Now, I use a platform called Notion. I've talked about this many times on the podcast. I absolutely love is my digital brain and everything that is important to my business sits within my Notion platform. I have built an ecosystem that supports my business so that I know where I'm at at any given time and I can map out my goals, I can outline my strategy and I can chart my results. And because I have the system in place, I feel more organized, I can be more productive and I'm more time efficient because everything sits in one place. I am not cluttering up my head having to try and find where things are are. I know where they all are. Everything I have is in one place.

Karen [00:17:58]:
I just need to go to that page that I need in my system that's going to give me the thing that I need. So if I'm writing copy for registration pages or maybe I am promoting one of my freebies or I am creating copy around my free masterclass, it all sits within my Notion platform. So if you are somebody that has umpteen word documents and thousands of Excel spreadsheets and you've got your notes app and you've got your Trello boards and all the things. Then think about bringing it all together. Think about amalgamating it into one core platform that is going to save you time so you're not having to waste your time trying to find files and things. Things where. Because may maybe you've filed it in the wrong place. I know that was me before notion.

Karen [00:19:01]:
I would, I would, I would have my filing system on Google Drive and I would have so many Word documents and I'd have so many things and I'd be constantly trying to look for them. So think about streamlining your processes, Think about streamlining your documents and how you can create something for yourself that's going to give you that time back. And my fourth and final tip is to check in with your offers. Are you spreading yourself too thin with too many products or services? Can you simplify any area of your business? So remember, simplicity, scales and complicated fails. So have a look at what it is that you're offering. Are you confusing your audience? Are you offering way too many things that they're thinking, well, I, I really don't know what to choose because there's so many things on offer. Really strip it back and focus on only a few things that is actually going to bring in income in your business. I think having a mental declutter isn't just about feeling calmer or more organized.

Karen [00:20:25]:
It's actually about creating the clarity and focus that you need to move your business forward. You can't drive a vehicle when you're so confused as to where the destination is. You just need a goal, which is the destination. You need a roadmap to get you there, which is your strategy. And then you need a plan of action on how you're going to implement that strategy. And if you can strip everything back, cut out the noise and focus on the one thing that you need to do that's going to make that difference, you will take your business to the next level. You probably don't need another strategy. You probably don't need another thing that you have to learn.

Karen [00:21:14]:
You most likely just need simplicity. So what I would encourage you to do is scale back, declutter, and give yourself the energy back so that you can focus on the things that really matter. Because that's where real growth is actually going to happen. 

Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode. I hope it has given you some clarity and sparked some new ideas for your business. If you found this episode helpful, then please do share it with a friend or a fellow entrepreneur who's also building their online business because it might be what they need to hear today. And if you are ready to start thinking about your online course, then come along to my free masterclass on the 9th of October at 7pm UK time, where I'm going to walk you through how to turn your knowledge into an online course that sells. Head on over to my website www.sellyourbrillianceonline.com and register your place for free.

Karen [00:22:27]:
I will be back next week with another episode, but until then I am wishing you a wonderful week.