EPISODE 026 | APPLE PODCASTS | SPOTIFY

Over the last few episodes, we’ve explored many aspects of entrepreneurship - the highs, the lows, and everything in between. But today, I've got something unique for you, something that's very close to my heart.

We’re going to talk about a challenge that I know so many of you face – that overwhelming feeling of having so much to do, yet struggling to make real progress towards your dream goals.

In this episode, I’m hugely excited to introduce you to a set of straightforward steps that will help transform those feelings of being overwhelmed into clarity, purpose, and action.

It’s a culmination of everything I've learnt over the last fourteen years from a small start-up to a successful seven-figure brand. And I've distilled it down into simple, actionable steps that you can use to achieve your own goals.

the treadmill to nowherE…

Let’s start with a bit of a throwback. Fourteen years ago, I was where many of you might be right now - sitting at my kitchen table, surrounded by piles of notes, a never-ending To-Do list, and, frankly, feeling pretty swamped. The dream was big, but the path to get there was anything but clear.

I remember those days and nights, working relentlessly, yet often feeling like I was running on a treadmill and making little progress, every step I took just led to more and more hard work, without real, genuine traction. It wasn’t though about constant hard work; it was the lack of direction and the inability to see through the chaos. I was busy, but I wasn’t actually being effective through all the effort I was putting in.

The turning point for me came with a simple realisation: success is not about doing more; it's about doing what's right and strategic. It’s about finding simplicity in the complexity. And that’s what changed everything for me.

Drawing from these experiences, over the last few weeks I spent time working out and simplifying the exact steps so I could share them with you, and I WISH it was a method that I could listen to when I was starting out. It’s a neat and easy to digest summary of the key lessons I’ve learned, the missteps, the triumphs, and everything in between.

REALISTIC AND AUDACIOUS GOALS

I feel that dreaming and having a mixture of both realistic and audacious goals is hugely important, we are all capable of and must dream big, but it’s not as simple as just simply having those dreams, but it’s the next bit, how you turn those dreams into actionable and achievable steps.

One of the incredible learnings I found … and to me, this was like a breath of fresh air … it’s not about overcomplicating things with elaborate systems; it’s brilliantly about clear, simple, actionable steps that lead to real results. That’s the amazing beauty of it.

Whether you're at the very early stages of your business, with an idea or several that you would love to begin exploring, or you are at the stage where you are beginning to seriously scale up, or you are seeking that elusive work-life balance, these steps are adaptable to your unique situation. They’re practical, straightforward, and, most importantly, proven to work.

I hope this episode encourages you to embrace and take action on each of the steps, and use them as a clear tool to help you cut through the noise, to find your focus, and to take those decisive steps towards your goals. It’s not just another endless stream of advice, it’s a clear, straightforward and brilliant blueprint for action.

First up, let's talk about Vision. This is where it all begins. Vision is the genesis of all great achievements. It’s where every success story begins. Ask yourself, what are your biggest dreams? Where do you envision yourself by the end of this year? How about in five years, or even in ten years? Picture it, not just as a fleeting thought, but as a vivid, tangible reality.

Vision is about setting those long-term goals, but it’s so much more than just daydreaming. It's an exercise in precision and clarity. It's about defining your aspirations in such detail that they start to feel real. Imagine the specific outcomes you desire, the kind of life you want to lead, the impact you want to have on your community, and the legacy you wish to leave.

VISION

And, this is the great thing, your Vision can evolve. As you grow personally and professionally, allow your Vision to expand and adapt. What’s important is that you maintain that clarity and keep your sights set on the future you want to create.

Creating a Vision is more than an exercise; it's a powerful declaration of your intentions and aspirations. It's the first, essential step in turning the life you dream of into a reality you can live.

Next, we focus. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day, right? But Focus is about connecting your daily actions to your larger vision. It's about identifying what's truly important and what's just noise. It's asking yourself, 'Is what I'm doing today bringing me closer to my goals?' This is the bridge between your dream and its realisation.

In our daily lives, especially as entrepreneurs, it’s so easy to be swept up in a torrent of tasks, emails, meetings, and decisions. But here’s where Focus becomes your anchor. It's about connecting your day-to-day actions with your larger vision. It's a deliberate, strategic approach to your work and life. You see, every task, every decision should serve a purpose.

It's about being intentional. When you focus, you’re effectively saying 'yes' to the things that align with your vision and 'no' to distractions that just simply don't.

It involves asking yourself critical questions like, 'Is what I'm doing today bringing me closer to my goals?' or 'How does this task contribute to my bigger picture?' This kind of questioning isn’t just about eliminating the unnecessary; it's about empowering you to make choices that actively construct the future you envision.

But Focus isn't just about exclusion; it's also about concentration. It’s about dedicating your time, energy, and resources to the tasks that are most impactful. Imagine each day as a step closer to realising your dreams, where each action is a deliberate stride towards your vision. Of course, there are days filled with the inevitable tasks that simply have to be done, when you know are not working towards your overarching goal, those days are inevitable, we have to be realistic about that, but there are most definitely moments where we waste time, and we choose to focus on something that seems comforting and satisfying in the moment, but isn’t going to help us reach our goals. You know what I’m talking about, it’s the time spent scrolling on social media, the hours that we all too often spend watching TV, even when we say that this is something we deserve, it’s our treat, our reward for all the other work we did that day. And it’s the time we spend when we find ourselves being pulled into over sensationalised news and social dramas, as we are pulled into gossip, negativity and ongoing peeking into others’ lives and what or may not have happened – you know what I’m talking about! We are all a little guilty of doing that!

FOCUS

So, every time we pause to check our phone or look at the news, we're not just losing those minutes; we're extending the time it takes to get back into a productive state.

But here's an important balance to strike – whilst it's crucial to minimise these distractions, we also must acknowledge the role of breaks and leisure in maintaining our mental health and overall well-being. It's not about completely cutting out social media or never watching TV; it's about mindful management of these activities. We can enjoy these moments and use them as rejuvenating breaks, as long as they're in moderation and not detracting from our goals. The key is to be intentional with our relaxation time, just as we are with our work time. This balance is what ultimately supports our success and happiness.

We do though have a choice and if we have the luxury of spare time, we can choose how we spend it. And it also goes back to our day-to-day, often it is easier to feel we are busy, doing the tasks that we have always done, without really analysing whether they are the right ones to be doing, the ones that will help us progress towards our goals. It’s a very helpful exercise to double-check our to-do list and really work out if what we are doing is simply making us busy or whether it is genuinely effective work, that is absolutely leading us in the right direction.

Here's the key: Focus requires discipline. It’s a key skill that’s honed over time, often through trial and error. It's about learning from our experiences, understanding our strengths, and recognising the activities that provide the greatest return. It’s definitely not all about constant hard work, it’s about choosing what we do carefully and where we decide to place our focus. Because Focus, in its essence, is the bridge between dreaming and doing. It's what turns your vision into a series of attainable, actionable steps.

SCHEDULE

Creating a schedule is about translating your goals into actionable steps and carving out specific times in your day, week, and month to dedicate to these tasks. It’s about transforming the abstract 'someday' into a concrete 'today.' This isn’t just about jotting down tasks in a planner; it's about strategically organising your time to align with your priorities.

Think of your schedule as a canvas, and each of your actions as a brushstroke that contributes to the bigger picture you're painting. Every time slot you allocate to a goal-oriented task is a deliberate effort to bring you one step closer to your dream. It's about making intentional choices with your time - the most valuable resource you have.

However, effective scheduling is more than just filling every hour with tasks. It's also about balance. It involves understanding your energy cycles - scheduling demanding tasks during your peak productivity times and allowing for downtime to recharge. It’s acknowledging that rest and relaxation are as crucial as work, and planning for these too.

Scheduling also means being adaptable. Life is unpredictable, and rigid schedules can sometimes lead to more stress. So, it's important to build in flexibility - to adjust and recalibrate when unexpected things happen. A schedule is a tool to serve you, not a strict regimen that you serve.

At the end of this episode, click HERE where you can find out more information about the exact schedule that I use within my business. I’ll walk you through creating a schedule that works for you - one that respects your personal and professional commitments, aligns with your productivity patterns, and allows room for the unexpected. It’s the same one that I used just today, to create time to research and record this podcast episode, for you to listen to. I also share additional strategies to optimise your time, tips for effective time management, and ways to turn your well-planned schedule into a powerful ally in achieving your goals. Click HERE, but not just now, wait until the end of the episode to do that as I have more to share!

CLEAR, SIMPLE ACTIONABLE STEPS

Now, let's delve deeper into the concept of simplicity. In our modern world, where complexity often seems to be the norm, embracing simplicity can be a game-changer. It’s about cutting through the clutter to find the most straightforward and effective path to your goals. Simplicity is not about doing more; it’s about doing what truly matters, doing it well, and doing it efficiently.

Think about it – how often do we complicate our lives with unnecessary tasks, meetings that could have been emails, projects that don't align with our core objectives? Simplicity is about identifying these unnecessary elements and having the courage to set them aside. It’s about understanding that being busy is not the same as being productive.

These three steps Vision, Focus and Schedule are deeply rooted in the principle of simplicity. They are there to help you streamline your approach, focus on what’s truly important, and eliminate the irrelevant. The beauty of simplicity lies in its clarity – you gain a better understanding of your goals, the steps required to achieve them, and the distractions you need to avoid. It’s about creating a clear roadmap to your destination, without taking unnecessary detours.

Embracing simplicity also means being more mindful about how you spend your time and energy. It’s about saying ‘yes’ to tasks that align with your vision and ‘no’ to those that don’t contribute to it. This selective approach isn't just about efficiency; it's about preserving your mental energy for the tasks that will have the most significant impact on your goals.

Moreover, simplicity in your approach breeds clarity in your thinking. When you’re not constantly juggling a dozen different things, you can give your full attention and creativity to the tasks at hand. This focused approach often leads to better quality work, greater satisfaction, and, ultimately, more meaningful progress toward your goals.

DOING LESS BUT ACHIEVING MORE

So, as we figure out and look to perhaps ease our busy lives, let’s remind ourselves that sometimes, the most powerful strategy is to keep things simple. It’s about finding the essence of what’s important and focusing our efforts there. This is the heart of simplicity – it’s about doing less, but achieving more.

As you go through these steps, please know they’re not just random techniques. They're deeply integrated with my core philosophy, in everything that I share and teach. I believe whole heartedly in empowerment, aligning your strengths, personality and skills with your unique goals, with a wholly healthy balance, and with genuine fulfilment, in both business and in life. Because quite simply when you are feeling fulfilled, you love and are deeply passionate about what you are doing, and this is combined with you knowing that you are working towards and achieving your goals, it is one of the best feelings in the world and it leads to genuine happiness, for you and for those around you.

Before we move on, I want to ask you – have you ever felt like you're just treading water, working hard but not really getting anywhere? How did that make you feel? Keep that in mind as we explore these steps further.

In essence, these steps are about transforming the overwhelming into the achievable. It’s about clarity, focus, and action. They are a way to be more organised, purposeful, and to create a sense of fulfilment.

I would love to share with you some personal milestones that these methods have helped me achieve, as it’s a practice that has profoundly impacted my life and career. When I started, I had a vision to create a global brand, but I had no idea how I would achieve that. With my first business, I had a dream to work on some of the biggest events in the world, to have a concession in a London department store, to collaborate with some of the most notable fashion houses, work with leading magazine editors … the list of pretty audacious goals at that time continued, and these goals and dreams were at a time when my business was just me, sitting at a kitchen table, without any previous experience, no clear contacts and simply figuring out literally everything as I went along. The path to achieve my goals was very, very far from being clear.

And in the last few years I have set new goals, specifically for more of a balance, as I’m now actively looking for a healthier life where my business thrives without it overtaking as it most definitely once did. And today, I am living that dream. Once again, I have found that achieving every dream and goal is down to the three foundational steps of Vision, Focus and Scheduling. I share more personal examples and the steps that I took to achieve them on our website, you can find these HERE along with an example of my own personal schedule, as mentioned a little earlier.

But it's not just me. Take Emily, for instance, an ambitious entrepreneur in the sustainable interiors industry. When we first met via our online Masterclasses, she was brimming with ideas but she felt utterly overwhelmed. Through applying these simple steps, Emily was able to prioritise her goals, focus her efforts, and create a schedule that turned her vision into a thriving business. Today, she's not only successful but also enjoys a work-life balance that seemed impossible before.

There's also the story of Michael, a budding tech entrepreneur. Michael's challenge was time management – he felt he was always busy but not productive. By embracing the principles of scheduling and simplicity, he was able to reorganise his approach. This led to a more efficient workflow, giving him the time to innovate, which was crucial for his business. Michael's company has since secured significant funding and is on a promising trajectory.

INTENTION & PURPOSE

And remember, every big achievement starts with a small step. It's about taking that first step with intention and purpose. These success stories aren't just anecdotes; they're testaments to what can be accomplished when we align our actions with our goals.

Let’s quickly recap the key points. We started with the power of Vision – setting a clear and vivid picture of your future. Then, we dived into the importance of Focus – connecting your daily actions to that larger vision and making intentional choices. And of course, we discussed the magic of Scheduling – turning those dreams and focused actions into a structured plan, a reality.

These principles are very much the exact tools that can lead you to success, both in business and in life. They are about finding clarity in the chaos, intentionality in your actions, and structure in your journey towards achieving your goals.

Thank you so much for joining me today. As always, I’m hugely grateful for your time and your continued support. Here’s to taking those first steps towards your goals and seeing just how far you can go. And here’s to exceeding your own expectations!

Until next time, keep dreaming big and focusing on what matters.

Take care, and with huge love.