As my kids head back to school today, I’m looking at our “Spring Break To Do List” and see a few items left undone. This happens to us every spring, summer or winter break: we start the break with a list of things to accomplish (some fun and some that are more like work) and we never get through everything on the list.
The good thing (I guess) is that we don’t beat ourselves up for not completing every item on the list; sometimes “life” or something more fun gets in the way. We try to be flexible as a family because you just never know what may happen.
That got me thinking about how I can learn from life during spring break and apply some of those lessons to my business.
Here are a few business lessons I’ve learned from this year’s Spring Break:
Clean your room before you have fun
This is a reasonable request for any teen who wants mom to drive them around. But do I follow the same advice in my business? “Cleaning my room” might be synonymous for balancing the checkbook, completing the monthly tax forms or filing the week’s worth of papers sitting on my desk. No matter what, I really should get things in order before I do something fun in my business (like chatting on Facebook)
A warm sunny day is a big distraction
No matter how many good intentions we have for cleaning out the closet tomorrow, if tomorrow comes and it’s the first warm, sunny day we’ve seen in a while, chances are good that we will be very distracted to either go outside or sit by the window and daydream.
Working from home provides many distractions on an hourly basis, so if I anticipate those distractions and develop a plan to deal with them, then I’ll have a better chance of getting my work done (and then when I finish my work day early, we can go to the beach!)
Too many projects, never enough time (allotted)
I don’t know if it just runs in my family or everyone finds it a challenge to judge how long it will really take to complete a project. With 3 teenage daughters, we find it a challenge to even get everyone out the door at the same time. When it comes to projects, I find it’s best to build extra time into the schedule and only pick one major project at a time to complete.
Likewise in my business, while it may sound exciting to start 3 new projects all at once, if I’m honest with myself I know that I cannot devote the necessary focus and energy to all three. The business lesson is that it’s best to start and complete one major project before moving on to the next.
Lazy mornings are fun when you’re in them; hectic afternoons are the reality
One of the best things about spring break is the chance to sleep in – teens know how to enjoy this more than any other age group! And since they aren’t getting up early to get ready for school, I have the chance to sleep a little longer too. But I’ve learned that it’s so much better for me (and my business) to not take advantage of that perk. Too many lazy mornings can lead to an unfinished to-do list and some major guilt by the end of the day.
Procrastination usually attracts unexpected emergencies (like the freezer breaking down on the last day of break)
Family time, shopping, outdoor fun usually leads to us putting off some of those unfinished items until the last day of break. But we’ve learned the hard way that procrastination is usually just an invitation for a crisis. And when our last day of spring break included a broken freezer, melted ice cream, an unexpected trip to the doctor and pharmacy, a change in plans and pick-up of one daughter and an unexpected major clean up in the kitchen after the freezer was repaired…those last few items we procrastinated about didn’t stand a chance!
So the business lesson (and the lesson for next year’s Spring Break) is that I’ll make a concentrated effort to get the most important things done first; then no matter what happens unexpectedly, at least I’ll know the vital parts of my business will be functioning.
Make the most of each day; time slips away too easily
While it’s easy to write up a “Spring Break To-Do List” or set an aggressive business goal, it’s important to also enjoy each day and appreciate the life we have. Spring Break didn’t always go exactly as planned this year, but overall, we enjoyed the time as a family and the chance to relax and rejuvenate. And as usual, the break ended way too soon!
There were items on my “Business To Do List” left undone over Spring Break too, but knowing that I focused on the most important goals and took even a small step forward, allows me to look back on the business week in a positive way and learn from life’s lessons.