As a small business owner or self-employed professional, do you ever feel you have too many 'irons in the fire' and yet, feel that you’re achieving very little?

1. Too many irons in the fire?

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As a small business owner or self-employed professional, do you ever feel
you have too many irons in the fire? Despite the fact that each one
appears to come with great potential, do you suffer from chronic
indecision about which way to go? And, as you try to keep all of them
burning at once, do you nevertheless feel that you’re achieving very
little?
If all this sounds familiar, consider that there are three common factors
that bring about the unproductive state of having ‘too many irons in the
fire’.
An unproductive scenario

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My clients usually tell me that their chronic indecision arises out of their
own procrastination or from their lack of focus, yet all of these things are
merely by-products of a lack of clarity.
So, start by identifying the aspect in your business or profession in
which you feel you are in a ‘too-many-irons-in-the-fire’ scenario. Is it in
your product/service range, in your marketing, in your customer service?
Is it even in your attempt to enhance your expertise?
Once you’ve pinpointed where you’re experiencing that unproductive
scenario, ask yourself the following questions.
1. Lack of clarity

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“What do I ultimately want to achieve with all those ‘irons’?
Once I have achieved that, how will it contribute to my
business vision and mission? What will it do for my target
market? How specifically will it contribute to the growth of
my business?”
Sometimes, simple questions like these generate an awareness of which
of those ‘irons’ are a ‘must’ and which are a ‘nice to have’; thus, enabling
you to start selecting which ones to set aside and which ones to
actually work at.
Ask yourself...

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This is the one with so many ramifications and that is so good at
disguising itself.
You know you’re capable because you have the skills, knowledge and
experience of achieving what you set out to accomplish when you first
placed all those irons in the fire; however, a lack of confidence in your
ability starts creeping in when it comes to the crunch. Although gaining
clarity on what you want to achieve will dispel much of that lack of
confidence, there are also other key factors to consider.
2. Lack of self-belief

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“Now that I am clear on what I want to achieve, on a scale of 1
to 10, how important is it for me to achieve it? And still on a
scale of 1 to 10, how important is it for my business growth?
Once I have achieved it, who will benefit from it? And who will
be negatively affected by it?”
Your answers to these questions will reveal the following.
Ask yourself...

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If your answer to the first two questions is less than 8, it is most
probable that your unconscious mind is preventing you from making any
progress, as at some point you are likely to discard what you are trying
to achieve. In other words, it’s a ‘would be nice to achieve’, but it’s not
100% in line with your business aspirations.
Your answers to the other two questions will reveal what’s important to
you. If the achievement you derive from continually hammering those
irons ends up having a negative impact on those who are important to
you, then your values will sabotage your progress.
Your answers...

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You’re in business because you have an entrepreneurial spirit in you.
Hence, it comes naturally for you to see the big picture of the end result.
Yet that picture doesn’t simply appear; it’s instead created piece by
piece. Like how the image of a jigsaw is created through the joining
together of its numerous pieces.
So, the mere act of throwing irons into the fire is no guarantee of that
achievement becoming real. Thus, prior to doing anything, define how
you’ll actually achieve that end image, when you’ll put in place each piece
of the jigsaw, what resources you’ll need, how you’ll minimise any
potential challenge and track progress along the way.
3. Jigsaw pieces

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Finally, there is a key fundamental principle: when something
overwhelms you, aim to break it down to simplicity! This simplicity
can be easily achieved with a What, Why and How approach.
So, you have too many irons in the fire. What is it that you ultimately
want to achieve with them? Why do you want to achieve that? And
how specifically are you going to do it?
Your answers will give you clarity, focus and will enhance your
confidence in taking action and achieving the end result you saw in
the big picture.
The formula of simplicity

10. What outcome will it bring?
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Too many irons in the fire?