What are Your Non-Negotiables?

If everything is important, then nothing is important. Are you trying to do too much? Perhaps you need to identify your non-negotiables!

Friends….SLOW DOWN!!!

Probably not what you expect to hear from a productivity expert, right? 

As I work with more and more “fempreneurs,” I see the same problem over and over.  Everyone is treating everything as a top priority.

Guess what?  You just can’t do that.  Something has to give.  But what?

Here is where you can start.  Today.  Right now.  Decide what your non-negotiables are.  What are the few key things that no matter what, you are committed to doing every day, week or month.  This list should be small.  It can not fill up your calendar!

Not sure how to decide what those are?  Grab a pencil and paper and write down all the things you are trying to do right now.  Separate personal from business.  Now, go back and look at your two lists.  From each list, pick TWO things that you know have a large impact on achieving your goals.  Things that either fill your cup or grow your business.  Start with just two…no more.

Does this mean you won’t do the other things?  Not at all!  But what you are doing by circling those two items is making a contract with yourself that you will prioritize those above all the other things.  That way, if you have a really hard week, focus on just those items and give yourself permission to let the rest go.  You do not have to do everything all the time. 

Now that you have identified your non-negotiables, go get your calendar / day planner.  Create an appointment with yourself and block the time for these activities. 

Commit to these non-negotiables for one month.  At the end of the month, you should have established a rhythm and habit.  Now, go back and review your list.  Can you pick one more thing to add in the next month?  If not, that is fine.  That might be all you have for your non-negotiable list.  The list should always be manageable.  It might change as seasons of your business and life change.  But, this list should be focused and small.

My list of non-negotiables are:

Personal:  exercise 4 days a week, keep my morning routine, honor my non-working hours.

Business:  write 3 blog posts per month, deliver 2 live trainings a week, consume 2 hours of personal/professional development per week, produce 1 podcast per week.

Most weeks, I do a lot more than this.  I have a list of all the things I really want to do each week…but this short list is my non-negotiables.  I plan and prioritize those FIRST…and then I fit the rest in around it.  When life happens and the wheels fall off, I let the rest go and just focus on these few tasks.  And I don’t beat myself up for letting the rest go, either.  By focusing on what really matters, I can still celebrate the accomplishments of the weeks and months.

So, what are YOUR non-negotiables? I’d love for you to share!