Remember those commercials growing up with the Energizer Bunny that just kept going and going and going…?
There’s a little known but often felt phenomenon in entrepreneurship called The Energizer Bunny Effect & if you’re not aware of it, it will slowly suffocate the life out of you. Here are some symptoms of it:
- Early mornings and late for dinner in the evenings
- Extra hours on the laptop after the kids go to bed
- Checking email on your phone, responding to a work-text/call when you’re supposed to be engaged with the family
- Unable to really enjoy unhurried time at home because you always feel like you should be DOING something…
Essentially, work “keeps going” and YOU “keep going” physically and mentally long after you leave the office.
The problem is, for most entrepreneurs, what got them to the level of success they have today was their willingness to keep “going and going” and not shut work off, so they don’t know another way to operate.
But this Energizer Bunny Effect is precisely what will eventually lead you to having loads of money in the bank but feel completely unfulfilled everywhere else in your life.
The trouble is, you feel stuck: “either my business thrives & my family suffers or my business suffers while my family thrives – I can’t do both.”
Here are 3 first steps to help you overcome the Energizer Bunny Effect this week:
- Focus on Less, But Better.
Lots of activity doesn’t create higher level results, leverage does. Ask yourself, “if I could only accomplish 1 project/outcome this month, what’s the ONE thing that if accomplished would impact everything else?” Do that, be okay with some other stuff not getting done.
- Decide When Work is “Complete”
Work is never “done” – there will always be more work to do – but you get to decide when it’s COMPLETE for the day. It’s not irresponsible to stop working when work isn’t done, it’s irresponsible to continue working when work should have been complete hours ago.
The real issue here isn’t the amount of work you have; it’s your need for control and unwillingness to trust God with the future. Put work down for the day, it’ll be there tomorrow.
- Let Go of Control
Admit it. One of the reasons you have so much on your plate is because you aren’t empowering and trusting your team to do their job. You’re inserting yourself in places you don’t need to be because you’re afraid they’ll screw it up.
Interesting…You don’t accept excuses from your team, so why have you continued to accept this excuse for yourself? What’s ONE task or project you can empower someone else to do this week?
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Breaking free from the Energizer Bunny Effect takes time, but these 3 actions will get you pointed in the right direction. And over time, you’ll be surprised at the compounding impact they have on both your family and your business.
