An encouragement for entrepreneurs

As a female entrepreneur for nearly 20 years, I’ve often found myself beating myself up for what I perceived as procrastination. Take, for instance, the beautiful client relationship management system I purchased six months ago. While I have been using it to invoice clients, I haven’t set up any automation or workflows. The same goes for Chat GPT – a tool I’m a huge fan of for brainstorming ideas and generating titles, yet I’ll spend days agonizing over a blog post title instead of simply asking it for suggestions.

When I do remember to use these tools, it takes mere minutes and completely streamlines my process. So why don’t I do it more often? I’ve come to realize that what we often label as procrastination isn’t the problem. Instead, I believe it’s decision-making fatigue.

Here are three reasons why it’s decision-making fatigue and not actual procrastination:

Lack of Clarity Leads to Inaction

Lack of clarity leads to inaction. If we aren’t clear on what we’re trying to accomplish, we tend to do nothing. That’s just human nature. In our information-saturated age, we’re constantly bombarded by messages and offers. If we’re not clear about our goals, we risk losing potential clients to competitors who are more decisive.

Entrepreneurs Wear Many Hats

Entrepreneurs wear multiple hats. As business owners, we’re not just running a business. We’re managing households, volunteering, maintaining friendships, possibly studying, and more. We’re making decisions all day long across various aspects of our lives. By 3 PM, we might find ourselves unable to decide what to cook for dinner – a clear sign of decision fatigue.

Decision-making fatigue is preventable, while procrastination often isn’t.

Decision-making fatigue is preventable, while procrastination often isn’t. If you’ve ever tried to stop procrastinating, you might have found yourself putting immense pressure on yourself to ‘just get it done’. This approach can work for simple tasks but often backfires for complex business decisions. What appears as procrastination might actually be perfectionism in disguise.

To combat decision-making fatigue, consider strategies like menu planning for your personal life or using a cosmic calendar for your business. These tools can help you make decisions in batches, reducing the daily mental load.

If you find yourself constantly pivoting your business, it’s likely not procrastination but a lack of clarity about who you’re serving and how. In such cases, leveraging tools like Chat GPT can be incredibly helpful. You can use prompts to help define your ideal client avatar and brainstorm offers that align with your passions and target audience.

Remember, knowing who you’re talking to makes it infinitely easier to decide what you want to say. So, next time you feel stuck, ask yourself: Is this really procrastination, or am I experiencing decision-making fatigue? The answer just might change your approach to your business and life.