In the early stages of starting a business, it’s inevitable: you find yourself sitting there, in the middle of the day, wondering what you should do (or if what you’re doing is enough.) You have no active cases or projects to focus your energy and attention on. Worse yet, you’re not sure where the next one is going to come from. You wonder if you should just knock off for the day, and wait for the next business opportunity to just come to you (you know it won’t.)

As a business owner, I’ve been there. As a matter of fact, I still find myself there on a regular basis. One of the best things I ever did for myself was come up with a “list of stuff you can do when you don’t know what do.” It’s a living, malleable document I keep online in a Google Doc, and it’s filled with actions I can take that will make me smarter, happier, wealthier or healthier whenever I get stuck. I update it whenever I think of new things that can go on the list, and reference it a few times a month.

What does such a list look like? I’m glad you asked. Here’s a portion of it – feel free to borrow, copy and steal any of them you feel might be valuable in your day-to-day life. Note that some of them are specific to my job as a financial planner, but I’ve left them so that you can tailor them to apply to your vocation.

Start a blog post (hey!)
Read a financial planning blog

Come up with book ideas 
Write website content 
Call a client 
Review account performances 
Delete 10 e-mails

Do 10 push ups 
Do 20 crunches 
Walk 1,000 steps 
Write a Facebook post 
Check off one Hubly* task

Clear all voicemails 
Write a thank you card 
Check the budget 
Read 10 pages of a book

As you can see, I like to write, so a lot of my “what can I do” tasks are writing-oriented. Maybe you aren’t a writer, and that’s okay. Think about what inspires you, gives you energy, or just helps get you in the zone. For me, that’s often writing. Since it sometimes isn’t, I keep the list as dynamic as possible for when I need something new and different to give me the inertia I so desperately need.

If you’ve ever read the “The Slight Edge” or “The 12 Week Year”, you’ll realize quickly that these small, manageable tasks which don’t take a lot of commitment are part and parcel to the foundations of the systems taught in these books. Notice that in my list, I don’t say things such as “write an entire blog post”, or “write a new book”, or “clean up my e-mail inbox.” I made a rule: to make the list include only things that would be easy to feel a sense of accomplishment from. My thought process behind this was simple - if I can feel like I’m making progress by just starting something, that will help my mental energy – and who couldn’t use as much of that as possible when they’re feeling stuck?

I encourage you to open up a word processor right now and start making a list, even if it only includes just one or two things. If you’re feeling mentally or emotionally drained after a rough day with employees, customers, or things outside of your control that just aren’t going your way, here’s a way to put the proverbial ball back in your court. Even if you just write “create list of stuff to do” (feel free to copy and paste that for minimal effort!), you’ll be on your way. And most importantly, tailor it for you! There’s no right or wrong things to list (unless of course you write “smoke a cigarette” or “drink a beer” – but I think you knew that.)

How do you manage yourself and your time when you are feeling stuck? Do you agree or disagree with anything in this post? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Send me an e-mail at scot@providersandfamilies.com and tell me what you think.

*Hubly is the workflow management software we use.

What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Do

Financial Independence: 5 Steps to Take in Your Financial Life and Pursuit of Happiness

Surviving as a Business Owner in Debt: Lessons on Confidence, Success, and Social Responsibility