Episode 20: Working in Seasons: What You Should You be Prioritizing Right Now {I’m giving you permission to ignore the advice of most business coaches}
Stressing over Reels? Feeling pressured to get on Clubhouse? But struggling to balance it all and make progress in your business? Learn how to prioritize your tasks and work in seasons in this episode of The Ashly Locklin Show.
Course Launch Academy: ashlylocklin.com/course-launch-academy
Here’s a preview of what you’ll learn in this episode:
The advice most business coaches won’t give you
If and when you need to be doing Reels
When you should get on Clubhouse
How to determine where your time and energy should go to make the most profits in your business
Find me on social:
Instagram: @ashly_locklin instagram.com/ashly_locklin
Facebook: facebook.com/ashlylocklinwellness
Pinterest: pinterest.com/ashlylocklin
Show Notes:
Hello and welcome to today’s show! I took an unexpected break from the show, it’s been a month and a half since I dropped an episode and that’s because I’ve been a little busy!
I initially took a week off for Christmas, but then I got COVID, battled that for a month while very pregnant, and was busy with my newest launch, so it’s been a ride.
As for COVID, we were the crazy family that didn’t go anywhere, homeschooled our daughter to avoid germs, sanitized every piece of mail and food that entered this house, yet we still got it.
And for those wondering how, my in-laws. Lol. It’s always the in-laws, right?
We had them all get tested before we saw them, but they got rapid tests, which aren’t very accurate. So they got negative results, we saw them, then the very next day they experienced symptoms and tested positive.
A few days later my husband and kids got hit with symptoms. Then I got hit a few days after that.
Let me tell you, it’s no fun when your entire house is down with COVID and you are very pregnant and already exhausted.
I felt like I had the flu for a few weeks, achy, zero energy, congestion, trouble breathing, and the absolute worst part, loss of smell and taste. I love food so much, so losing my taste has been torture! I feel like I have nothing to look forward to and can’t find enjoyment in my favorite thing!
After a month, I am starting to taste some things - I can taste salt if I put A LOT on, I can get hints of spice now. But for the past month, I literally tastes nothing. Everything tasted like water. My husband put sriracha all over a piece of pizza to see if I would react and I tasted nothing - not even the heat or spice. It was so crazy!
So now, at the time of this recording, I’m 38.5 weeks pregnant and feeling better. We have recovered (minus my taste), but I’m at that stage of pregnancy when everything is difficult and I’m exhausted!
And as if getting COVID during the last weeks of pregnancy wasn’t bad enough, it also hit right when I launched my newest course, Course Launch Academy! I literally got hit with the wave of symptoms the day my cart opened. So that was fun!
But luckily, I had followed my own framework and had everything done and ready for the launch. So I didn’t need to push it back, I was able to continue with my launch even at the height of fighting COVID.
The silver lining is that this experience proved the value of Course Launch Academy! I provide a complete “done for you library” so that all your posts, emails, and story sequences are done for you - so you can launch with zero confusion or stress. Everything is plug and play and ready to go! So if I could have a successful launch at 36 weeks pregnant at the peak of fighting COVID, anyone can have success with Course Launch Academy.
If you are interested in learning more about CLA, which by the way, is the sponsor of this episode, you can find the link in the show notes.
Course Launch Academy is your A-Z, fool-proof roadmap for creating, launching, and scaling your online course!
I have a PhD in Educational Leadership and built a 7-figure and a 6-figure online business, so this is a culmination of my life’s work.
It walks you through identifying your most profitable course topic, validating it so you know it will sell, creating it, marketing it, selling it, then scaling it. I walk you through every single step of the process so there is zero guesswork or missteps! And I give you a complete DFY library of resources so all your emails, posts, stories, and slides are done!
If you have thought about creating your own course but you’re unsure of how to actually make it, price it, and sell it, CLA is definitely for you!
Check the link in the show notes to learn more!
But let’s dive into the meat of this episode - the things most business coaches won’t tell you.
During my podcast hiatus and shit show of January, I started to notice a few trends in my clients and in my own life and business...the overwhelm with all the new things out there.
I kept seeing other business coaches consistently harp on the importance of creating Reels, everyone and their mother was talking about Clubhouse and asking me to host rooms, people were asking me about guides...and my head was literally spinning. Like can we all just chill and focus on what’s most important? And no, I don’t want to host a room on Clubhouse right now as I can’t breathe and feel like I was run over by a truck! (sorry for that little rant)
I also noticed my clients were getting very distracted from what was most important.
And I did a poll in my Instagram stories and almost 100% of people said they too were overwhelmed with all the new things.
So I wanted my comeback episode to really help you prioritize what’s most important and give you permission to breathe! I also want to share how I balance it all and what I choose to focus on.
First, let’s talk Instagram! Instagram recently came out with Reels and Guides. Guides aren’t that stressful, you can just take your posts and categorize them with Guides, so while it is a new feature and something else to learn, it’s not as time consuming as Reels!
So let’s start with those!
1️⃣ Do Reels stress you the F out? Take hours to create? Leave you in a deep state of comparisonitis?
Yup, I feel ya.
Does IG favor them? Yes.
But does that mean you HAVE to create them?
❌ NOPE.
I’m giving you permission to create content other than Reels if you hate them! 😵
I haven’t leveraged them (I made a few, hated every second of it, and stopped) yet my account is still growing with the right people.
I follow countless accounts that are growing without Reels.
Proof that you don’t absolutely NEED them.
Now if you enjoy Reels or if your primary goal is to grow your IG, then yes, I do recommend putting more time and energy into Reels because as I said, Instagram is favoring them.
But if you are like me and absolutely loathe them (I actually hate making them and watching them), then find the content that you ENJOY creating and allows you to really convey your message and expertise.
You have to keep YOUR goals in mind and do what’s best for the season you are in right now.
For example, during my launch, I spent a lot of my Instagram energy on my stories because the people who watch my stories are my warmest prospects. They know, like, and trust me. They are the ones most likely to buy from me. So spending time talking to them about the course, their hesitations, and what’s possible was the best use of my time. Showing up in stories provided the best ROI for my time.
In contrast, creating Reels would have allowed me to reach more people and new people, but would they have converted? Maybe... but not likely. Because remember, in the online space, we purchase from people we know, like, and trust.
Reels would’ve gotten me in front of new people, but they wouldn't necessarily have led to sales. Whereas talking directly to my warm prospects in my stories had a high conversion rate.
In that season, focusing on stories was the best use of my time and very limited energy.
Now, if you aren’t in a launch and you are trying to grow your account, trying to build that know, like, and trust factor, and you aren’t trying to sell anything right then and there, then Reels is a great use of your time and energy. It’s a season where you can definitely spend more time and energy creating Reels.
So you have to evaluate the season you are in. What is the best use of your time? Where is your energy best spent?
But if you are like me and just can’t deal with Reels, I’m giving you permission to stop stressing over Reels. And instead, create content that makes YOU happy and conveys your message in the ways that are most authentic to you.
Next, let’s talk Clubhouse...have you heard of this new platform? It’s an audio-based platform and is currently invite-only (meaning you need a friend on the app to send you an exclusive invite) and it’s only available on iPhones right now. On the app, people host rooms and speak on different topics and you can listen in. So it’s great for networking and learning.
So maybe you’re feeling pressured to get an invite to Clubhouse, host a room, and network over there... but you’re already overwhelmed with your current projects and social accounts.
Yup, I feel ya.
Is Clubhouse great for networking? Yes.
But does that mean you HAVE to get on the new platform right now?
❌ NOPE.
I have plans to utilize it one day, but today ain’t the day! I have more important (money-making tasks) that require my attention right now, so Clubhouse will happen at some point, when I’m ready.
And when I was in the midst of my launch and people were asking me to host rooms with them, I was like “oh hell no - there is no space on my plate for that right now.”
That’s a key skill as a business owner- the ability to say NO and prioritize what’s most important at the time.
Now I did get an invite and set up my account, but that’s it. I haven’t explored it or used it yet because I put my blinders on and am focusing on the things that will bring me money right now...and me listening to people talk on Clubhouse is not going to bring me money today! But in a few weeks, when I have more downtime and a new baby to cuddle, sure I’ll hop on the app and tune into some conversations to see what I can learn.
👉🏼So this is your permission slip to stop stressing over Clubhouse.
Which brings me to the final point of this episode:
3️⃣ Are you struggling to balance it all and master all these new features and platforms?
Yup, I feel ya.
But here’s my honest advice:
👉🏼 There’s a season for everything and you can’t do it all at once.
Prioritize what will bring you the most joy and money right now and focus on those things first.
✖️You don’t have to be an expert at every new feature of every platform.
✖️You don’t have to be an early adopter to be successful.
Give yourself permission to say, “Nope, now’s not the time.”
Just like there are seasons of the year, there are seasons of business.
Ask yourself:
What will bring me the most money right now? What actions do I need to take today to hit my income goals?
Do those.
Everything else can wait.
Ask yourself:
What will bring me the most joy right now? What actions will allow me to show up as my authentic self, serve my audience, make an impact, and grow my business today?
Do those.
Most business coaches will tell you to do Reels, get on Clubhouse right now, make guides, do ALL the things.
But I’m telling you that things can be different. You can choose where to invest your time and energy and you don’t actually have to do ALL the things to be successful.
If creating Reels causes you to go into a state of paralysis, where you don’t do anything, then forget about them and create content that lights you up!
My trick to being successful is literally putting blinders on and focusing on the things that really make a difference in my business.
Sure, there are lots of things I do that I don’t enjoy...so I’m not telling you to avoid every single thing you dislike. Every single business has tasks that aren’t so fun!
But really evaluate the things that are draining you and ask yourself if you absolutely need to do them, if you can outsource them, or you can do things differently - your way!
I hope this episode brought you some peace and relief.
Thank you for tuning in! Please take a screenshot and tag me @ashly_locklin, tell me what you thought of the episode, and how you are going to put your blinders on and focus on what’s most important in this season of your business!
And most importantly, get out there and make those money moves!
LINKS:
Course Launch Academy: ashlylocklin.com/course-launch-academy
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