24. Pep Talk: It Won’t Take THAT Long
I love diving deep into a topic here on the podcast, but I thought it would be really fun to do something a little different this week. I decided to pull out a specific part of a topic, give you a key takeaway to run with and send you on your way, ready to take action on and implement what you hear today.
How often do you avoid doing something that you know is necessary or will be great for your business, but continue to push it off because you think, “It’s going to take so long”? This is a challenge that comes up for my clients frequently so it’s time to tackle it head-on.
Join me on this pep talk episode as I offer you four different ways to handle the it’s-going-to-take-so-long mental roadblock. You’ll hear how to fact-check your brain when it offers this thought, and why doing this will not only help you reclaim your time but get the results you want sooner.
My brand new workshop, Freedom in the Framework, is taking place on May 9th and 11th 2023 over Zoom. This is a workshop all about time management and simple scheduling routines that will kick off enrollment for Out of Overwhelm, my signature six-month program designed to take you from overwhelmed and stressed to profitable, in control, and fulfilled! Enrollment for our summer round opens May 15th 2023 through to May 25th 2023, and Freedom in the Framework is the event that will get you started. If you want to learn how to manage your time as a creative in a way that feels both supportive and flexible, click here to get more details!
If you loved today’s topic, let’s make sure you never miss an episode. Follow the show now wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you haven’t already, make the time to leave me a rating and review. As a special thank you for taking the time to share your feedback, I’ll send you a little mid-week pick-me-up in the mail, so simply screenshot your review and send me a message on Instagram!
What You’ll Discover from this Episode:
What a thought error means.
The very first thing you have to recognize when you think, “It’s going to take so long.”
4 ways to sidestep this thought error and get into action.
Listen to the Full Episode:
Featured on the Show:
Leave me a rating and your honest feedback wherever you listen to your podcasts! Click here to learn how.
If you love what you’re learning on the show, I’d love for you to check out my signature group coaching program, Out of Overwhelm
Follow me on Instagram!
Sign up to my Monday Mindset email list to get bite-sized insights on topics that you can use to set your week up for success!
Full Episode Transcript:
Hey, designer, you’re listening to episode 24. This is the one where I’m going to be talking all about those things that you think are going to take so long.
Welcome to The Interior Design Business CEO, the only show for designers who are ready to confidently run and grow their businesses without the stress and anxiety. If you’re ready to develop a bigger vision for your interior design business, free up your time, and streamline your days for productivity and profit, you’re in the right place. I’m Desi Creswell, an award-winning interior designer and certified life and business coach. I help interior designers just like you stop feeling overwhelmed so they can build profitable businesses they love to run. Are you ready to confidently lead your business, clients, and projects? Let’s go.
Hey, designer, welcome back to the podcast. Today I’m going to switch it up a little bit. A while ago I had an idea for how I could do a different episode structure. You know I like it actionable and straightforward. The episodes are usually around 20 to 30 minutes. And I had this idea of what if I did an even more punchy show and structured it like a pep talk?
I love to go deep in a topic. But I thought wouldn’t it be fun to pull out a really specific part of a topic, give you a key takeaway to run with, then send you on your way for the rest of the week, ready to take action and implement. Because remember, consuming content alone won’t necessarily create the change you’re after. You have to use the tools, learn from them, and then continue to reapply the concept.
Before we dive in, I want to give you a heads up that my brand new workshop, Freedom in the Framework, is going to be coming up soon. This is a new workshop all around time management and simple scheduling routines that is going to kick off enrollment for Out Of Overwhelm. The summer round that’ll go summer through the end of the year is open for enrollment May 15th through 25th. And Freedom in the Framework is the event that I’m doing to kick things off and get you started with this work.
And in this workshop I’m going to teach you how to manage your time as a creative that feels really supportive, yet flexible. Having a time framework, that I’m going to teach you how to create for yourself, is how you ensure you have not only dedicated time for client work, but you also have regular consistent time for working on your business, so that you can stop finally overscheduling yourself.
Freedom in the Framework is going to take place May 9th and 11th, all on Zoom. The first call, the one on May 9th is all about creating your unique framework. I’m going to give you the tools to create your own personalized time management framework.
And then the second call is all coaching and questions. So you can come ask me any of your time management questions, troubleshoot with me as you start to implement your framework, it’s going to be amazing. And it’s only $47. There will be a recording, so no worries if you can’t attend live. Head over to desiid.com/framework, the link will also be in the show notes to sign up. Let’s get into the main topic.
I want to know how often do you avoid doing something that you know will be great for your business or that you know you need to get done to move forward with a project, but continue to push it off because it’s, quote, going to take so long. I know for a lot of my clients, this is a challenge that comes up frequently. So this is why I wanted to tackle it head on in this episode.
We’re going to talk about how to sidestep this thought error, and I’ll explain what I mean by that in a minute, and get into action so that it isn’t even longer until you do the thing. The very first thing you have to do is recognize the thought “this is going to take so long” as a thought, not a fact. This is going to take so long is an optional sentence in your brain.
I want you to stick with me because there is a solution if it is something that’s going to take an extended period of time. But just stick with me right here right now. There is no such thing as so long. So long, to you, could be an hour. To another person it might be a half day. For another person, it might be an entire week or a month or a year. There is no factual understanding of so long, and yet we tell ourselves this is going to take so long as if we’re reporting the news. And then feel dread and resistance and don’t take action.
When you notice this thought error happening, meaning a sentence that’s occurring in your brain that is not serving you, is not leading you to the desired result you want, you need to talk about it as factually as possible. For example, there is a proposal to complete for this particular client. I’m writing a job description for a project manager.
Separating out the facts from the dramatic story keeps you from spending time and energy and your brain spinning so that you can use that bandwidth for action. Now that you know that so long isn’t a fact, ask your brain to answer this question. How long do I actually think this will take?
What I find is that it’s usually not nearly as long as we think. Our brains like to be dramatic. We have to call it out and do a reality check. I see this all the time with planning, where someone will want to learn to intentionally schedule their time, plan out and map out their projects and goals. And they’ll tell me that they don’t have time to plan because it’s going to take so long.
But the truth is, it doesn’t have to take so long. It can be done daily in about five minutes. And it’s going to save you hours and hours and hours. But when we need to do something new, or we’re learning a new skill, or we’re doing something that maybe feels a little challenging, our brain has a tendency to turn it into a very complicated thing that it thinks that we need to spend way more time on it than it’s actually going to take.
That’s why you need to do a fact check with your brain. How long do I actually think I need for this? And once you have a general idea of how much time you realistically need, then you can make a plan and get started, instead of staying in the dread of so long.
If what you have to do is going to take more than an hour, because that might be the case, what you’re going to want to do is break whatever you need to do down so that you can complete a portion of it in 50 to 60 minute increments. This is something I teach in Out Of Overwhelm with long term planning and both daily planning.
We have to learn how to break the task down into doable chunks. And this is really how you make consistent progress on your bigger initiatives. Some of the big picture things you want to do in your business are just simply not going to be completed in one sitting, and that does not have to be a problem. It’s never a reason to not get started. And you can use this approach of a project breakdown process so that you can always create time for your priorities.
The last thing is to get your brain looking for solutions. One of the tools I teach in my program is asking yourself powerful questions, positively framed questions that are going to give you useful answers. When your brain tells you it’s going to take so long, I want you to ask this question, if I had to do this in half the time, how could that be possible?
Open yourself up to see new solutions and ideas. Someone that might be able to help you. Or there might even be parts you could eliminate or simplify without having an impact on the overall end result you want to achieve.
There you have four ways to handle the “it’s going to take so long” mental roadblock. Let’s recap them. Number one, recognize “it will take so long” for what it really is, an optional thought. Number two, define so long for yourself. Number three, break it down into mini-results or mini-amounts of time that you can take action on in those 50 to 60 minute increments. And number four, ask yourself a powerful question to look for effective solutions.
With those four options in mind, I want you to think about one thing you want to accomplish this week that you’re thinking is going to take a long time. Pick just one of these ways, try it on and decide to apply it. You are going to save yourself so much time procrastiworking, you know, where you’re working on those things that are easy to check off that don’t actually move the needle, or just plain saving time avoiding work, getting sucked into Instagram or other distractions.
You can use all of that reclaimed time to do something else in your business. Or you can take some time to yourself and truly rejuvenate. You’re also going to get the results you want in your business so much sooner. Those systems in place, the proposals done so you can get paid.
Recently a client in Out Of Overwhelm shared that she had some information she needed to get to her accountant that she had been putting off for an entire year. She came to one of our focus sessions, which if you don’t know what that is, they are co-working sessions that I lead within the group where we come together and work for an hour. And then there’s coaching that directly follows it. And so you get direct coaching on whatever you’re working on. We love these.
But anyway, she came to the focus session, got that information done in an hour and sent it off. And she had been putting it off for an entire year. I want you to think about if you stop telling yourself it’s going to take so long and got into action instead, the impact on what you could accomplish and create.
And not even just external results, but the mental freedom from having that thing no longer over your head. And then telling yourself you should have done it already. And then beating yourself up because you haven’t. And then telling yourself you should have done it already. I mean, it’s exhausting just thinking about that.
This one thought, “it’s going to take so long” is a roadblock that you can remove. I, of course, would love to support you with this. We do this work all the time, pairing the mindset with the practical strategies in Out Of Overwhelm, you’ll have an opportunity to work with me in Freedom of the Framework. The link is in the show notes for you to sign up for that.
And that’s today’s episode. I want to know what you think about this format. A little bit quicker, a little snappier. Send me a DM on Instagram @DesiCreswell. I’ll, of course, be back next Wednesday with another episode. And until then, I’m wishing you a beautiful week.
I’m going to make the bold assumption that you enjoyed today’s topic. Let’s make sure you never miss an episode; follow the show now wherever you listen to your podcasts. If you haven’t already, I would really appreciate it if you’d make the time to leave me a rating and review. This is how I know what you’re loving so I can share more of it.
And it’s also how you can help others find The Interior Design Business CEO. As a thank you for leaving a rating and review, I want to send you a little midweek pick-me-up in the mail. Simply screenshot your review and send me a message on Instagram, @DesiCreswell. I’ll talk to you next week.
Thanks for joining me for this week’s episode of The Interior Design Business CEO. If you want more tips, tools, and strategies, visit www.desicreswell.com. And if you’re ready to take what you’ve learned on the podcast to the next level, I would love for you to check out my signature group coaching program, Out of Overwhelm.
Welcome to The Interior Design Business CEO, the only show for designers who are ready to confidently run and grow their businesses without the stress and anxiety. If you’re ready to develop a bigger vision for your interior design business, free up your time, and streamline your days for productivity and profit, you’re in the right place. I’m Desi Creswell, an award-winning interior designer and certified life and business coach. I help interior designers just like you stop feeling overwhelmed so they can build profitable businesses they love to run. Are you ready to confidently lead your business, clients, and projects? Let’s go.
Hey, designer, welcome back to the podcast. Today I’m going to switch it up a little bit. A while ago I had an idea for how I could do a different episode structure. You know I like it actionable and straightforward. The episodes are usually around 20 to 30 minutes. And I had this idea of what if I did an even more punchy show and structured it like a pep talk?
I love to go deep in a topic. But I thought wouldn’t it be fun to pull out a really specific part of a topic, give you a key takeaway to run with, then send you on your way for the rest of the week, ready to take action and implement. Because remember, consuming content alone won’t necessarily create the change you’re after. You have to use the tools, learn from them, and then continue to reapply the concept.
Before we dive in, I want to give you a heads up that my brand new workshop, Freedom in the Framework, is going to be coming up soon. This is a new workshop all around time management and simple scheduling routines that is going to kick off enrollment for Out Of Overwhelm. The summer round that’ll go summer through the end of the year is open for enrollment May 15th through 25th. And Freedom in the Framework is the event that I’m doing to kick things off and get you started with this work.
And in this workshop I’m going to teach you how to manage your time as a creative that feels really supportive, yet flexible. Having a time framework, that I’m going to teach you how to create for yourself, is how you ensure you have not only dedicated time for client work, but you also have regular consistent time for working on your business, so that you can stop finally overscheduling yourself.
Freedom in the Framework is going to take place May 9th and 11th, all on Zoom. The first call, the one on May 9th is all about creating your unique framework. I’m going to give you the tools to create your own personalized time management framework.
And then the second call is all coaching and questions. So you can come ask me any of your time management questions, troubleshoot with me as you start to implement your framework, it’s going to be amazing. And it’s only $47. There will be a recording, so no worries if you can’t attend live. Head over to desiid.com/framework, the link will also be in the show notes to sign up. Let’s get into the main topic.
I want to know how often do you avoid doing something that you know will be great for your business or that you know you need to get done to move forward with a project, but continue to push it off because it’s, quote, going to take so long. I know for a lot of my clients, this is a challenge that comes up frequently. So this is why I wanted to tackle it head on in this episode.
We’re going to talk about how to sidestep this thought error, and I’ll explain what I mean by that in a minute, and get into action so that it isn’t even longer until you do the thing. The very first thing you have to do is recognize the thought “this is going to take so long” as a thought, not a fact. This is going to take so long is an optional sentence in your brain.
I want you to stick with me because there is a solution if it is something that’s going to take an extended period of time. But just stick with me right here right now. There is no such thing as so long. So long, to you, could be an hour. To another person it might be a half day. For another person, it might be an entire week or a month or a year. There is no factual understanding of so long, and yet we tell ourselves this is going to take so long as if we’re reporting the news. And then feel dread and resistance and don’t take action.
When you notice this thought error happening, meaning a sentence that’s occurring in your brain that is not serving you, is not leading you to the desired result you want, you need to talk about it as factually as possible. For example, there is a proposal to complete for this particular client. I’m writing a job description for a project manager.
Separating out the facts from the dramatic story keeps you from spending time and energy and your brain spinning so that you can use that bandwidth for action. Now that you know that so long isn’t a fact, ask your brain to answer this question. How long do I actually think this will take?
What I find is that it’s usually not nearly as long as we think. Our brains like to be dramatic. We have to call it out and do a reality check. I see this all the time with planning, where someone will want to learn to intentionally schedule their time, plan out and map out their projects and goals. And they’ll tell me that they don’t have time to plan because it’s going to take so long.
But the truth is, it doesn’t have to take so long. It can be done daily in about five minutes. And it’s going to save you hours and hours and hours. But when we need to do something new, or we’re learning a new skill, or we’re doing something that maybe feels a little challenging, our brain has a tendency to turn it into a very complicated thing that it thinks that we need to spend way more time on it than it’s actually going to take.
That’s why you need to do a fact check with your brain. How long do I actually think I need for this? And once you have a general idea of how much time you realistically need, then you can make a plan and get started, instead of staying in the dread of so long.
If what you have to do is going to take more than an hour, because that might be the case, what you’re going to want to do is break whatever you need to do down so that you can complete a portion of it in 50 to 60 minute increments. This is something I teach in Out Of Overwhelm with long term planning and both daily planning.
We have to learn how to break the task down into doable chunks. And this is really how you make consistent progress on your bigger initiatives. Some of the big picture things you want to do in your business are just simply not going to be completed in one sitting, and that does not have to be a problem. It’s never a reason to not get started. And you can use this approach of a project breakdown process so that you can always create time for your priorities.
The last thing is to get your brain looking for solutions. One of the tools I teach in my program is asking yourself powerful questions, positively framed questions that are going to give you useful answers. When your brain tells you it’s going to take so long, I want you to ask this question, if I had to do this in half the time, how could that be possible?
Open yourself up to see new solutions and ideas. Someone that might be able to help you. Or there might even be parts you could eliminate or simplify without having an impact on the overall end result you want to achieve.
There you have four ways to handle the “it’s going to take so long” mental roadblock. Let’s recap them. Number one, recognize “it will take so long” for what it really is, an optional thought. Number two, define so long for yourself. Number three, break it down into mini-results or mini-amounts of time that you can take action on in those 50 to 60 minute increments. And number four, ask yourself a powerful question to look for effective solutions.
With those four options in mind, I want you to think about one thing you want to accomplish this week that you’re thinking is going to take a long time. Pick just one of these ways, try it on and decide to apply it. You are going to save yourself so much time procrastiworking, you know, where you’re working on those things that are easy to check off that don’t actually move the needle, or just plain saving time avoiding work, getting sucked into Instagram or other distractions.
You can use all of that reclaimed time to do something else in your business. Or you can take some time to yourself and truly rejuvenate. You’re also going to get the results you want in your business so much sooner. Those systems in place, the proposals done so you can get paid.
Recently a client in Out Of Overwhelm shared that she had some information she needed to get to her accountant that she had been putting off for an entire year. She came to one of our focus sessions, which if you don’t know what that is, they are co-working sessions that I lead within the group where we come together and work for an hour. And then there’s coaching that directly follows it. And so you get direct coaching on whatever you’re working on. We love these.
But anyway, she came to the focus session, got that information done in an hour and sent it off. And she had been putting it off for an entire year. I want you to think about if you stop telling yourself it’s going to take so long and got into action instead, the impact on what you could accomplish and create.
And not even just external results, but the mental freedom from having that thing no longer over your head. And then telling yourself you should have done it already. And then beating yourself up because you haven’t. And then telling yourself you should have done it already. I mean, it’s exhausting just thinking about that.
This one thought, “it’s going to take so long” is a roadblock that you can remove. I, of course, would love to support you with this. We do this work all the time, pairing the mindset with the practical strategies in Out Of Overwhelm, you’ll have an opportunity to work with me in Freedom of the Framework. The link is in the show notes for you to sign up for that.
And that’s today’s episode. I want to know what you think about this format. A little bit quicker, a little snappier. Send me a DM on Instagram @DesiCreswell. I’ll, of course, be back next Wednesday with another episode. And until then, I’m wishing you a beautiful week.
I’m going to make the bold assumption that you enjoyed today’s topic. Let’s make sure you never miss an episode; follow the show now wherever you listen to your podcasts. If you haven’t already, I would really appreciate it if you’d make the time to leave me a rating and review. This is how I know what you’re loving so I can share more of it.
And it’s also how you can help others find The Interior Design Business CEO. As a thank you for leaving a rating and review, I want to send you a little midweek pick-me-up in the mail. Simply screenshot your review and send me a message on Instagram, @DesiCreswell. I’ll talk to you next week.
Thanks for joining me for this week’s episode of The Interior Design Business CEO. If you want more tips, tools, and strategies, visit www.desicreswell.com. And if you’re ready to take what you’ve learned on the podcast to the next level, I would love for you to check out my signature group coaching program, Out of Overwhelm.
Enjoy the Show?
Don’t miss an episode, follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts.