The truth is, conditions and circumstances in our lives rarely align perfectly. We’re almost guaranteed to have obstacles come up in our schedule or not be in the mood to do what we know we want or need to do. And if you’re always waiting or wishing for perfect conditions to arrive, you’re going to be waiting a long time.

Feeling energized by new ideas but finding it hard to access that excitement in your day-to-day routine is a common pattern business owners go through. Whether you feel like you’re on the back foot because you haven’t taken action or are overwhelmed by all the possibilities, it’s time to stop the pattern of consuming without action because it’s definitely not moving you closer to your goals.

Whether you’re worried about getting started with systems in your business, think you don’t have the time, or aren’t sure if your team will get on board with new software and procedures, you’re in the right place. This week, I’m here with Katie McFarlan from Dakota Design Company to debunk three systems myths that are preventing you from implementing and using systems to their fullest potential.

Whether your flavor of procrastination looks like choosing to do anything but work, or what I call “procrasti-working,” I’m here to empower you with tools for navigating procrastination so you can notice it and stop it in its tracks. There are a few reasons you might be tempted to procrastinate, and I’m laying them out on this episode.

If you find that you never actually let yourself enjoy the success you’ve created, you have likely fallen prey to a term called arrival fallacy. This term explains the illusion that “there,” wherever that might be for you, is better than here. It's a cycle of belief that can be challenging to opt out of, but the good news is we can learn to work with its presence, and I’m showing you how this week.

My clients often have some idea of what they desire. They know there is more that they want to achieve, but their vision isn’t crystal clear or specific enough for them to begin taking deliberate action. Add to that the inevitable doubt that comes with wanting to bring a bigger vision to life, and they can find themselves stuck, lacking inspiration, and operating from survival mode.

While to-do lists are extremely common, I often see a variety of misconceptions and inefficiencies around how they’re used, so it’s time to clear a few things up. As the CEO of your interior design business, you might be unwittingly turning your to-do lists into an enemy, when in fact, it can be an amazing partner in making effective use of your time.

Between drawings, contracts, emails, and conversations, both written and verbal, with staff, clients, and vendors, communication is a crucial part of your business and bringing your projects to life. I took several communication classes when studying for my degree, but I know this isn't the case for everyone. On this episode of the podcast, I'm sharing four tips specifically designed to help interior designers streamline interactions and communicate more effectively.

Even though we know that all designers miss the mark or have oversights sometimes, we secretly hope it never happens to us. You can do your absolute best and still have things go wrong, and the truth is, this is just part of running a business. If you’re holding yourself to a standard of perfection or believe you can plan enough to avoid all problems, listen in.

We know that resisting and avoiding annoyances isn't the most productive use of our time. What can we do when we experience those humps that keep us stuck? Is it possible that we might be making the challenges in our business even more annoying? And what becomes possible when we learn to anticipate, acknowledge, and accept those obstacles? Join me this week as I give you the answers to these questions.

Listen in this week as I share four birthday reflections from the past year and how you can take these lessons and apply them to your own life and business. Hear the value of encountering the same lessons time and time again and how to decide what you want to do with them when they emerge in your life.

Recognizing our current belief systems and considering other options lies at the heart of the mindset work I do with my clients. Our beliefs, or lenses as I'm referring to them this week, impact the way we see the world and how we experience our businesses. The catch is that not all lenses serve us, and we need to be able to identify them so we can replace them with ones that do.

As a designer, you wear lots of different hats in your business. Whether it's streamlining the internal pieces of your business like your systems and processes or navigating the external tasks like marketing or client-facing projects, I've got three strategies that will make you more efficient, effective, and consistent at moving the needle in your business.

Discover the three things that needed to shift internally for me to reclaim five hours per week while continuing to serve my clients, produce weekly content, and execute a full launch for Out of Overwhelm. You'll hear why you have to combine the strategies with the mindset to effectively reclaim more time and how evaluating your self-concept and your relationship with your business will create huge ripple effects.

Clients inside Out of Overwhelm can absolutely reclaim five additional hours per week. Not only does that create a compounding result of time saved over the years and the financial impact of being more effective with their time, but it also impacts how they're able to care for themselves when they aren't stretched so thin.

Whether later means tomorrow, after the summer, or next year, the later habit shows up in the everyday execution of your business tasks as well as in the long-term planning of your business. That’s why shifting out of later and back into now is vital to the overall success of your business, and it’s your job as CEO to remind yourself of the benefits of taking action now.

Whether you charge your design fees by the hour or have a flat fee, this mindset leads you to set your fees in a way that results in overworking and under-earning. No amount of scaling your business, hiring help, or productivity hacks will solve this issue. The good news is, I know what will.

I’ve been brainstorming fun ways to connect with more of you, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to extend the use of Ask Desi to you, just like my clients in Out of Overwhelm. Whether you need guidance on navigating a difficult conversation, saying no to a client that's not the best fit, overcoming procrastination, or any other support you require, this is your chance to receive personalized help directly from me.

Whether you're coming off an intense creative session and need some rest or simply experiencing an unexplained dip in energy, tune in to discover effective strategies to manage low-energy days without sacrificing productivity or peace of mind.

The decision to invest in your business often brings up hesitation and fear, especially as it relates to brand-new investments that seem like unknown risks. Investing both time and money in your business is significant. If all you can think about is what you’re going to sacrifice or how much it’ll cost you, you’re in the right place.