This post may contain affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can find my full disclosure page here.
Information overload is very real. There are so many experts out there who all know what’s best for you and your growing business. Often contradicting, the information is overwhelming. You can get so busy reading about what you should be doing you don’t ever actually take action.
Use today’s tip to help. If you come across an idea you’d like to try, try it. Then do one of these three things with the idea:
Xerox it.
Adapt it.
Scrap it.
Xerox What Works
Copy what works for you. There is absolutely no need to reinvent the wheel.
If you find a social media posting schedule online that meets your needs, pick it up and use it.
Does the new fancy planner have a space for everything you ever dreamed? Then use it!
When you find something that works, keep using it. If it’s still working for you, even if everyone else has moved onto the next best thing, don’t worry.
Keep doing what works for you.
Adapt
Often, we can’t just xerox solutions, because xeroxing gives us an exact duplicate. What you put on that copy machine is what comes out the other side.
There is never a one-size fits all product or service. Your needs are different than mine. Our families are different. Your business isn’t identical to mine.
When you’re trying an idea, pay attention to areas needing tweaked. Maybe your kids are all older and love working on big projects. A thirty-minute Family Writing Time might be too short. Give it a tweak and go for an hour.
Look analytically at potential solutions and products, and figure out what components would work. It’s like cooking.
Often, I find a recipe I want to try. Except, my kids don’t like ingredient x and I don’t have time for steps 12-15. So I simplify and adapt them.
I make a substitution, and combine a few steps. Both recipes lead to a similar end result, but mine is tailored to my family and time.
What can you adapt for your business? Is there something that’s sort of working, but you’ve been trying to do it exactly like the experts say?
Stop trying to make the round peg fit in the square hole. It won’t work!
Make changes. Adapt.
Scrap
Sometimes, there’s no salvaging an idea to make it a good fit.
If you love the creativity of trying new meals each week, my annual meal plan would probably drive you crazy.
Just because this strategy has freed up tons of time for me, doesn’t mean it’ll be something you enjoy. Don’t stop doing what works for you just because I do it a different way.
People online don’t know you. They don’t understand your family dynamics or your time commitments. They are just offering pieces of advice that work well for them, during this particular season of life.
You don’t have to listen to them! If the method you are trying to copy isn’t working, scrap it!
You are the expert at your own life and in your business. It’s time you start listening to yourself!
What Strategies Do You Xerox?
Are you trying to xerox something you should be adapting? Or scrapping?
Think about it. What needs adapted or scrapped in your life as you’re working on growing a business from home with your kids?
Lisa Tanner is a former teacher turned homeschooling mom with 11 kids. She's also a successful freelance writer. Lisa enjoys helping other busy moms find time to start and grow a side hustle of their own.
