500 - How to Work Smarter, Not Harder

0:00Marie Forleo:You want to help me make the Marie Forleo podcast even better? Leave a review on the Apple Podcast app. Tell me what's helping you, what's inspiring you, what you want to hear more of, or what would put an extra bounce in your step while you listen. I seriously want to know. So go to Apple Podcasts right now and leave that review. Can't wait to hear from you.

0:22If you're struggling with your online biz, who are you going to call? Marie Forleo. If you're feeling stuck and you need a fix, who you gonna call? Marie Forleo. I'm free to your cues.

0:46Marie Forleo:This is my friend Gregory Patterson. Well, hello there. And we are here to answer some questions. So we're gonna have some live callers. We're gonna offer some insight and guidance. Let's have some fun and get to it.

1:03Hello, this is Marie. Who's this? This is Eva. Hi, Eva. Welcome to the show. You're here with Gregory and Team Forleo,

1:13Marie Forleo:and we're so excited to talk with you today. What's your question, and how can we help? First of all, thank you so much for taking my question, Marie, and thank you. I am a big fan of yours since ages. I love you, and thank you so much for your great work. Oh, thank you, darling. So, well, recently I went to a concert. I'm here now, so it's okay. And I would like to reboot my business coaching because, yeah, it took some time and I stopped everything for more than one year. But I'm afraid that I can only work now a few hours for at least a year or more. and wherever I look, everyone says, oh, you have to work for your success 24-7.

2:06And I'm simply afraid that I will not make it because I have to really be strict and not work too much.

2:15Marie Forleo:Yes. So first of all, I just want to congratulate you on your recovery and your healing journey and I love the enthusiasm that you have for this next chapter in your life. I want to first start off with telling you something. The number one tip I have for where you are right now in life, based on what you're about to embrace, I really do actually want you to embrace the fact that you're in this situation. I've done a lot of research on this topic and most studies show that people don't even work a full eight hours a day. Like if you really break it down and pay attention, most people are only productive for like a max two hours a day.

2:55Marie Forleo:And then the other six hours, we're distracted, we're on social media, we're looking at email, we're doing all kinds of things except being productive. So what you have in front of you is this beautiful gift where you get to focus your time and your energy on what matters most. Second thing I want to say, all the messages that you hear that you have to work and hustle 24-7, I think that's bullshit. Really. I embrace hard work. I certainly work hard myself, but I don't work 24-7 and I've been building my business for 20 years. And I think a big fact, the reason that I am still around is because I don't work 24-7, because I'm not burnt out, because I've built these structures into my life so that I can rest and rejuvenate and have joy and have time and space away from my work so I have something to bring back to it.

3:48Marie Forleo:The whole culture of working nonstop, personally, I believe it's toxic. I believe it's counterproductive and I don't believe it's the way of the future. So you have this opportunity right now to really work smarter and not harder. You have to detoxify yourself from all of those ideas about working nonstop because you don't have to. And I think the most important thing for you to do is to really decide for you what's most important. You know, when it comes to those hours that you have, whether it's per day or per week to start building back up your coaching practice, it's going to take a little bit of self-awareness and introspection.

4:26Marie Forleo:Is it writing your email newsletter? Is it reaching back out to clients? Is it being on podcasts? Is it creating content? There are certain things that I'm sure you did in the previous era of your business that helped you to be successful. And if you can drill down to exactly what those things are and choose what you feel is going to be the best use of your time and energy, that's what's going to help you build back this business in a way that's going to be sustainable and honor your health. Yes. Just a small comment to the last part. Why am I also a little bit afraid on, because what in the past brought my success was yes I was working like crazy and because I love it that was also the thing and I yeah one of the things I have to now figure out is how to yeah honor my health more yes and not to go crazy with the work so yeah I really appreciate that you you said that for yourself you also have something that you nourish yourself in order to bring that back to your work if I understood well.

5:32Marie Forleo:You did. You understood perfectly. And that comes back to what I call non-negotiable time, right? We talked about this on some MarieTV episodes before, where you have certain practices, certain rituals, certain things that are non-negotiable in your day and in your week that are prioritized around your own self-care. You know, some of mine have to do with meditation. It has to do with movement. You know, there's like a little green drink that I have every day that is filled with vitamins and nutrients, and it just helps me make sure that I'm getting the nutrition I need. So it doesn't have to be complex.

6:01Marie Forleo:It doesn't have to take tons of time. But for you to establish those non-negotiable rituals and that non-negotiable time around your health and well-being, put that first, and then you can really plan out and schedule out what is going to get you the most bang for the buck in those hours that you are working on your business. And so much of this is an internal game, right? Not comparing yourself to other people, not consuming other people's media that tells you that you should be working 24-7. It's not healthy and it's not sustainable. So this whole journey for you, you're going to have to master your internal game to really master creating results on the external game.

6:40Marie Forleo:Does that make sense? Very much. Really. I'm excited for you. And the other thing I wanted to let you know too, you should look up, we did a great MarieTV about the most important four minutes of your day. This is something that helps me, especially when I'm tight on time. I don't close up shop for the day unless I've spent four minutes looking at my calendar and then outlining what are the most important things that I need to get done the next day. This way, when I wake up and I start work, I'm not looking at my email. I'm not scanning social media. I'm looking precisely at my list of what I've deemed is most important and hitting that first.

7:19Marie Forleo:This way, as the day goes on, if someone calls or there's a fire I need to put out or something unexpected happens, like my dog starts throwing up on the floor, that I can actually go handle those things and I know I've taken care of what's most important first. Yeah, that's true. Very good tip, yeah. Yeah. So Greg, anything that you want to share with our lovely friend? Mine is more of like a question to you because I can really relate to that. Do you think that people trying to start a business or run their business that are just grinding 24-7, like the big word fear jumps out as well. Do you think the fear comes just from simple burnout, like not being able to follow through because of health, because of...

8:03You know what I mean?

8:04Marie Forleo:Well, I think part of it too, all of us need to have a strategy that we're working and feel confident in it. I think a lot of fear comes up for many of us if we don't feel confident in the strategy that we're using to grow our business. And if we haven't established established metrics that matter. What do I mean by that? A lot of people are chasing numbers like Instagram followers or views on YouTube or views on Facebook or whatever it is, right? And so they're chasing these vanity metrics rather than paying attention to, well, how many clients did I book this week? You know, how many people's lives did I change?

8:36Marie Forleo:What are my profit margins? What's my revenue? These different metrics that can matter way more than things that are kind of shiny on the surface that don't really equal anything that's satisfying or that's going to give you a return in the long run. So for me, money is a metrics that matter in terms of a business because it's a business, right? What's the revenue? What's the profit? What's that looking like on a weekly, monthly, yearly basis? Those numbers are way more important to me than how many likes I get on any post. So when you establish your own metrics that matter for you in this particular stage in your business, you're able to be a lot more intentional about that time that you do have, and it'll prevent you from getting sucked off into these little cesspools of just, ah, where you just feel like you're spinning your wheels, but you're not accomplishing anything that really is important.

9:27Marie Forleo:So there's one other phrase that I like to say that I will remind you of now. If you want to be responsible, keep your promises to others. But if you want to be successful, keep your promises to yourself. Especially in the stage that you're at right now, when you set up your daily plan of what you're going to focus on and what you're going to do, you have to honor that with your full integrity. Just like if someone else, a doctor was telling you this is the protocol that you must follow in order to continue to heal, you have to honor your own word with you at that high level. That's what's going to help you build this business back up and do so in a way that is sustainable.

10:06Yeah. It has really a lot of sense. And I really love that phrase that you just mentioned to keeping the promise to yourself to be successful and healthy and alive.

10:17Marie Forleo:That's right. That's right. And remember too, I want to mention one more thing about work. You know, when it's really joyful, like when it's truly joyful and you're having a really good time and you're lit up by it, you can actually go much longer and there's much less stress that comes along with it. But when you're pushing, right, and you're grinding and you're forcing yourself to do things, by the way, all of those energies are completely within your control to decide how you're approaching or engaging in something. But when you put all that force behind it and you're like gritting your teeth and getting through it, that's what creates a lot of stress in the body and that's what gets you exhausted and tired.

10:54Marie Forleo:But when you create joyfully and you're having a good time and you're treating it like something that you actually want to do and you're making it a bit of fun and it's play and you're letting yourself be creative, listen to music, dance around, whatever you do, you actually can be a lot more productive for longer because there's not that resistance. Does that make sense? A lot, a lot, yeah. Yeah. So hopefully this is helpful to you, my love. Thank you so much for your question and keep us posted on how it goes. I absolutely know you can do this. And again, you do not have to prescribe to the work 24-7, 365, all the time until you're basically done.

11:31Thank you so much. You really calmed me down with your answers because it now looks like I can do it. Yes.

11:38Marie Forleo:You absolutely can do it. We believe in you. And you are your most important asset in this life, my love. You must take care of you first. It's that tired but true old metaphor about when you're on an airplane, right? And that oxygen mask drops down. We've heard it a million times, but it really is the truth. You have to put it on first before you can take care of others, including your beautiful family, your clients, and anyone else in your life. Yes. Thank you so much. You're so welcome. Thank you. And keep us posted. We love you, girl. I love you too. Bye-bye. Bye. All right. Now you just got to hang on to yourself and do not explode from all this inspiration.

12:16Marie Forleo:We're going to take a quick break with a word from our sponsor.

12:46Marie Forleo:market, and manage your way to business success. And it's completely free. Wow. And you said it's at 322freetools.com? That's right. Great. And when can I ask you the 72 other questions? Oh, look at that. It's the end of the ad.

13:07Hello? Hi. Is this Alex? This is Alex. Hey, it's Marie. You're on the MarieTV Live call-in show. How are you, darling? Oh my God. Yay! I'm good. How are you?

13:18Marie Forleo:So good. You're here with Gregory and all of Team Forleo, and we are really excited to talk with you. So let us know your question, and we will do our best to help you out. Okay. My question will probably become a story, but I left my 10-year-long career as a makeup artist in January to pursue a career in freelance illustration from my social media page. and I've been managing to stay afloat because I'm kind of a multi-passionate human and I've got a bunch of things going on. So for the past four months, I've been doing okay. I'm having one of those slow weeks, so it kind of comes in waves. And I was just kind of wondering, how do you stay focused and optimistic during those lower times in your new business?

14:05Because I tend to kind of be like, oh, I got to go apply for my old job back and run away whenever it gets quiet. Yeah. So how do you keep the self-doubt from taking over?

14:16Marie Forleo:Absolutely. This is a great question and it's something I think many of us have experienced and will experience again anytime we enter a new chapter in our lives. We're starting a new career. We're starting a new business. We're entering a new phase where things are unknown and we're not as established as we once were. So normal. I also want to congratulate you for following your heart, right? and doing something new. That takes a lot of courage. So scary. It is so scary, but that's amazing. And you're actually doing it. I've talked to so many people on this show and have worked with so many folks who get paralyzed in that fear position and never actually move.

14:47Marie Forleo:So give yourself credit. Yeah, for actually doing it. So one thing that I want to tell you, no one, and I know you know this, but sometimes it's helpful to hear a reminder, no one is an overnight success, especially when they're starting something new. So you have to cultivate that patience muscle inside of you. And yes, there will be those highs and lows, right? There will be those peaks where you're busy and some of those valleys. And I know the valleys are what we're talking about. One thing that really helped me when I was starting my business was a little thing I like to call ABM, always be marketing.

15:23Marie Forleo:You know I'm a big fan, passionate advocate of marketing, especially for small business owners, because what it does is it gets you in the habit of sharing value and also gets you practiced at reaching out to folks who could hire you or who could be a source of income or jobs or connections. So if you don't have a little ritual set up for yourself, whether it's daily or maybe two or three times a week, but at least weekly where you are proactively doing whatever is appropriate for your business in order to drum up more business, you've got to put that habit in place. It could be making phone calls, sending emails, asking for testimonials, reaching out, right?

16:05Marie Forleo:Anything that you've been doing in your business so far that's been working, we want to do more of that. And if there's some ideas that you've had about how to expand your business, let's try some of those ideas out too. I'm assuming, my love, you're not a B-Schooler yet, right? I'm not, no. Okay. Well, I'm going to put out a little hope for you that you will join us at some point in the future because it's one of the things I'm most passionate about teaching and that's kind of what we go deep into there. But the point is still valid. Always be marketing. So develop that habit with yourself. And what that does is whenever your mind starts to go, but wait, ain't nothing happening.

16:41Marie Forleo:It's so slow. Did I make a mistake? Which again, that's a natural place any mind would go to. If you've got this beautiful list of things that you could do, proactive steps you could take, making that call, sending that email, putting up another post, requesting a testimonial, and you dive into action, you're going to train yourself to just kind of slide right through that self-doubt and get into that always be marketing place, which does drum up more business. The other thing I want to say to you is this. You know, in my own journey, took me over seven years before I was able to provide for myself and for my family at that time solely from my coaching income.

17:21Marie Forleo:So I had side gigs. So let's say you find yourself at a makeup counter again. That's fine. That doesn't mean you failed. Whatever you need to do to keep the lights on and to have food on your table while you continue to build this new chapter in your life, there ain't no shame in that game, honey. Right? Honest work is honest work. The other thing I want to tell you, and this is kind of a layer underneath it, this is something that I recommend to everyone because I just don't think we talk about it enough, is to handle your money. What do I mean by that? I don't know how much work you've done on your own personal financial well-being in terms of understanding money in your own life.

17:59Marie Forleo:Do you have savings? Do you have any debt? Do you have a plan to pay that down? Are you investing for your future? Just really diving into the topic of money. We, of course, have many MarieTVs that can get you started on this topic because, again, I love it so much. But separately, it's like investing in your own financial well-being as you're building out this new career is a really important thing to do. You can't just stick your head in the sand. I'm not saying that you're doing that. We'll find out in a minute. But what sometimes people do is they scramble, scramble, scramble about their business or their new creative project, but they spend zero time looking at personal finance on a a big global level, and it does them a disservice.

18:38Marie Forleo:Because chances are when you're multi-passionate, your career is going to have several evolutions, like several more. So you can look forward to chapters like this again and again. And when your financial house is really solid underneath you, it allows you to make wise decisions about your pricing, about what jobs to say yes to, about maybe saying yes to working at a makeup counter again, because you're like, you know what? That's going to be my little savings account. I'm going to do that and I'm going to bless those jobs and that time that I'm there. Not that I'm a failure, but because I'm building my financial wealth slowly over time while I continue to build this new illustration business.

19:15Marie Forleo:Does that make sense? That makes sense. Yeah. Absolutely. It gives your entire career landscape a whole fresh lens. This way, when you say yes to something, you know why you're doing it. It's for a higher, greater, deeper purpose that's serving you over the long run, not just about the short-term win or the ego thing about, oh, I can't make it and I'm not doing good enough right now. Screw all that bullshit. That'll screw you up. Nobody needs that. When you take that... Yep, that's right. When you take that long view, then you really make wise, intelligent, long-term decisions that allow you to weather these little valleys when they come up because that really is the nature of life.

19:57Marie Forleo:There's, you know, think about the four seasons. There's winter, there's spring, there's summer, and there's fall. It's impossible for any of us to be in the stage of like spring incessantly where things are just bursting and growing and they're popping. That's just not nature. It's not reality. So that's why I'm such a huge fan of handling the personal financial piece because it allows you to weather the natural seasons of life without so much panic. And you can make wiser, more heart-centered decisions without going into a place of lack. Yeah. Yeah. That's true. Greg's here. Well, first of all, let me ask you, how does this resonate for you?

20:39Marie Forleo:Is this working for you, love? Yeah, it's working. It's making sense. And I'm from Montreal. I'm living in Montreal. And we know about winter here. Yes, you do. It's a lesson in itself. Yes. So, yeah, and I'm working through understanding more about financial beliefs because I noticed that when I left my job and went completely freelance, my income has stayed identical to what it was when I was working at my job. And I think I might have some limiting beliefs around what I need to earn each week. Yeah. Well, here's what's exciting about what you're sharing with us right now. Just the fact that you're asking these questions and you're willing to take an objective look and you're looking at the numbers and you're kind of bouncing that against what you might believe about money, what you might believe that you can earn, what you deserve, what you're capable of.

21:32Marie Forleo:This awareness piece is the beginning of it all shifting. So I'm really, really excited for you. And I also want to mention we have a vintage MarieTV episode. If you search Marie Forleo, how to prevent a business dry spell. It's one that I did all the way back in 2011. Ideas, still valid. Search that one up. I think it'll really support you in addition to this. But diving in, investing in your financial well-being, including the beliefs that you have about money, this is perfect for where you're at right now. Super, super perfect. I'm tossing it over to Greg to see if you have anything you'd like to share.