7 things to stop doing in 2025

12/16/24 • 23 min

Stop doing these 7 things in 2025 and watch your stress decrease while your team levels up.STOP Keeping everything in your head
If you do it because no one else knows how, document it. No one can help you if you don’t have an instruction set for them to follow. Capture it while you do it and you’ve given yourself the chance to delegate it next time.STOP Focusing on other people’s priorities
Other people’s priorities WILL absolutely need your attention, but they shouldn’t DRIVE your days. Ensure you have your own plan of work and address it first, without apology.STOP Bypassing processes and systems because you’re the boss
If there is an agreed upon way to do a task, do it the same way you tell others to do it. If you can’t, let someone else do it the right way. Few things are more alienating than an inconsistent leader who skirts their own standards.STOP Doing things others could do for you instead of the things only you can do
Your primary responsibility as a small business owner is to ensure the ongoing success of your enterprise. No one else can do this for you. Delegate the work others can accomplish so you can direct your time, energy, and focus to the broader success of the business.STOP Refusing to ask for help
Leadership is not about demonstrating that you can (and will!) do everything in your power to function without the help of others. Leadership is inviting those on your team to rise to new challenges. This means intentionally asking for help – even when you don’t need it – so that someone else can grow.STOP Underestimating your team
Your team is likely capable of more than you think. Let them prove it to you. Give them more responsibility and see what happens. Show them a better way when they make mistakes, but don’t rob them of the opportunity to grow because you’re not sure if they are ready.STOP Letting your business boss you around
You are the boss of you. Not your employees, customers, or even your business. Stop spending your days and weeks putting out fires and focus on fire prevention.OPPORTUNITY FOR ACTION: What is one thing from this list that you could STOP doing THIS WEEK? How would you need to act differently to leave it behind? It’s time to swap stress and overwhelm for calm, focused, and effective days. My brand new Mastermind is launching soon and will help you to clarify your goals, identify your priorities, and invest your time, energy, and focus strategically so that you can accomplish more with less effort. Join the wait list today!

Previous Episode

Do your future self a favor

Every year on the day before Thanksgiving I drag storage boxes containing our Christmas decorations from the shed into the house. Unfortunately, after 11 months in storage, the contents of these boxes look completely foreign to me. I start to get my bearings after I sort through the boxes for a few minutes, but there are always questions like, “where did we put this last year?” and, “do you remember what I used to hang this?”A few years ago, I finally got wise and took photos of all the completed decorations before I took them down for the year. I made notes about how I hung things and labeled the ends of light strings so I would remember where they went.Now, as soon as I open the boxes I have a stack of printed pictures and notes to remind me what this box of garland and lights is supposed to become. Instant orientation to the goal.This is a simple example of something you can do in your business any time of year: do your future self a favor and capture best practices as you go.The next time you need to tackle a task you’ve done before – especially one that is repeated infrequently – you won’t need to remember all the steps and waste time reinventing the wheel.Throw a note in the box, film a quick video detailing the process, type up a checklist and save it in Google Docs... The medium doesn’t matter. Just make sure you can find it easily the moment you need it.When you take a minute or two to capture these details, you save a future version of yourself a lot of time and frustration.
OPPORTUNITY FOR ACTION: What is one thing you could document this week that would make things easier for your future self?

It’s time to swap stress and overwhelm for calm, focused, and effective days. My brand new Mastermind is launching soon and will help you to clarify your goals, identify your priorities, and invest your time, energy, and focus strategically so that you can accomplish more with less effort. Join the wait list today!

Next Episode

3 things you cannot delegate

Last week I hit you with a list of things you should stop doing and today I’m going to pull a tight 180 and offer three things you absolutely cannot delegate.
Let’s dive in.
The vision for your business. No one else can decide why your business exists and what you want from it. No one else can decide the impact you want your business to make or the overarching goals you hope to accomplish. No one else can decide who your business exists to serve or how to ensure it also serves you. You may want to incorporate input from your team, but the final decision is always yours.
Developing professional relationships. The relationships that will drive your business forward, build your reputation, and grow you professionally will require YOUR attention. There is no proxy for personal connection. You can’t hire someone to do it for you. You’ve got to go to the networking events. You’ve got to invite someone to lunch. You’ve got to attend the conference. It’s great to include your team in these activities, but they can’t do them for YOU. They can do them for your business, but not for YOU.
Your physical and mental well-being. It’s up to you to take care of your body and manage your stress. No one else can do it for you, but everyone else will pay the price if you don’t make it a priority. The irony here is that putting your physical and mental health first will feel selfish, but it is arguably the most important way that you prepare yourself to take care of others and lead your business. How can you lead a business if you can’t lead yourself?
And this is why delegating is so important. Delegating frees you to focus on the truly important work only you can do.
The goal of effective delegation is to ensure you have the time, focus, and energy for the things that matter most.
OPPORTUNITY FOR ACTION: Choose one of these three things to prioritize this week and set aside 15 minutes to brainstorm ways to make space for it each and every week.
It’s time to swap stress and overwhelm for calm, focused, and effective days. My brand new Mastermind is launching soon and will help you to clarify your goals, identify your priorities, and invest your time, energy, and focus strategically so that you can accomplish more with less effort. Join the wait list today!