Building Balance

The benefits and results of what I do with my clients can vary in different ways, so I thought it would be fun to bring Danbee on the podcast to talk about her experience.

Danbee first came to me about a year ago, when business was going well on paper, but she wasn't motivated by "leveling up" anymore. She had some updates and projects in mind that she knew would help the business grow, but she couldn't get herself to do them – which was new to her as a life-long action-taker.

What was different about my work with Danbee compared to some of my other clients was that the main things she walked away with weren’t always super tangible action steps or quantifiable tweaks to the business. And still, she’s seen big changes in her business and life. Some of the benefits weren’t things she even would’ve thought she wanted to get out of our work together (until she had them.)

In the episode, we talked about:

- how Danbee wasn't feeling the fire and motivation to do the things she knew would grow her business

- procrastination came as a surprise for a high achiever/action-taker/"good girl" who's always taken action

- our businesses can't meet all of our needs

- realizing that not taking care of basic needs makes business hard

- getting a puppy caused a season of dropping to a Minimum Viable Effort

- understanding the "high achiever tendencies" helped let go of rigid routines that were getting in the way of her most impactful work

- letting business "be boring" for a while allowed space for creativity, novelty and challenge outside the business

- the reminder that our brains make us think that our current circumstances will last forever

- a fresh perspective can help you trust that what you're doing is the right way to go

- Danbee's definition of balance – and how it differs from the norm

- being able to work fewer hours means Danbee's life looks so different now --> she's the healthiest she's ever been

Plus Danbee shares her advice for anyone thinking about working with me 😊

Danbee's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danbeeshin/

Danbee's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@danbeeshin

Danbee's website: https://www.danbeeshin.com/

Grab a screenshot of the episode and share/say Hei on IG: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thejennahellberg⁠⁠

Find current free resources here: ⁠⁠https://jennahellberg.com/resources⁠⁠

Check out my services: ⁠⁠https://jennahellberg.com⁠⁠

Want to leave me a note? You can do that here: ⁠⁠https://jennahellberg.com/note

We're coming up on the time of year when many of us are starting to plan for time off from our businesses – which can feel surprisingly complicated considering how "flexible" our lives are as entrepreneurs.

This week I teamed up with Theresa Sullivan of Little Flame Creative to share 10 ideas about how you can take time off as a true solopreneur.

So many tips around stepping away from your business revolve around how to make your business run without you or delegate to your team when you're away.

But what if you don't want your business to run without you? What if you don't have the luxury of hiring a team?

Show notes: https://jennahellberg.com/episodes/098-how-to-take-time-off-as-a-solopreneur-with-theresa-sullivan

Minimum Viable Effort blog post: https://jennahellberg.com/blog/minimum-viable-effort-for-small-business

Theresa's website: ⁠⁠https://www.littleflamecreative.com⁠⁠

Theresa's IG post about taking time off, aka the post that inspired this episode collaboration: https://www.instagram.com/p/CpNjNqLOymn/

Grab a screenshot of the episode and share/say Hei on IG: ⁠⁠⁠

⁠https://www.instagram.com/thejennahellberg⁠⁠⁠

⁠https://www.instagram.com/littleflamecreative

Find my current free resources here: ⁠⁠https://jennahellberg.com/resources⁠⁠

Check out my services: ⁠⁠https://jennahellberg.com⁠

If you tend to make plans or put routines or systems in place, only to start ignoring them later, this episode is for you. And don’t worry – the purpose of this episode is def *not* to make you feel bad about it!

Past episodes you might like:

Episode 094: Is it mindset... or just an unsupportive schedule? [Consult call]

https://jennahellberg.com/episodes/094-is-it-mindset-or-just-an-unsupportive-schedule-consult-call

Episode 086: The real reason sticking to a consistent schedule is hard

https://jennahellberg.com/episodes/086-the-real-reason-sticking-to-a-consistent-schedule-is-hard

Episode 076: "How do I shop up for business when burned out?"

https://jennahellberg.com/episodes/076-how-do-i-show-up-for-business-when-burned-out

Episode 075: Why “proven” strategies often don’t work (with Cassie Widders)

https://jennahellberg.com/episodes/075-why-proven-strategies-dont-work-cassie-widders

Episode 074: Feel guilt when life distracts you from business? [Consult call]

https://jennahellberg.com/episodes/074-coaching-call-feel-guilt-when-life-distracts-you-from-business

Episode 056: Why it’s hard to do "important, not urgent" tasks and projects

https://jennahellberg.com/episodes/056-hard-to-focus-on-important-tasks-in-small-business

My productivity ecosystem framework summary: ⁠⁠⁠https://jennahellberg.com/ecosystem⁠⁠⁠

Grab a screenshot of the episode and share/say Hei on IG: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thejennahellberg⁠⁠

Find current free resources here: ⁠⁠https://jennahellberg.com/resources⁠⁠

Check out my services: ⁠⁠https://jennahellberg.com⁠⁠

Want to leave me a note? You can do that here: ⁠⁠https://jennahellberg.com/note

If you feel like you have to force yourself to get things done, and you’d rather have internal motivation to do the things, I hope this episode gives you some things to think about.

Last week I talked about two things that bother me about how mindset is often talked about in online business.

In this episode, I talk about how I approach “mindset work” with my clients and my work in general.

Spoiler alert: I'd rather help you find ways to increase internal motivation, instead of just trying to get you to think differently.

(That being said, I 100% acknowledge that sometimes you may benefit from working on your actual mindset. The deeper the need, the more careful I would be about who you work with – a therapist may be a good option.)

My productivity ecosystem framework summary: ⁠https://jennahellberg.com/ecosystem⁠

Episode 066 on increasing your resilience: https://jennahellberg.com/episodes/066-a-skill-that-sets-you-up-for-resilience-in-business

Episode 030 on Failure Fatigue: https://jennahellberg.com/episodes/030-reducing-the-risk-of-business-burnout-part-1-failure-fatigue

Episode 031 on Fatigue Failure: https://jennahellberg.com/episodes/031-reducing-the-risk-of-business-burnout-part-2-fatigue-failure

Grab a screenshot of the episode and share/say Hei on IG: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thejennahellberg⁠

Find current free resources here: ⁠https://jennahellberg.com/resources⁠

Check out my services: ⁠https://jennahellberg.com⁠

Want to leave me a note? You can do that here: ⁠https://jennahellberg.com/note

If there’s something in your business you want to do or accomplish, but somehow you can’t bring yourself to do the things – and you’ve thought (or you’ve been made to feel like) your mindset is the issue, I hope this episode helps you see that your mindset may not be the problem at all.

In this episode, I share two common "mindset myths" that I see in the online business space, and how they may be in the way of us making progress.

My productivity ecosystem framework summary: ⁠https://jennahellberg.com/ecosystem⁠

Grab a screenshot of the episode and share/say Hei on IG: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thejennahellberg⁠

Find current free resources here: ⁠https://jennahellberg.com/resources⁠

Check out my services: ⁠https://jennahellberg.com⁠

Want to leave me a note? You can do that here: ⁠https://jennahellberg.com/note

If your work day stretches out not because you have too much to do, but because you get distracted or procrastinate, I hope you'll like listening in on this consult call with Theresa.

What came up during the consult call

- Theresa feels that her workdays are longer than necessary and that she could spend her time more effectively

- she doesn't think that there's too much on her to-do list, but sometimes she'll get to the end of the workday and wonder where all the time went

- she always hits client work deadlines, but her own projects and business updates that would match her "big vision" get put on the back burner

- the advice of "just push through" hasn't worked for Theresa

- interruptions and transitions between tasks interfere with her momentum, she has trouble getting back into her deep creative work

- she compares herself to others who seem to be more productive, which causes some self-judgment

- is there a way to have a structured schedule that would also feel flexible?

Grab a screenshot of the episode and share/say Hei on IG: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thejennahellberg⁠

Find current free resources here: ⁠https://jennahellberg.com/resources⁠

Check out my services: ⁠https://jennahellberg.com

Theresa, the copywriter at Little Flame Creative: https://www.littleflamecreative.com

Theresa's IG: https://www.instagram.com/littleflamecreative

Mentioned in episode:

Eisenhower Matrix episode 056/blog post: https://jennahellberg.com/blog/focus-important-tasks-project-small-business

"Do the necessary before it becomes urgent" tip by The Lazy Genius aka Kendra Adachi

If you want some help applying some of the things I talk about on this podcast, and you’d like to know more about what it looks like to team up with me, this episode is for you.

I’ve had some experiences where I’ve paid good amounts of money and spent a lot of time or effort on a course, a service or coaching program, and afterwards felt like maybe it wasn't the best investment.

Hopefully this episode helps you make a more informed decision on whether or not I’m someone you’d like to work with to make the most out of the time you have available for your business.

In this episode, I share

- a few things that inform how I work

- what the consult call process looks like

- the kinds of results you could expect from our work together

- some real client examples

- a mistake I made with a client, and why it's important to me that our work together is collaborative

Mentioned:

Find out more and grab a consult call: https://jennahellberg.com/services

My framework, the Productivity Ecosystem: https://jennahellberg.com/ecosystem

Productivity Ecosystem podcast episode: https://jennahellberg.com/episodes/057-increase-productivity-as-small-business-owner

Minimum Viable Effort blog post: https://jennahellberg.com/blog/minimum-viable-effort-for-small-business

Consult call and client experience episodes: https://jennahellberg.com/episodes/category/coaching

If your brain tends to get distracted while doing deep work, and you often interrupt that work because of these ideas and to-dos that pop up, you might benefit from the tool I share in this episode: the Distractions List.

In the episode I talk about

- why it's so hard to focus and stay on task (Thanks, brain!)

- how the Distractions List helps your brain

- the three simple steps to a great Distractions List practice

Read blog post version of this episode: https://jennahellberg.com/blog/tool-that-helps-you-stay-focused-on-deep-work

My productivity ecosystem framework summary: https://jennahellberg.com/ecosystem

Grab a screenshot of the episode and share/say Hei on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thejennahellberg

Find current free resources here: https://jennahellberg.com/resources

Check out my services: https://jennahellberg.com

Want to leave me a note? You can do that here: https://jennahellberg.com/note

A listener asked how I balance my focus between the two businesses I run, and how I decide what to work on when – and I'll be answering these questions in today's episode.

If you’re a high achiever, or just in general someone who ponders how to focus your time and energy between many different things, I hope this episode inspires you.

In this episode, I share

- the context for why my solutions work for me

- 6 solutions that help me focus my time and energy between businesses while having a life, too

While these 6 things enable me to balance #AllTheThings, your solutions might be different and I'd love to support you in finding what works for you.

Show notes: https://jennahellberg.com/episodes/091-how-i-make-time-for-two-businesses-and-life

My productivity ecosystem framework summary: https://jennahellberg.com/ecosystem

Grab a screenshot of the episode and share/say Hei on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thejennahellberg

Find current free resources here: https://jennahellberg.com/resources

Check out my services: https://jennahellberg.com

Want to leave me a note? You can do that here: https://jennahellberg.com/note

If you’re not sure that how you operate in a part of your business is how you actually *want* to operate, this episode is for you.

.... Or if you’re just curious about what’s happened behind the scenes of my pricing lately, you might enjoy this episode, too!

I haven’t really talked about pricing here on the podcast much (or maybe ever?), but in the past little while I’ve reflected a lot on my pricing and services, so we’re going with it!

Pricing and offers fall under the design piece of your productivity ecosystem, because how you design your offers and pricing has a big impact on your business.

Shownotes: https://jennahellberg.com/episodes/090-got-swept-up-in-a-pricing-should

My productivity ecosystem framework summary: https://jennahellberg.com/ecosystem

Grab a screenshot of the episode and share/say Hei on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thejennahellberg

Find current free resources here: https://jennahellberg.com/resources

Check out my services: https://jennahellberg.com

Want to leave me a note? You can do that here: https://jennahellberg.com/note