What to do when shit starts hitting the fan

When you’re running a business it can feel like everything needs to be done as quickly as possible - even if it results in you crumbling into a heap on the floor, totally exhausted.

Some things need to be done as a priority.

Most things can wait.

When you start to get overwhelmed you make mistakes, you become forgetful, and you let people down far more than you would if you took the time to make sure you’re staying on top of your shit.

My three-step plan for keeping a clear head when shit starts to hit the fan:

1. Make a list, check it twice

If you have a hundred things to do and feel like you have no time to do them, write every single one of them down and then divide them into three categories: low importance, medium importance, high importance.

Start with some of the low importance items, aka the low hanging fruit. This will help you to build momentum and take a huge weight off your shoulders so that you can tackle the more pressing matters.

2. Set boundaries for your colleagues, your clients, and (most importantly) for yourself

Whether you’ve been ill, you’d had a personal emergency, or you’re just busy AF - it’s so important to be clear about what you can commit to right now. Got a newsletter deadline? Push it back to next week. Need to book a make-up session because you’ve been unwell? It can wait until you’re back at 100%. The most important thing is to be straight up with your clients. At the end of the day, it’s just as important to them as it is to you that you’re doing your best work. If that means waiting a few extra days, then take them. You deserve it.

3. Trust your systems

Everything won’t go belly up because you’ve had to take a day off. You’ve worked hard to set up strong business systems - now it’s time to see them in action. If you do find that things didn’t run as smoothly without you as you’d hoped, use it as a lesson. This is your chance to make your business better.

There are very few things that are “urgent” in the fitness industry. Take a breath and remember that business is tough AF, just like you. You don’t need to work yourself into the ground to fix non-urgent problems: emails? Payment details? They can wait. Your sanity can’t.