We asked our small business community: How do you start something? Here’s what they said…
Once I’ve written my “to do list,” I make a coffee, walk around the house a bit, and then I sit down and get started. When doubts creep in, I remind myself that I’m making progress and to just keep going
To start something I’m putting off:
- I imagine myself in bed just before I go to sleep, smiling with pride. I ask myself, “What would make me feel that way?” (It’s usually obvious.) Then I hold that feeling in my mind as I do it. That way, I focus on how doing it makes me feel, rather than on how the outcome will determine how I feel about myself.
- Or I stand up, slap myself a few times, say “F*ck sake, Ray!”, then I sit down and do it.
It depends on my mood.
Raymond Manzor, Sustainability Copywriter
I’m finding that employing someone to hold me accountable or talk about how to make the thing better moves things much faster. When you have a paid help meeting on the horizon, you know you want to make the most of it, so you prep your heart out, which in turn moves things along much faster.But I think that’s also about my relationship with money – if I’m spending it, especially a medium-large amount on a one-off basis, then my brain says, ‘this better be/you better make this worth it!’
For me, it starts with slow thinking, with pen and paper or on a walk, no pressure on output. That process usually leads something to click, an idea, an angle, and then I’m excited about it and motivated to dive in. My one rule as a writer is that I’ll never stare at a blank screen – it’s a creativity killer.
I’m getting increasingly on board with the idea that ‘done is better than perfect.’ I recently teamed up with another Yorkshire PR expert, Jo Leatham, to co-host a ‘Meet The Media’ event for small businesses and journalists. This was an idea that we hatched, developed, and then just launched! We learned along the way. It was a sell-out. While it certainly wasn’t perfect, the feedback from the businesses and journalists was amazing, and the event generated lots of valuable regional press coverage for the businesses.
We were even able to donate 5% of the ticket price to a Yorkshire charity, Smart Works Leeds, which supports unemployed women by providing high-quality interview outfits and coaching. If we’d waited until every detail was 100% we’d never have got started with actually going ‘live’ on Eventbrite for this first event.
We’re now planning the next Meet The Media for June!
For me, the biggest thing was starting something with a fellow business owner who’s a friend and who I respect and trust. It kept me accountable and it was also a lot more fun than working alone.
I write out the tasks on paper. This makes me focus on what I need to do. If I document it online, it’s likely to get hidden in a spreadsheet or doc somewhere. I then start the research, SEO (if relevant), and get those tasks out of the way long before any planning starts. Once I’m on a roll with the research, I’m usually OK.
Karen Bright, Copywriter specialising in B2B and higher education
I really struggle with this kinda thing! A few things that have helped me…
– Power hours: doing as much as you can in one hour and committing to just that rather than eight hours or so. You usually end up spending more time than 60 minutes, but the restricted time helps build momentum and makes the task feel less daunting.
– Little incentives: like two hours of solid work and then call a best friend for a chat, or finishing a hard task and then having some cake or buying yourself a present!
– Accountability buddies: even something as basic as texting a friend what I’m doing that day and then telling them I did it at the end of the day really helps as I feel an added layer of responsibility/saving face – even though it’s obviously okay if I don’t do everything I said I would.
Sally Day, Content-led marketing services + sessions for learning-centric brands and charities
For me and my ADHD brain, the best way to start something is to try and start something else! 🤣 Eventually, it’ll be the first thing’s turn, once you find something you’re even more keen to procrastinate on!
Christine Gritmon, Personal Branding Coach & Award-Winning Speaker
I’m usually muttering about the audacity of humans who literally have no experience in doing what they’re doing but they have a face that’s good for TikTok and enough brazen opinions to get eyeballs…
But really, if it’s something I’ve done before, I write down the broad steps I took to go from start to finish. If it’s something I’ve never tried, I take the closest or the most similar activity and try to do the same thing.
Somehow, reminding myself that I have, in fact, started something before (when I was tired, hungry, unsure, scared, etc.) and I that I know what to do to get started stops me from treating every task like I’m reinventing the wheel. Really hope that helps. (Also buckets of espresso and cardio.)
Eloise Leeson-Smith, Next-Level Communication, Linguist, Speaker
For me, starting something new begins with breaking it down into tiny, manageable tasks. This makes the project feel less overwhelming and more achievable. I also set a timer for 10-15 minutes and challenge myself to make progress during that time. Often, getting started is the hardest part, and momentum builds from there.
If it’s a new project, I start with research. I get to know the business, the competitors, their tone of voice, etc., usually followed by a walk. It’s a gentle way to get started without the pressure of staring at a blank page and with the added bonus of feeling productive.
For paid tasks with deadlines, I never struggle to dive in and make progress because it’s in a queue of other things and I don’t want to let my clients down. But for self-initiated (or unpaid/undeadlined) projects, I find it much tougher.
Breaking the project down into a list of really achievable small tasks and then doing the easiest, least scary one first to build momentum seems to be working for me. I also try to remind myself of the wider purpose – why I’m doing it in the first place – and leave any thoughts of perfection at the door.
If there’s something I really don’t want to do, then I put it at the top of my to-do list. That way, I’ll get loads of other things done while I put off tackling the thing at the top!
Do the hardest thing first thing in the morning. Because after that, everything else feels like a breeze.
With big projects that I’m only accountable to myself for, I try to get curious about it. I don’t start by jumping into the DOING. But I start by thinking about it, maybe on a long walk or while sitting idle.
I have realised that when I simply get curious about a big idea, more ideas flow and the DOING becomes easier because I’m not doing it because I have to, but because I’m curious about where it will go.
And when I want to get started with a daily habit like exercising, posting on LinkedIn, or anything that I need to do consistently, I follow and teach this formula…
- First, just begin. Just do it.
- Second, do it more. Increase the frequency.
- Then, do it better. See how you can optimise it.
- And then, do new. Add something new to the routine once you’ve already become consistent.
Most people fail at building habits because they try to do it better on day one or try to do it more often than they’re comfortable with on day one. Or they introduce a lot of new things and overwhelm themselves.
I have to start with a plan. Even if it’s something small, giving myself a few minutes to create a plan usually eases me into it, and then I can often spot a small part of it that will be the easiest to get going on.
Jo Shock, Streamlining client onboarding, delivery and offboarding
I felt like I had to get everything perfect with the new ‘brand new notebook’ website, but then I had an idea… why don’t I just make it live, and document it…
https://brandnewnotebook.co.uk/
https://brandnewnotebook.co.uk/starting-againTom Garfield, Website consultant for content, publishing and expertise businesses
I break the big tasks down into really small tasks. I.e. a website refresh – 1st copy and paste all pages on to a word doc and then deal with one page one week at a time, maybe even in 20 min blocks. I aim to go as small as possible then I’ll probably end up doing more than I planned each time…
Starting is usually the easiest part for me because there is a brief or an idea that kicks the whole creative process off. From there I go through a three step process:
ENGAGE – with the brand/business.
EDUCATE – myself on what has been done and explore what could be done.
ENABLE – myself to write the best copy for the task.(This three-step process is the same one I use when writing copy – Engage the audience, Educate them on the product/service, Enable them to purchase with confidence!)
The biggest problem I have is keeping the momentum going when I hit a creative roadblock.
Len Keenan, Freelance copywriter in the Life Science and EdTech sectors
Start WITH somebody. Either team up or separately but with accountability.
Ben McKinney, Copy Or Die, Co-host of the indie business club podcast
As the (self-proclaimed) Queen of Procrastination, it is important to find the way of starting that works for you. After trying several things these days, I tell myself I’ll just do it (with ‘it’ being the thing I’ve been putting off) for 10 mins. Usually, within that 10 minutes I find my flow and carry on. A deadline is also really useful, as I work in a more focused way the closer I get to that end point. Finally, rewards – a walk, an episode of trashy TV, a chapter in my book – make the delayed dopamine hit much easier to deal with.
It depends on what the treat is at the end. 😄 Sometimes to do something scary and brave, like send an email that I’ve been meaning to send, I need a little something at the end to boost me along, whether it’s something as simple as a coffee (and maybe a biccy) or ending the work day earlier. It’s all about the carrots… 🥕 😁
