You know all about cluttered spaces. Even if you’re not a clutter person, you probably know someone who is. Or maybe you’ve seen one of those reality TV shows about hoarders. It’s rare to find anyone in Western civilization who hasn’t experienced even a short-term bout of clutter.

But what about “idea clutter”? So many business owners tell me they have more ideas than they can keep up with. They tell me they suffer from “bright shiny object” syndrome – where every new idea, concept, interest and opportunity pulls hard at them, lures them away from what they were previously focused on… much like getting lost in the “click here” rabbit hole of the Internet.

Idea clutter is just like physical clutter. Oh, it may seem different at first glance, but the impact is the same.

The Impact of Idea Clutter

• Idea Clutter blocks your energy
• Idea Clutter is a distraction from what really matters (but is scary to you)
• Idea Clutter drains you emotionally
• Idea Clutter creates confusion
• Idea Clutter buries your treasures
• Idea Clutter keeps you playing small
• Idea Clutter overwhelms you into paralysis
• Idea Clutter traps you in an endless loop of false possibility
• Idea Clutter keeps you from living your true purpose
• Idea Clutter is an excuse to avoid your dreams

The very nature of being an entrepreneur is about growing an idea – you feed and nurture it, and develop it into a successful venture.  Business owners must take risks. And that includes the risk to focus on one idea instead of another. Like betting on a horse race, your job is to decide which idea has the best odds. And run with it. Even when the other ideas are jockeying for attention.

If you are like me, you might cringe at committing to just one, or even a few, ideas. What about the other ideas? What if they are better?  The truth is that taking action on a bad idea is more valuable than letting your best ideas idle on a post-it note somewhere on your desk. Even if your idea turns out to be a dud, the brave act of taking focused action will lead you to new discoveries, lessons learned and a more refined decision-making process.

Your role as business owner requires you to take charge of your idea processing. When idea clutter leads you astray, you are not leading your business. When new ideas keep you from completing something you’ve started, you’ve allowed some smaller part of yourself take over. Don’t worry – this is all very natural, you are not alone in this!

Enter… The Idea Incubator

My favorite way to manage idea clutter is to set up what I call an “Idea Incubator.” You can find the right way to do this for yourself, but my way is to keep a document handy on my computer’s desktop. When I’m bopping along doing my work (or play or whatever) and a new idea pops up in my brain, I click open that document and jot it down.  There are cool fancy gizmos and apps you can use, such as Evernote or even a memos application on your phone. One key for me is that I’ve got one master Idea Incubator that gets synchronized with my mobile device so that it’s always handy.

It’s a tremendous relief to offload my ideas into the Idea Incubator. Knowing they are safe and cozy there, I am free to keep my focus on the current idea. I’ll visit the Idea Incubator on occasion just to refresh my memory, and see if any of my little ideas are ready to hatch. Being this intentional about the ideas I am committing to also sharpens my ability to decide when to abandon an idea. With the clutter, it’s all mass confusion. But the Incubator keeps me focused. Like magic.

Ask yourself: “Which horse am I on right now?”  And try creating your own Idea Incubator to keep the rest of the herd from overtaking you.  Let me know how it works out for you.

Happy Anniversary to Me! 

In two days, on July 10^th, I celebrate my eighth year in business. Yippee!

I’ve come a long way, baby, and wanted to share with you eight (of many!) lessons I’ve learned on the journey. Some taught to me by others, some discovered the hard way.

1. Employ the 96-minute rule. I learned this from friend and fantastic productivity consultant, Wendy Ellin, President of Momentum. I was already sufficiently organized with my papers and files, but Wendy opened my eyes about how I organized my time each day. The 96-minute rule is based on the famous 80/20 rule. Essentially, if you get 80% of your success from 20% of your activity…  why not focus on that critical 20% first thing each day?  Twenty percent of an eight-hour day is 96 minutes. So, spend the first 96 minutes of your day on your highest-payoff activity. When I do this, I always get a positive result. Always. For me, that high-payoff activity is usually following up with warm leads, executing a marketing campaign, creating products or service offerings, doing some creative brainstorming to grow my business or solve a problem. It’s usually the “important but not urgent” items on my to-do list. It never involves checking email or Facebook, reading ezines or poking around on the Internet. Those activities are important, too, but I reserve other timeslots for those tasks. Give the 96-minute rule a try – you will be amazed at the result!
2. Clarify and magnify your business vision. What is the greater mission that you are using your business to achieve? You may have the goal of making money (me too!), but if that is the only driving force, it gets a little tedious and imprisoning. Money is great, but a sustainable business is built on something more meaningful – money should become a result, not a focus. When money is your focus, you lose your bearings more easily and get sidetracked by every potential money-making venture that comes along. Think of your business as a living, breathing entity that you are in relationship with. When a new opportunity crops up, ask your business – not your current emotions – what the best decision is. Of course your personal satisfaction is important. But if you start with “What’s best for the business?” you will often end up melding your business’ needs with your own personal excitement and energy for the new idea. That’s ideal!
3. Don’t cheap out. When you invest in equipment, education, experts and other resources that are key to running your business, don’t automatically pick the lowest-cost option. Do your research and then purchase wisely at the best price you can get. Buy equipment that will serve about twice your current need, so you can grow into it and then outgrow it later.  Because I coach over the phone, I needed a super reliable headset. I must have blown through five $40 headsets in the first two years before finally investing $250 in a top-quality one that has now lasted me six years – and gives me 100% confidence that it will work well every call. I’ve wasted more money on cheap stuff, “free” training, bargain assistants…  and had to learn the hard way to just bite the bullet and pay for top quality in the first place. This doesn’t mean being stupid with your budget – it just means thinking bigger picture with your purchases.
4. Let your business identity emerge naturally. By “business identity,” I mean your external branded image – your business name, logo, website URL. Some get it in a flash of lightening. Others take years. Most are in the middle. It’s okay, just let it reveal itself to you. In the meantime, focus on building the business and moving forward. Don’t let the “what to name your business” decision slow you down. If you haven’t come up with an inspired idea yet, just give it any old name and get on with it. You can evolve with the inspired brand later. I have changed my business identity twice in eight years and it has not hurt me – it actually created new opportunities for me (although I’m in love with my current BrilliantVisions identity and not planning to change for a long time!)  Key note about branding: Your business name & logo are only a mere sliver of what we call “branding.” The process you consistently use, the messages you broadcast, the promises you make, the way you treat your clients… those are much bigger elements of branding.
5. Make relationships take TOP priority. Especially if — when – you screw up! You might think I’m talking about client relationships. Well, of course these are very important to nurture. But I see a lot of entrepreneurs treating their customers as “kings,” but casting vendors and potential joint venture partners as second-class citizens. Treat your vendors with the same regard you treat your best clients and you will get amazing service. And don’t hold back from building great, authentic relationships with your competitors – shocking, I know! You never know when a competitor becomes your best ally. It’s happened for me – instead of allowing one competitor make me feel threatened, I built a relationship that turned into a collaboration, a force to be reckoned with! 
6. Never stop seed sowing. Mind what’s in front of you now, but keep expanding your vision and planting seeds for later. Relationships, ideas, and opportunities that are new and tenuous right now could be the most fruitful later. Don’t sacrifice the future for the present. Also, those entrepreneurs who had robust marketing programs in full swing during the good times have mostly fared well during the economic downturn because they had already filled up their pipelines. Create a marketing program and system that will keep working for you even when you become covered up in client work. 
7. Take care of yourself. Feed and nurture your spiritual, physical, emotional and mental selves on a routine (daily) basis. If you are the driver of your business – doesn’t it make good sense to keep your “engine” fully tuned up and have plenty of fuel in the tank? While we are on this topic, cultivate your relationships with family and friends. Entrepreneurs are notorious for putting these important relationships to the side when work takes over. Don’t let that happen. 
8. Plan, Plan, Plan. In some of my corporate jobs, I held project manager roles that taught me important planning concepts. And as a business owner, I have learned to become downright compulsive about planning. Starting with the big picture – my vision for my life and my business – and working back to the “how-tos” and smaller details, I am at my best when each endeavor is fully planned out. My natural inclination is to be more spontaneous, but I’ve learned that creating reliable systems gives me space to wing it at times. It’s a nice mix for my personality. You have to find your own mix, but I recommend that you err on the side of more planning, less winging. Then you can always shift the balance after you begin to gain momentum.

I’m thrilled to be celebrating the eighth anniversary of my business — it’s a major milestone for me! What lessons have you learned in your business? Please share!

They made this mess. It’s their fault. If it weren’t for them…. Oh, there are so many ways to invoke blame!

Here’s the raw truth about blame: In the moment, it seems so easy and natural to lay blame on others. But operating from a stance of blame is as harmful to yourself than it is to the entity or person you are blaming. And blame is flat-out a relationship killer.

We all blame – it can be a natural default. (So I’m not blaming you if you are a blamer!) And some hidden sliver of ourselves gets some degree of benefit from blaming. Let’s take a look at how effective those benefits are:

1. You get to be the helpless victim.

Let’s say you are late to meet a friend for a movie. She has been waiting outside the movie, both worried about your safety and anxiously deciding whether to just go ahead into the theatre so she doesn’t miss the opening scene. Meanwhile, you come scurrying up to the ticket counter at the last second and the first words out of your mouth are, “Oh the traffic was so awful, I thought I would never get here!” Ahhh, so it was the traffic that “caused” your lateness. Not that you gave yourself 14 minutes to make a 16 minute drive. Now, instead of giving your friend empathy over the fretting she did while waiting for you, YOU get to be the victim of a traffic jam. If you pick your friends right, she will feel badly for you and pile on the pity. Oh, poor, poor you. And isn’t that charming?

2. You get to avoid growth.

Your choice to blame is a choice to stay small. Yes, you will narrowly escape an opportunity to learn how to be a better human being. When you deflect responsibility for your circumstances onto your thoughtless family, that unreasonable client, the idiots on the school board, those inept carpet installers (oh the list can go on and on, can’t it?), you also deflect the focus away from yourself and any self-reflection that might reveal something new and useful about yourself. All that blame gives you no space to reflect on things like: What is my contribution to this? Which of my behaviors, decisions and beliefs set the stage for this circumstance to find its way into my life? Or – Why do I seem to repeat certain patterns (why do I always get the inept carpet installers?!) If you are willing to go to a deeper level with this, I invite you to take the risk of asking yourself what gift this circumstance brings – how is this problematic scenario a fertile ground for you to make a life-altering shift or learn something about your core self? Or, you could simply take the easy way out and keep blaming others.

3. You get to propagate blame trickle down.

Yes! You can be a blame catalyst. When you blame another, they are egged on to blame yet another person or entity. Kind of like a game of hot potato. The downside to this game is that you are teaching your kids, co-workers, clients, friends and that lady behind the counter at the DMV that blaming is your shtick. This means you are fair game – they get to blame you, too! (Actually, this is the exact conversation model at play in the U.S. at the moment – politics aside, surely you can see how brutally ineffective this blame-tag is.) Perhaps it’s time to break the blame habit? Start by simply noticing each time you make a blaming statement out loud. Just notice it, catch yourself in the act. No self-judgment on this – remember, you are in a learning phase. When you are ready, begin to catch yourself before the words come out of your mouth. You may end up saying “never mind” a lot, but no matter. And this is not about stifling your truth – it’s about breaking a habit that degrades your relationships and erodes your credibility. You still get to speak your truth, but via productive, relationship-strengthening, heart-opening communication. Unless, for some reason, you prefer distant relationships filled with harsh language and biting sarcasm.

4. You get to win!

I recently found myself in a righteous uproar over the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. I was silently blaming BP, the U.S. government, drivers of gas-guzzling cars, Henry Ford himself! And ooooooohhhh, I was so right. They were so wrong. Ha! I had won my mental argument with society! But what, exactly, had I won? The oil was still gushing, animals were still being coated with oil, and beach communities were still in peril. My blame was accomplishing nothing but vitriol within myself. Now, anger and frustration are perfectly healthy feelings to have. And of course the situation must be assessed – it’s important to learn why and how this happened and how to prevent future spills. But pure blame (transferring all responsibility to the other parties) is a dead-end street to a pile up of solution-less ire.

As soon as I realized I was caught in the blame trap, I stepped back. I began to find my own contribution to the situation – yes, MY contribution. No, I did not cause the spill directly. But I do routinely buy gas. I have not taken steps toward finding an alternative fuel transportation mode. Sure, I have contributed in my own tiny way. And in owning up to that – in making this OUR problem instead of THEIR fault – I found some clean inspiration to take action – any action – to contribute to the solution. For starters, I donated to the Audubon Society and used my social networks to encourage others to join me. As a blamer I have a small victory in being right. But when I release blame and own my part, I begin to feel included in the situation, which allows me to see ways to contribute. A healthy society depends on this spirit of cooperation. Blame cuts cooperation to the quick. Just watch any politician on any side of any issue.

5. You get to play the role of martyr (when engaged in self-blame).

This one’s a little different. Instead of blaming others, you are blaming yourself. Yes, it’s great to take responsibility and to find your part in the situation. But self-blame is just as stifling as blaming others. Suppose you’ve just spilled red wine on your friend’s white carpet. Yes, I think we can make a clear factual case that you have caused this mishap. But when you lurch into a self-demeaning tirade (either externally or silently) of “Oh I’m such a jerk! I am so stupid! I can’t believe I did this!,” you kind of circle back around to becoming the helpless victim again (see #1). All blame diminishes compassion, but self-blame may be the most soul eroding of them all. Yes, it’s good to admit to and apologize for the wine spill and help clean it up, and pay for a steam cleaning service – make it right with your friend. But to marinate in compassionless self-blame does nothing to contribute to the solution and actually squashes your spirit.

We all do this blaming thing to some degree. Just notice how it dampens your energy and vitality, and keeps you small. And feel free to share whatever you are noticing in the comments below!

Polite drivers are dangerous.

Let me rephrase that: Drivers who bend traffic rules to demonstrate their politeness are dangerous.

In my town of Atlanta, GA, I see this all the time. Just yesterday I approached an intersection a few seconds after another car had arrived. It was just the two of us. The other car had clearly arrived at the intersection first, and was fully stopped. I was still braking and slowing down when the driver cheerily waved me on.

Instant confusion! They, not me, had the right of way. This situation always creates a conundrum. Do I respond to the other driver’s gracious gesture of allowing me to “butt in line” ahead of their turn? With this comes the risk that I misunderstood or perhaps if I hesitate a moment, they assume I didn’t see their wave – and so we are now both confused which escalates the possibility of a crash. Or do I stand my ground – stubbornly planted in my knowledge that it is indeed their right-of-way, not mine and, by golly, I will sit here until next Tuesday just to prove my point! So now, we are both in a state of hesitation. You go. No, you go. We each wonder who will make the first move, until finally, one of us becomes impatient and proceeds. It becomes a game of adult, polite “chicken.”

My friend’s teenage son – with a shiny new driver’s license in his wallet – was in an accident over this very thing. Thankfully there were no injuries, but my friend’s car was quite banged up. The young driver (fresh on the rules of the road, having just recently been tested on them) was turning left across two lanes of traffic. One of the oncoming cars decided to make a gesture of politeness and stopped to let him cross. The boy’s societal instincts kicked in – you always accept a polite gesture, right? Isn’t that the polite thing to do? In that momentary conflict between doing the right thing, societally, and doing the right thing according to traffic rules, the kid accepted the polite gesture and made the turn. Unfortunately, a driver in the other oncoming lane did not stop and… kaboom. All because of undue politeness.

My job here is not to give a driving lesson (although – as inconvenient as it would be, I do have a secret wish that all seasoned drivers were retested in our “advanced” age, to ensure that we are all up to snuff on the rules!).

No, what I notice is that this relinquishing of right of way happens in business all the time. Business owners as well as leaders of every rank can fall into that zone of hesitation… holding back on an idea, or stifling a challenge to the status quo, or delaying a decision that will move the project crisply forward, or wavering on stopping harmful employee gossip. All in the name of being polite, trying to look good, wanting to get along. There are numerous situations where I see entrepreneurs and other business leaders stop themselves from taking charge.

“Taking charge” doesn’t mean being a bull in a china closet. It simply means: Seeing the right path and decisively taking it – not always stopping to get permission or consensus, which generally just slows down the pace and confuses everyone else involved. Not only that, some forms of politeness can actually come off as condescending, which is most certainly a back-fire.

Think about this the next time you pull up to one of those frightful four-way stops. Do you see the confusion that happens when just one driver defers to the others, in an attempt to be polite. Can you see the parallel to what happens in your business?

Ultimately, it’s much easier – and safer and more effective – to politely take your right of way.