Ep 96 Transcript: The CEO Micro Habit Method for Sustainable Growth When Life Is Messy
This transcript was auto-generated and may contain errors in spelling or inaccuracies in the spoken words.
Shauna Lynn Simon (00:02)
Hello ladies and welcome back to the Real Women Real Business podcast. I am your host, Shauna Lynn Simon, and I am also your business sustainability expert coach. It's January and if you're feeling the pressure to have your whole year mapped out and all of your habits perfectly in place, let's take a deep breath together. OK, you're not behind. You're right on time. So welcome. So we are going to be moving today from vision to action without the overwhelm and without the hustle.
Now, if you listened to my episode that was released just before Christmas on December 23rd, I did a great episode about how to end the year like a CEO. And we talked about reflection and we talked about letting go. And you know, we're all about starting fresh, but I wanna get really real about what it takes to make those big dreams happen on a day-to-day basis. So today we're gonna be talking about the micro habits for real CEOs and how we're going to apply them to make sure that this is your best
year yet. So let's be honest, January is often sold as like this magical reset, right? But most of us, we're still shaking off the holidays, catching up on emails, wondering if we're already behind. I don't know about you, but the calendar, like December 23rd and 24th, you're gearing up for the holidays and the 25th hits and you you do the family thing and you're exhausted the next day, but there's the 26th and you have more people you got to see. And by the 27th, 28th, you don't even know what day it is. And then you still got to get through New Year's.
And so we kind of get played this mad game of catch up the first game of the first week of January, even though we know that we're basically all in the same place. Essentially, we still feel as though we're starting off the month behind the eight ball a little bit. We didn't do all the things maybe that we had set out to do in the previous year. And now we feel like we're kind of paying the price for it. But let me tell you, you're not behind. I promise you because we've got.
A whole lot of days ahead of us this year still, so we're going to make sure that every single one of them counts for you. Most CEOs, they don't actually need more goals. I hear this from clients all the time. Well, I'm a goal oriented person. That's fantastic, but I'd be willing to bet what you don't need right now are more goals. You just need the systems and habits that fit your real messy lives because we're all living in our own little messy life. OK, just because you think that someone else has it all together, let me assure you.
We don't, okay? So we want to make sure that we have those systems and habits in place to help to make our messy lives just a little less messy, but we're never getting rid of the chaos altogether. Sustainable growth isn't about having that perfect planner or a color coded calendar. It's about some tiny and consistent actions. So I thought I'd bring you in a little bit on some of the things that I do on a regular basis that have attributed to my success. And I can honestly say that when I fall out of some of these habits, which
You're going to, okay? No matter how great you are at your habits, there are some you're going to fall out of. And it's all about what we prioritize. I talk about running often because if anyone knows me, they know. If you want to get me talking for hours on end, just mention something about running or ask me a question about running because it is my greatest addiction. And I go running every day. And what's really funny is over the holidays, there were times where
some of my running partners were not able to make it. And one of the big things that I would often hear is it's a really busy, it's gonna be a really busy day today. So therefore I'm not able to make the run. What's funny to me is for me, the run starts my day and the busier the day is, the more important that run is to me. So it's all about how we frame things, right? And that's not to say that the person who chose not to go for a run doesn't already have a powerful morning routine that's going to...
kick off their day on the right foot. So this is not a sales pitch to say every single person listening should become a runner. But I gotta tell you, whoever said you can't stop time clearly was not a runner because when I'm running, there is nothing else that exists in the world. Time stops. I've got all the time in the world. I solve all of my life's problems. So if you've ever been interested in running, feel free to hit me up. Love to chat about it. So let's talk about some of these micro habits.
We're sorry, let's start with some micro habits for CEOs. So these are those small repeatable actions that are actually going to move the needle. They're not the big dramatic resolutions that end up fizzling out by February. I've spoken about this numerous times that I am not a New Year's resolution kind of person. And the reason why is not because I don't believe in improvement and growth. It's because I don't believe in doing it only once a year. I believe in doing it every day. So instead of making some big grand gesture where
Let's say you're to go from zero to five days a week at the gym, for example, or maybe you're going from couch to running a marathon in the next couple of weeks. Like those are not necessarily the most realistic goals. And most likely you're going to end up overdoing things and fizzling things out there. We do the same thing in the non exercise, non activity type things, whether it's in your business, whether it's about being more present for your family or trying to change some of your daily routines or just eating better.
sleeping more, whatever it is that you're going to do that you're convinced you're going to be fantastic at this year. It all begins with a micro habit. That is how you build bigger habits. So the first one is my daily CEO check-in. So every morning before I dive into my client work and my emails, I spend about five minutes just asking what's my number one priority today? Some days this is easier than others, admittedly, because there are days where I'm like, well, everything.
is really important today. So how am I supposed to pick one thing? But I like to focus on what is the one thing that I can do today that's going to move my business further? What's going to move the needle on my business? What's going to actually move me forward? Sometimes it's a big project. Sometimes it's just sending a follow up email. The key is having an intention and following through on that. It's not necessarily about the volume of it. There are some days where it doesn't really feel like I'm doing anything that's moving the needle, but I spent some time maybe getting caught up on some emails.
All of those are moving the needle in my business potentially, depending on what type of emails they are, of course, but there's always going to be the days where you feel like you're making bigger strides than others. That doesn't mean that you're not moving forward, but you do need to be intentional about it. If everything you're doing every day is just to service your clients and you're not spending that time behind the scenes on some of your business development or your CEO level tasks, you aren't going to be able to move the needle in your business. But imagine how things can compound over time if you are
gradually every day working on some small things that are moving it forward. So the next thing I do speaking about emails is my five minute inbox review. So I set a timer for about five minutes to just clear out the junk, flagging anything that's urgent and then I close my email. This is something I will admit I am notorious for checking my email throughout the day, but I love using my kind of same filter, the same five minute inbox review technique.
throughout the day. So it doesn't mean that I'm going to be distracted. If I'm out enjoying a lovely time with some friends, I might check in on my emails. I'm not in the middle of a conversation, of course, but if I've got a few minutes while I'm waiting for someone to return to the table, I might check in and see what emails have come in. But I'm not reading the emails. I'm just flagging the emails to know that I'm going to come back to them later. And part of this is that I have a few different email addresses. I operate a few different companies. And my inbox can easily get
pretty jammed up. So I want to make sure that I'm filtering out the junk. So by doing this first thing in the morning, this five minute inbox review, though, this keeps me from getting sucked into the inbox vortex first thing. Now, some days, one of my top priority tasks is to spend a couple of hours on email and get caught up on some things that require a bit more attention. But on a daily basis, I do a five minute check in first just to make sure that I am aware of what's in there. I'm flagging anything of importance.
⁓ I'll sometimes take it beyond that and I'll create a click up task for myself. Click up is what I use as my project management system and I might create a click up task for myself to address a larger issue that was brought up in an email because if it stays in my email, it doesn't actually get done. It has to go into my project management software for it to actually get done. Now, I spoke about this next micro habit on the last episode, but it bears repeating and I've spoken about this in more than a few episodes over the last couple of years as well.
And that is the end of the day, my gratitude, my focusing on the wins. Now, this is not something I created myself. I acknowledged this in the December 23rd episode that this was from the Dan Sullivan's book, The Gap and The Game. And he talks about at the end of the day, journaling your three wins for the day and then outlining the three things you're gonna focus on for tomorrow.
This is really big. I honestly can't express how big it is. And I have had so many of my clients that have done it and have really experienced a significant growth because of it. Because first of all, you're going to clear off all the bad stuff for the day when you go to bed focusing on your three wins. It doesn't mean that you don't have reflection moments of things that you could have done better. It's just not the time for it right at the end of the day. So I go through my three wins. Now a win doesn't have to be big.
It can be big or small. It can be that you finished up a proposal or maybe it's just that you had a great client call or maybe you took a real lunch break today. Maybe you got out for a little bit of fresh air for a 10 minute walk. Maybe it's a matter of for me, sometimes it's a matter of like, you know, I got to spend a few moments with my mom. Maybe she stopped by in the afternoon and I stopped work to have a cup of tea with her. And that's just a highlight to my day. It doesn't have to be something big, but it does. You do want to make sure that you are acknowledging all of those good moments. So this
helps keep me focused on progress, not just the problems. It doesn't mean there isn't time for reflection. We've talked about that. There's always time for reflection. This is just not the time for it. So I focus on the three wins for the day, as well as the three things that I'm going to focus on tomorrow. And so, and I write them down. These are all written down, of course. So then the next day, that next morning, I'm also going to take a look at those three things that I've got on my to-do list. And I am going to identify what is the one
needle mover task that I'm going to work on today. What's the one thing that if I pick it is going to have the greatest impact? And this could be things like recording a podcast episode, for example, or maybe reaching out to a new potential partner. Or as I said earlier, maybe it is just a matter of getting caught up on some of my emails that have gotten buried a little bit. Or maybe it's time to review some of my numbers, pay a few bills, do a little bit of balancing of the checkbook, so to speak. I know technically we don't balance the checkbook, but you know what I mean. And if I get that done, the day is a win.
even if the rest of the day is absolute chaos. And when you can identify that, you're going to prioritize that one thing because you know that's going to help you to really win the day. And I'll be honest, some days I forget to do some of these things and life or life gets in the way. For me, I definitely find when my morning routine gets thrown a little bit off, that's when I find that some of these things might get shifted aside a little bit. I'll admit my days go better, though, when I'm able to maintain this routine. So it is something I do try to prioritize.
But the point is to keep coming back, not necessarily to be perfect. All right. So I've got some great weekly planning stuff that we're going to go through next after we take this short break. All right. Welcome back to the Real Women Real Business podcast, where we are talking about how to take your vision and turn it into action throughout the entire year, not just one big New Year's resolution, but we want to talk about how we're going to ensure that we win each day, each week, each month of this year so that you can really lean into your CEO role.
So let's do a real time walkthrough of how I plan my week as a CEO. So grab your planner, grab a notebook, or you can just listen and visualize. But I want you to take it all in. And if you don't have, if it's not safe for you to write something down right now, or you just don't want to take the time to do it, that's fine. But I suggest dropping a bookmark here and coming back to this because you're going to want to follow this yourself. I promise you. So you're going to start with the vision. So on a Sunday or Monday at the start of the week, I look at my big picture goals.
for the quarter and if you're not breaking things down by the quarter, maybe you've got monthly goals, maybe you've got annual goals that you're focusing on, but whatever those big goals are, the problem with a big goal is that it's so big. So we need to make sure that we are breaking it down. So what I do on usually other Sunday evening or sometimes Monday morning, I will admit I kind of like Sunday evening. It just depends on how my weekend is going, but I plan it in advance Sunday evening. I like to kind of go through and say, OK, what are my big goals that I'm focusing on?
and what's the main thing I want to move forward this week on. And I write it at the top of the list. And when I say at the top of my planner, I've got a notebook that I use for these things, but sometimes I'll also write it on a post-it note and put it right on my desk, because there's nothing like having that right in front of you as a reminder. So then I go through and I set some priorities. I've got my ClickUp planner, and it's outlined all the tasks that I have planned for the week. And some are a bigger priority than others.
So I'm gonna go through, gonna list all the tasks that I've got, or I'm gonna take a look at all the tasks that I've got. And then I'm gonna ask myself, which of these tasks make me money as well as energize me? So they're gonna be hitting on both my profit and my passion. Because when those two are in alignment, progress is that much more likely. So those get top priority, those tasks that make me both money and energize me.
If something is draining me or if it's not profitable, I'm going to see if I can delegate it or automate it or drop it altogether. Now, if I can't, I want to make sure that I'm really being structured about the time that I'm putting into it. And I've got it scheduled deeply into the calendar, as in like this is not moving. You're going to do this. But then I also make sure that I sandwich it with something that does energize me. And that can be going for a walk or it can be a particular task. Like I love doing up.
You know, something in Canva, for example, so maybe I'm to play in Canva for a little bit. Or I do love playing with a good spreadsheet as well. So maybe that's going to be the task that I'm going to have either before or after this block of time when I'm working on something that I don't really want to be doing, but maybe I can't delegate it out just yet. So we want to make sure that we are pairing it with something that I do enjoy. And I'm going to time block my CEO time. I'm going to block out at least one chunk of time. Now, a chunk of time.
It's kind of a vague term for it because it could be 30 minutes. It could be a few hours. But this is going to be time strategically and specifically for CEO work. This means your strategy, your planning, checking in on some of your metrics. Maybe it's creative thinking. And that this time should be sacred and non-negotiable. Now, when I say creative thinking, it is really difficult to schedule in. I'm going to be creative at this time. Trust me.
I am a creative myself. work with a ton of creatives, all my interior designers, home stages, photographers, you know who you are. And it's really difficult to say, I'm going to be creative at this time. But what I have found helps promote it, is allowing my mind to rest. So it might, instead of saying this is gonna be my creative time, what I might say is, this is the time I'm going to go for a walk, or this is the time I'm going to sit and have a cup of tea, hang out with my cats. Something that's going to...
let my mind rest a little bit and wander. So it shouldn't be doing something that's going to distract my mind. I want to keep my mind open to whatever thoughts that I have. And so this is going to be my sacred time and non-negotiable time for the week. For myself personally, I generally try to not book any calls at all on Fridays. So usually this block of time is going to happen on a Friday. I love having it on a Friday because there is nothing more rewarding than having taken care of that sacred CEO work.
right before I hit the weekend. But that's just me. It might work better for you on a different day of the week, but for me it tends to work really well on my Fridays. Now I'm also going to schedule of course all of my client calls and my project work. Project work is a huge thing because it can't just be a task on the list. I have to actually put it into the calendar. So I try my best to schedule it in. I'm not perfect at it, especially on days where they're full of a of calls.
It's not always easy to get it onto the calendar, but I also make sure that I always have time blocked for breaks, lunch, and if I can, a walk as well. Now the walks, I'll admit, I'm going to be perfectly real with you right now. That is a part of what I would like to change in 2026 is getting more consistent about taking my walks because I'll tell you, 2020, I crushed a walk every day. No problem. Sometimes I got a couple of walks in and it was a goal that I
I was so determined to keep it post-COVID and I'll admit it, I have not been great at it. So this is something that I'm gonna work on. You're welcome to try to hold me accountable to this too. I would very much appreciate that support. Feel free to follow me on Instagram at Shauna Lynn Simon and ask me, did I get my walk-in today? I would love to be held accountable. But the truth is that your client work, your self-care, if it's not on the calendar, it doesn't happen.
So I am going to get so much better at putting my walk in. Now let me tell you, my walk has been on the calendar, but it got to the point where it this thing that I just ignored. So I'm working on some fixes for that I'll keep you posted on how that goes. Now you've got to leave yourself some margin for the unexpected. If you over schedule your time, you're never going to get everything done. So I make sure that I'm leaving some buffer space. I don't do back to back meetings. Personally, I need to recharge after each meeting. I want to bring my best to each meeting.
My clients pay me really good, hard earned money for that time that I give to them. And I need to make sure that I am at my absolute best for them. So I want to make sure that I'm not scheduling my meetings back to back. And I want to make sure that I have that time, like my Fridays, where I have nothing scheduled. Those days are glorious. You need to have at least one day in your calendar. Ideally, that is not scheduled. Or if you do have a schedule, maybe it's a matter of like you bang out a quick meeting in the morning and the rest of the day is yours.
whatever it is that works for you, but this gives me the room to catch up and breathe if something goes sideways. So I always make sure I've got some buffer time in there. And then at the end of the week each week, I'll often look back and say, you know, what worked? What didn't work? Of course, I'm celebrating the wins every day, but I'm also celebrating the wins at the end of the week, identifying where could I have done better? What can I improve on? And seeing how I can tweak my next week for it. Again, progress, not perfection. Now, last
Last month, I want to tell a really quick story. Last month, I planned a week full of projects. But then, of course, I ended up getting hit with a bit of a personal emergency and nothing serious. But still, it kind of derailed things a little bit. And almost nothing actually went to plan. So instead of spiraling into guilt and overwork, I checked in with myself and I reset a little bit and I asked, well, what's the...
the next right step and I was able to be incredibly ruthless with my task list. And this is the thing I've talked about this previously as well. If you've ever heard my story about how my car got vandalized, if you've ever had an unexpected damage to your car or car accident or something's happened to your home, anytime you have to deal with insurance claims, police reports, all of that, that is taking just going to suck so many hours out of your day.
And so if you are looking at your task list as like, how can you be absolutely ruthless with this? If nothing else got done, what would you get done? I call this my task triage. And this really helps me when I have to feel like a personal emergency come up, because instead of feeling guilty about the things that I'm not getting done, I am just super intentional with the things that are going to get done. So like I said, focus on what's the next right step. And sometimes the win is just showing up and taking care of yourself or taking care of a family member.
but you wanna give yourself permission to adjust as you go. So here's my challenge for you, because you know I've gotta always end this on a bit of a challenge or an exercise, some homework, so to speak, for you. I want you to pick one micro habit from today and one weekly planning ritual, and I want you to try it out this week. Don't try to do it all, okay? I hope you've written down this list. I hope that you've saved it somewhere, and I hope that you find it useful, but don't try to do it all.
Just try to do one from the daily micro habit and one from the weekly CEO habits that I have and just get started. And like I said, feel free to DM me or tag me. Tell me about what you're doing. Hold me accountable as well at Shauna Lynn Simon on Instagram and let me know what your plan is this week. I want to support each other. Let's celebrate every little bit of progress no matter how small or how big. And if you're craving more structure and support, of course, don't forget to contact me. Join me for
our next upcoming webinar. can always check it out by simply going to aboutshaunalynn.com/webinar Or you can also set up a call with me at aboutshaunalynn.com/coachme. We have a great program, the Real Women Real Business Mastery Program that helps you throughout the next 12 months of the year. And you can join at any time, but January is such a great time to get a kickstart into the year.
We're gonna in the first 30 days get you so much clarity on your business to make sure that you have the right direction and plan set out for the next 12 months. And then we're gonna support you every step of the way. You get a ton of micro trainings in this program, as well as more in depth training. We cover the 12 foundational pillars of success throughout the 12 months. You get lifetime access to that on demand training as well as twice monthly group coaching calls with me. We have an.
incredible community of ladies already in this program who are there to give you their their support as well. You'll get that that support from me and that accountability from me as well. So remember you don't need to overhaul your business overnight. Tiny habits, real priorities and a little bit of grace is going to get you much further than any big resolution ever could. Remember that I'm I'm over here. I am cheering you on the entire way. Would love to have you.
inside the Real Women Real Business Mastery program where I can cheer you on a little bit more actively as well. But regardless of whether or not that's the right fit for you right now, just know that I am wishing you so much success for the full year ahead, one day at a time as you continue to build, grow and thrive on your terms. So if you have enjoyed this podcast today, I hope you will let me join you for the rest of the year. Let's stay on this journey together. So be sure to subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts, of course.
Leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. It really, really does help with the algorithm. And as always, the best way to not only show your support for this lovely podcast here, but also for your fellow women entrepreneurs is to share this episode with someone that you know needs to hear it. I'd be willing to bet you can probably think of at least three people in your circle right now who could use an episode like this. Just hit that share button, send it on over to them. They will thank you for it. And I would be forever.
grateful to you. So thank so much for tuning in today. Until next time, keep thriving.