If there was ever a week where we needed some real talk, it’s this one. If you’re an Edmonton business owner you’re facing an unanticipated challenge. As a photographer, a part of my business thrives on events. Those events are on standby or are already canceled. This means I’m left with an unanticipated amount of time extra on my hands. This post will share the four ways I’m going to make the most of that time.
I’m a professional development enthusiast. I attend conferences, watch a zillion free webinars and I’m even working towards an online certificate in Adult Learning through the University of Calgary. As a small business owner professional development is in our own hands.
I’m also guilty of purchasing courses and content and not putting enough time aside to work my butt through them and get stuff done. SO! Here is my action plan over the next month to stop making excuses and work through the free and paid content waiting in my inbox.
Get Social With It
Share (without stealing!) your takeaways from what you’re learning through your courses/professional development journey. Sharing on social will keep you accountable for following through with what you’re learning. Telling your audience how you’re going to implement what you’ve learned is an amazing way to showcase your drive badassness as a business boss.
Here’s a personal example of a key takeaway from RISE Toronto:
RISE Toronto inspired me to reflect on what is currently going “right” in my business. In order to achieve my future goals, I need to recognize what is working and what is not. Chip away at the “not” and I can better focus my energies on what is working to generate more consistent revenue.
This is a summary of a key takeaway from the conference without sharing the exact content from the conference. I am spilling no secrets, only my insight.
If you’re like me, you’ve signed up for a course that you really don’t want to take, but you really really should take (I’m looking at you Taxes 101). If you’re really like me, you constantly push back a course like Taxes 101 each time you find a new and exciting course that aligns with your passion. Let’s promise each other that we’re going to find a balance.
Make a deal with yourself, you’ll do a module from a course you’re not enthused about (let’s not get out of hand and do the entire course all at once) and follow that module with another one from a course you’re in love with. So, get the dirty done fast and then move forward towards that golden light.
Look For Free Content
There is so much free content out there! YouTube is amazing. You do not need to sign up for an expensive coaching course if it’s not in your budget (and that’s okay!) If you’ve got a major crush on a coach, do a deep dive into all their free YouTube content first.
Download a Podcast app stat. Podcasts are my favorite source of online inspiration and growth. There are a few podcasts out there like the Start Today Morning Show and Boss Girl Creative that sometimes include monthly or weekly challenges for the listener. These challenges are a form of professional growth and development. Yes, they count!
Find a Balance
This will help you create strong habits once schedules are back to a regular pace. Time blocking an hour or two per week to sit down and only focus on professional development keeps it a priority.
I block off Wednesday mornings as my professional development time. It’s in my Google Calendar as a non-negotiable. I don’t always do a course during this time, sometimes it’s market research, some youtube tutorial time or time to sit down with a favorite coaching book.
Block Your Time
This is the part where I let you know that I work from home and don’t have children. It is fairly easy for me to make time for this each Wednesday morning but I know that won’t be the case for many readers. Do what you can, even if it’s 15 minutes a week. Block that time into your calendar and don’t let your other business items take priority over it.
Investing time in yourself is never going to be a bad thing. If you’re like me and faced with more open time on your hands than you were anticipating you might feel stuck. Right now is a hard time to make plans when it’s tricky to anticipate what’s going to happen a week from now or the week after that. If you’re finding yourself stuck, look to professional development as a source of inspiration.
Here are a few of my favorite online resources for professional development:
Written by Janelle Dudzic