We're All Feeling It

Picture this scenario. I’m certain you can as we’ve all been there, probably more frequently these last 8 weeks.

It’s been a long day of work. Busy, lots of decisions, calls, video conferences. Even boredom and impatience - it wears at you.

You’re working from home. Finally the last message for the day is sent. You step away from your workstation/couch/kitchen table. What hits your eye makes you sigh.

A mess of monumental proportions. At least that’s how it feels. Dishes. Laundry. Maybe toys. How everything in your closets and cupboards escaped and piled itself up on every available surface is astonishing.

It’s too much to tackle. You know you should. It’s going to become a bigger problem later. Unfortunately your stuff usually doesn’t make its own trek back to the proper places in your house.

You halfheartedly put some things away. Then you crumple under the weight of it all and hit the couch.

I mean, there’s always tomorrow right?

Business is Like Life

There are pretty constantly a hundred things to do as a business owner on any given day. Employees to deal with. Crises to avert. Clients to speak to and projects to check on. 

The biggest drain on our energy throughout the day is decision making. We make hundreds of decisions each day, and big or small, all these decisions lead to decision fatigue.

Uncertain outcomes, feelings of powerlessness to make things happen and conflicting priorities add to our mental load and fatigue sets in. By the end of a long day, you no longer have the mental energy to make even basic choices.

When you’re facing decision fatigue, it’s easy to try to put off those things that require far too much mental energy. The next day, your mental reserves might be topped back up, but as time and uncertainty wears on, decision fatigue sets in easier and easier.

Divide and Conquer

It’s not just for the Romans.

One way to reduce decision fatigue is to simplify. Reduce the number of decisions you have to make, and try to keep the number of large, overwhelming and uncertain decisions to a minimum as you work to get your mental reserves restored.

That applies as well to projects you undertake. Thinking about cleaning your entire house might seem like planning to climb Everest.  But even mountain climbers need to get to basecamp first, then work from there.

You won’t be shocked that I’m going to segue into your company’s online presence, but really, there are stages in these types of development projects that can take down the decision fatigue, and ease you into what might seem like a really unfamiliar, uncomfortable and uncertain endeavour.

Let’s Try Step One

Your website is pretty important, so let’s start there. How is it doing to communicate your current services, specialties, strengths and value to potential and current customers?

Does it communicate in three steps or less the core of your competencies and how to engage your company for services?

If no, then congrats. You’ve completed step one. You know for sure that something here needs to change.

Step Two

Not all websites need to be junked. Sometimes they just need a little attention.

We can help with Step Two: figuring out if there’s easy things you can do to replace, repair and relaunch on your current framework.

Get a free site analysis by reaching out here. We don’t bite.

Step Two Point Five

Your website CAN be improved. Super excellent. Get in touch with your last web developer with a list of to dos and see what they can knock off for you, and find out what you can start to tackle on your own.

These changes should help your SEO too, which is important.

Step Three

Out it goes. Time for a new site. Ack! Decision fatigue creeping up. How much? How long? What? How? Who? WHYYYYY?

Our recommendation would be to start with a reasonable budget that fits into current financial planning, and an analysis of whether that budget seems fitting for the amount of value a new online presence can have for your company, your employees and your clients.

We are a custom website development company, so our costs might be out of your reach, but we’re also pretty aware of the current tools, companies and options out there for when you’re working with tight budgets.

Be Honest with Yourself

This is our final piece of advice as you start breaking down your project decisions. Be honest with how much you don’t know about this all, and about how much you’re willing to let go of the process versus learn about it.

If you can get through steps one through three, congratulations! You’ve made some decisions already, and you should take a mental victory lap! 

Stay tuned, and I’ll outline a few more small chunks you can break your project into so that you don’t crumple up on the couch again.