The Right-Brain Dilemma

Many solopreneurs who are right-brain oriented such as artists, healers, intuitives, struggle with being super-focused. They get so super-focused working on a project in their right-brain that they lose track of time, miss appointments, forget other projects, and end up not getting everything done.

The consequence of this can be less income than they deserve. What can they do about it? I have found that if you have this problem, you need to have more structure in your business day. I used to have that problem and here are 4 tools for solving the right-brain dilemma:

1) Master list
2) Daytime calendar
3) Time-blocking spreadsheet
4) Action timer

First of all you need to have a master-to-do list. This is a catch-all list of everything you think of that you must do. It doesn’t mater if it’s today or just when you get around to it---everything goes on this list. That way nothing slips through the cracks. You have to look at it every day and decide what items you want to schedule on your calendar.

Then you have a daytime calendar where you transfer items from the master list to the days you want to do them on the calendar. You can also have your appointments on this calendar. Another tip is to prioritize the daily to-do list so you get the most important things done first.

Another area where you need some structure is in planning your time into blocks. That means blocking out segments of time for certain activities. For example, you may want to block out an hour every Monday morning for posting a blog and commenting on other blogs. Then you might block a 2 hour block of time on Wednesday afternoons to write a weekly article. And block another 4 hour period for seeing clients on Tuesdays and Fridays. The best way to plan this out is to make an Excel spreadsheet and block out your time. Then when you make your daily schedule, check the time block plan.

Right-brained people have a hard time keeping track of time so the best way to overcome this and not run over is to get a timer. Then whenever you start one of your projects that takes you into your right-brain, you just set the timer for the time allotted block. That way you don’t have to worry about getting super-focused at the cost of everything else. You can use a hand timer or a software program like "ActionEnforcer" to time your work sessions. By using a timer in conjunction with the other tools, you will keep yourself reliable and accountable.

Being able to work without time restraints is a luxury that most business owners can’t afford. But by using these tools, you can relax into your work, knowing that you have your bases covered.