Do you ever feel overwhelmed or confused about what your day should look like and what will really move your business forward?

Do you have a task list a mile long that keeps you busy but doesn’t seem to bring in the income for the amount of effort?

I’ve been an entrepreneur for over 20 years, and I understand the pressure of everything that needs to get done when you don’t have a large staff supporting you.   A long task list can be overwhelming if you aren’t clear about how to prioritize your day.

Here are the top three morning routines that I use in my business to help me get clarity and prioritize my To-Do List so I can be more profitable and eliminate overwhelm.

1. Develop an “Energy Management” Practice 

   I learned the term “energy management” from my business mentor, Heather Dominick.  She helps highly sensitive leaders learn how to manage overwhelm and be in their strengths in business.  An energy management practice can be for anyone.  It’s setting your energy for the day so that you have a foundation on which to build.

   This can look like exercise, meditation or prayer, journaling or anything that allows you to go within and tap into what you really want. For me, I love journaling.  It helps me get clarity.  Overwhelm is often a symptom of lack of clarity.  I like to use a particular journaling tool called the Order Form To the Universe that I learned from my mentor.  But any writing that helps you tap into what you really want to create will help.

2. Create an Intention-Setting Routine.

   This is simple but powerful.  What do you intend to create today?  I ask myself two questions every morning.The first question is, “How do I want to feel today?”   I choose one word that I use as an anchor for my day – “Excited”, “Powerful”, “Calm”, “Abundant”.  Then I check in about how I am feeling as I go through my day.  Am I feeling like I intended to feel today? If not, I check in and ask myself if I need to do a course correction.

   The second question is, “What’s the biggest outcome that I want to create in my business today?”  When I put my head on the pillow that night, what is the one thing I can feel good about accomplishing?   This then informs my schedule and how much time I set aside for certain tasks.

3. Identify the Top 1 to 3 Tasks for Income Generation

   What are the 1 to 3 tasks that will help me meet my income goal for the month?  Let’s say your main intention for the day is attending a networking event.  Your top task for the day might be identifying one person to schedule a follow up call with from that event.   A task that is connected to income generation is usually one that directly leads to a prospect or referral partner conversation.   I often have 20 to 30 tasks on my to-do list, so prioritizing the top 3 is critical for me to move the needle forward for my bottom line.

   If there are tasks on my list that keep rolling over day after day, then I assess whether (1) I can delegate it or (2) I can eliminate it.   This helps simplify and reduce overwhelm while focusing on the income-producing tasks.

The biggest impact you can make with overwhelm comes through simplification.  As things become simple, they are easier to execute, and you have more space in your brain for creativity and creating real connections in your business.   These three practices go a long way to make things simple in the morning, so you become more productive in creating what you really desire later in the day.

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