028: Forget the ‘To-Do’ List -- What is Your ‘Must-Do’ List?

Hey, have you heard there's a new style of CEO on the block. The modern CEO. And she is changing the way businesses are run. She's setting her own hours and her own salary. She's creating a business around what matters most to her. Freedom, family, and impact. And her corner office looks nothing like what you'd see on Wall Street. It's a kitchen t your grandma's lake house, a spacious home office, the living room floor maybe surrounded by kids and crayons or the local coffee shop. Your business, your way. This modern CEO is here to stay. Because when you embrace your role as modern CEO, you will have more freedom, more profit, and more fun. Most importantly, you'll fall in love with your life and a business in a way you've only dreamed. Trust me, this isn't a pipe dream reserved for only a select few. You are the modern CEO. You are creating a business and life you love because a better business means a better life. Hello. Hello. Welcome back to the podcast. I am your host, Amber McHugh, and I am so excited to be here with you again today. Sitting down with you, even though it's imaginary because I'm just staring at my audio recording app and you're not really sitting in front of me. I've got to say, preparing to sit down with you in this space right now, even if it's imaginary and in my head, is one of my favorite things. So thank you so much for being here. Thank you for listening. And if you are listening to this and you've gotten any value or you get value today out of this podcast episode or our podcast overall, will you give me a shout out on social media? Because I would love to connect with you more deeply and in real life. Social media without that social aspect is pretty heartless for me. So give me a shout out. Let's connect. I'm Amber McHugh on Instagram. My Facebook page is also Amber McHugh. I'm on Twitter Amber McHugh. And so basically, I'm in all the places as Amber McHugh, even on YouTube. So wherever you are hanging out on the Internet, I'd love to hear from you and I'd love to connect. So I am sitting here today with you with my glass of Starbucks refresher and we don't actually have a Starbucks in Ethiopia. There are some fabulous coffee shops. In fact, I love Ethiopian coffee. I didn't even drink coffee until we moved to Ethiopia. Funny little story around that we were moving here. I thought we are going to Ethiopia. One of the birthplaces of coffee. I'm going to have to learn to drink coffee. I mean, how can you live in Ethiopia and not drink coffee? Is what I said to myself. So it took me a little bit and I decided to try it. And I fell in love with Ethiopian coffee. More specifically, I fell in love with the Ethiopian macchiato, which is very, very, very different than the macchiatos in Western culture, in Dubai, in Kenya. Coffee just tastes different around the world, I now know. But I love some Ethiopian macchiatos and an Ethiopian coffee. In fact, my sister doesn't drink coffee either. But when she came to Ethiopia, we convinced her to try it in a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony. And she said and called out that the coffee here tastes a little bit like dark chocolate. It's so rich and there's so much depth to it. So no wonder I fell in love with the Ethiopian coffee. But I'm really excited to head back to the States this summer because someone recommended when we were in Cape Town that I try a flat white, because that was a little bit closer to the Ethiopian macchiato. So I'm going to try a flat white when I get back to the States and I will let you know if it at all compares to the Ethiop macchiato. But what is. What's a common thread is that we don't have a Starbucks here. We don't have. We don't have a lot of things here. I mean, people. I'm in a. I'm in a WhatsApp group where people try to find out where the milk is. Like, where is milk selling right now? Is there any butter in town? Has anybody seen almonds? I combined walnuts and almonds there because a friend just bought me some walnuts and I thought, oh, my gosh, I have not seen walnuts in ages. You know, and living like this, living with access to less things, has actually empowered me to get more done. I shared in the last episode that I took some time while we didn't have Internet, to finish the how to Clone Yourself book. So the how to Clone Yourself book, in addition to this podcast series, will be coming soon to your hands, to your ebook, to your Kindle, whatever it is that you read on. So be sure you sign up to get notification when the book is released@howtocloneyourself.com we'll keep you posted over there and of course, here in this episode. But there has been a lot of elimination in our lives since we moved to Ethiopia, and it reminds me that there are a lot of things that we have in our lives. There are a lot of things on our to do lists, a lot of things that we think we really need to do. We really need to be involved in that thing. But as Pablo Picasso said, art is the elimination of the unnecessary. And slowly, over time, I'm realizing that there is so much unnecessary that was going on in my life and continues to go on. This is a constant process. How to clone yourself isn't one and only done, but it's an evolution and it's a process. But this quote and this idea of living in Ethiopia and really eliminating so much of our, so many of our things, we significantly downsized when we moved here. And we also live with a lot less, A lot less access. We live with if we can get a shipment, it takes, you know, one to two weeks to get here versus our two day Amazon Prime. And there's no Instacart, there's no Postmates, right? There's no delivery service. So things have changed. We've eliminated and in a sense, gone back in time. But that's also propelled us forward because those things that we need, the pressure that we put on ourselves to do more, be more, get more, achieve more, have more in our lives is oftentimes misguided or it's not reality. Right? We're chasing something and we're not pausing to think about what is it that I actually want, what is it that I actually need, and what is it that I really need to do to get where I want to be going. And that's what we're gonna dive deep into in this episode in our how to Clone Yourself series. What do you really need to be doing? So in the last episode we talked about what is it that you are doing? And you started, although you may not be done yet, completing your time inventory again. We're gonna do that time inventory and track our time for two to three weeks. Because if you just do one week, you may not be getting a compreh of your time, because weeks change. We do different things in our businesses and our lives from. From week to week. So completing the time inventory for two to three weeks will give you a sense of what you're actually doing. And now we pivot to look at what do you really need to do. Throughout my career, I've worked with business leaders. Actually, my entire career, I have worked with business leaders of small, which is where I started, working for a small commercial painting company and partnering with the business owner of that company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And I grew to partner with business leaders who were running large businesses, multimillion dollar businesses. And now I work with micropreneurs. And throughout my career I've heard from thousands of business owners on what they need to do in their business. One thing is consistent over and over again. We think we need to to do so much more than we actually do. It's inevitable. At some point you will actually have to get out of the weeds and you will have to step away from doing all of the things and shift your mindset from I need to do this. Only I can do this. Because it becomes nearly impossible to run the business, to do all of the things and at the same time to lead the business and to lead in your life and be the CEO of your life. I realized this myself about a year and a half ago and that's actually when we made the decision to hire an operations manager in our business. But even before that, I can't do all of the things. I know how to do some of these things. I have built process documentation and systems and collaborated with teams and facilitated workshops on the most optimal systems and business design for lots of organizations. So I know how to do this. But I couldn't do that for myself and step into that visionary leadership role at the same time. I couldn't play both roles. It was too much. I was wheel spinning. I out of control. The hamster wheel would not stop. I was rocking in a rocking chair and I was getting nowhere. I was focused on $1 bills and $5 bills and the hundred dollar bills. The most important things in my business and my life were not getting the attention. We deserved. They deserved. We. I was looking and thinking about my family and my clients. Right. And my team members. So I needed to shift how I showed up so I could lead the business. And there was a time for me when putting systems in place helped considerably with that. Systems are essential and that's likely where you'll start. If you're running a small business or you're just getting started, that's a great place to start to how to clone yourself. And eventually you might want to build the team out. But we're going to get into that later. Right now I want to look at your what you need to do list, which I call your must do list. According to a study written by the Harvard Business review, hands on CEOs are actually less effective than CEOs who stay high level. I believe it. I believe it. The CEOs and the business owners and the leaders I have worked with who are able to maintain and hold onto their vision and stay in that visionary leadership role. It's a much more enjoyable place to work, it's much more successful, it's more productive, their team members are more engaged and their clients are happier. So if we make a list of everything you really need to do in your business, it is an incredibly short list. As the business owner, the list of things you actually need to do in your business will likely be less than 10 items long. In fact, I challenge you get your must do list down to 10 items or less. Are you up for the challenge? I am really excited to see if you are up for the challenge. In fact, I would love for you to tag me. Give me a shout out on social media somewhere if you are taking the 10 items or less challenge for your must do list. If you want to use the hashtag howtoclone yourself, let's track it all there and definitely tag me because I want to see this list. Once you build this list, not only share it with me, but share it with your team, your colleagues, your friends, your family so everyone can help you keep the focus. I mentioned that actually at the beginning. Oh my gosh, did you hear that? Actually, I sounded so Chicago when I said that. Sometimes my actually my A's get super nasally and it snuck in there. Okay, I digress. But I distract myself when that nasally A pops in. I know, I know. I've still got a Chicago accent even without the nasally as. But that one really jumps out at me. My ear is even. What happened there. Okay, okay. Back to business. Back to business. So I mentioned in the last episode how I finished the how to Clone Yourself book. And at the beginning of the year, I set a goal to write every single day. Journal something, write a story, write a letter, write in my book. Well, y', all, I was procrastinating and focusing on everything except the book. I gotta do some more research. So at about May, early May, maybe late April, I asked my husband to ask me every single day, did you write for your book today? Not just did you write? Cause at first I had him start asking me, did you write? Yeah, I was writing. I was checking that box, right? I was doing it. But on my must do list was writing toward and for the book. So when I shifted and engaged my partner in did you write for your book today? Because that's what was on my must do list. He helped me keep the focus on the book and it is now done and we are getting it off to the editor. So why focus in on a short list of to Dos. I mean, you and I both know. I mean, this might just be common sense to you. I may not even need to answer this question because it is straight up impossible to do all of the things you know it. I. I know it. That's why you're still listening. You need a clone. Take a look at your to do list. Do things keep moving forward from week to week? Do you wake up in the middle of the night wondering what you forgot? Speaking of waking up in the middle of the night, my daughter woke up last night and said, mom, I just had a dream that you bought me 10 big Hatchimals. It's not happening. Oh, when we went back to the States. So we're headed back to the States and she's really committed to getting some hatchimals. I am really committed to not buying her a big hatchimal. Those hatchimals, y', all, they are $60 at least they were the last time I was in the United States. So I'm committed to not. She is committed to getting one. I'll keep you posted on who wins. So what do you wake up in the middle of the night wondering about? Is it hatchimals? Is it birthday present shopping that you have to do? Right? Is your email overflowing with requests that you simply can't reply to? Are you rocking? Are you picking up $1 and $5 bills? It simply does not have to be this way. Your team, your business, your clients will thank you when you stay focused on the things you excel at and the things you need to do to grow and serve. Like anyone else on your team, like anyone else in your life, you have a role to play. As modern CEO and business owner. And as CEO of your life, clearly defining and knowing what your role is is just as important as defining roles for anyone else in the organization. Right? We're going to go more in depth later about the importance of having clearly defined roles and how that will impact your team. But you also have to be clear on your role. It may be more important as the other role descriptions. As the business owner who once did all of the things, it is so easy to get pulled back in. However, if you focus on your new must do list, everyone will be happier for it and everyone will will benefit. So as you think about your must do list, there are two key aspects I want you to consider when you're building this out. Number one, what is your role as business leader, modern CEO, entrepreneur, or CEO of your life? Yeah, and I am saying CEO of your life as well, because you've Got a role to play in your life, in taking care of yourself for your family, with your friends. Right. And commitments that you've made personally as well. And I think it's so important as we're building out our businesses, as we are going forward and going after our dreams, to not lose sight of those things, because it is incredibly easy. So I want you to look at, number one, your role as business leader, modern CEO, entrepreneur and CEO of your life. And I want you to look at what you are incredibly good at, like, what can no one else do? Because this is your role in the business. You are good at it. That's why people show up. And that's going to move the business forward. So let's drill down into these two categories just a little bit. So what's your role? You're now running a company, building a business, and you're looking at yourself as a leader in your life. And you're pretty incredible. You've set the vision you need to ensure you have space and time to process and reflect. And you need to rally the team and the resources that will help you bring this vision to life. These activities may include things like time reading and learning. Yes, that can be on your CEO must do list. You might spend time recruiting top talent, time journaling or at the whiteboard mapping out a new strategy. Yes, it is legit okay to carve out time for strategy. In his book Rocket Fuel, Gene Wickman highlights these things you may want to think about in your visionary role of modern CEO. New ideas, research and development, creative problem solving, major external relationships and partnerships, and one of my favorites, your company culture. Again, even this list that Jean put together for Rocket Fuel is a very short list. A short list is what's needed, and it doesn't mean you'll be sitting by the pool drinking margaritas all day. Although, depending on how you design your business and your life and how much cloning you do, you may very well be drinking margaritas by the pool all day. However, the point is that the short list of things you need to do are a big deal. Leading in your business and your life takes time. It takes energy. It takes heart. I don't want you to rush or overwhelm yourself. You will clone yourself and this will all happen right on time. In this modern CEO leadership role, you need more time to get a short list of things done. I remember when I was changing roles in my consulting career and going from a doing role to more of a strategy and a leadership role. That was one of the first things I realized I just need time to think. I just need some space without meetings, without typing, to think, think and brainstorm the best strategy, the best solutions for my clients. It takes a little bit longer to do some of that heavy mental work. So you're going to do less, but you're going to have a big impact. And diving into the second question that's going to help you refine and get to your 10 items more or less on your must do list, I want to ask you what. What are you incredibly good at? Because you're running a small business, you'll likely still have actual work to do, right? You won't just be sitting by the pool. I mean, some of us will, but not me. I don't even have a pool. I am miles and miles and miles away from water and the ocean. But some of us might be sitting by the pool. Some of us are going to be in the office, right? We're going to have to get some work done day to day. How in the business you need to be depends on the type of business you run and how you structure it. For example, Oprah runs a media company, and part of her role includes being on tv. She's got to show up for that, right? I'm hosting a podcast. I've got to show up for the podcast. Own's business model has not yet evolved to take her off of TV or off of the COVID of the magazine. See, even Oprah works in the business from time to time. So it's not a terrible thing. It's okay. It's all right. Oprah's doing pretty good. Still, all the things is not a helpful responsibility on your list of things to do. So we're gonna break it down and get clear on what you will still do when you work in the business. To further narrow down what exactly you do, look at what you do well. I mean, like, really well. The things that give you energy, the things that you don't do well, the things that suck your energy, we're gonna put those in. We're gonna give them home, another place, another time. But right now we're focused on what do you do well and what needs to stay on that must do list. Oh, my gosh. Have you guys read Chillpreneur yet? I love me some Denise Duffield Thomas. And in her book Chillpreneur, she describes how she gets things done with more ease. She focuses on her strengths. Denise sees that too many entrepreneurs are wasting time on overcoming their weaknesses. For marginal returns, she recommends you are way better off outsourcing Delegating or eliminating the impact of weaknesses altogether than you are changing your behavior. Don't spin your wheels trying to overcome your weaknesses. Instead focus on your strengths. As I like to say, you do not have to boil the ocean. Understanding your strengths requires continual and ongoing self awareness. That means you've got to get good at accepting your weaknesses so you can keep on driving, my friend. Just keep on driving right past those things that you're bad at. There is no judgment, there is no shame in that game. Just keep on driving because we need you focused on those things that you do really well and that will have high impact to the business. Outsource the rest. Share the wealth. I was first introduced to the strengths based way of living when I read the Strength Finders book. Have you done your strengths Finders assessment? It's really, really, really simple. It's very clear to identify and I immediately resonated with it and thought, yeah, I am terrible in maintenance mode, but I am really good at strategy. I am really good at building a system, a plan and a vision for how we're gonna get where you wanna go. And I can set up the strategy for maintenance mode. But ma', am, once we are in maintenance mode, I get bored. That explained a lot for me. Right, so check out Strength Finders so you can identify. Wait a second, why isn't this working for me? For me, for example, I was fully in no halfway when it came to setting up the new strategy business project, system, new anything. But I definitely needed to get someone else to help me and support me and partner with me to maintain all of the things. And it's so funny. My business partner in our photography business, three Boudoir, we complain each other so wonderfully. Now if something breaks in that system, she circles right back to me. And that takes me back to my strategic zone of strength. Once I uncovered this reality, it changed how I show up in my business. It changed the career moves I made and it opened me up to operate on the things I can do best and so I could succeed and advance with more ease. Because before that I was just pushing Giant Boulder uphill. Yeah, I was doing it. Yeah, I was making progress. And some days I was moving really fast with that boulder up the hill. But it was hard. It completely changed how I engage with my clients, how I show up in the consulting business, and like I said, how Joanna and I support each other in our photography business. This will enable you to get back to what you love and again, that's good for everyone. When you start to focus we talk about focus a lot in how to clone yourself. So I repeat, when you start to focus on your short list of activities that are on your must do list, you'll start to see very quickly how you can do less better, how you can do less and have more. It's the shortcut to freedom. And I think everybody needs to know about it. Or in the words of Sir Elton John, you can tell everybody this is your song. Okay? Okay, you've got to tell me how off key was I when I sang that. Again, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry if that was jarring. And you are driving if you're listening to to this and that completely distracted you. But now that I've got your attention, let's just refresh on what your action steps are for this part of the how to clone yourself process. Number one, build your personal must do list. Yes, you can start building your must do list while you are doing the time tracking that we talked about in the last episode. Because these are going to build on each other. The must do list might take you a couple weeks as well to build as you're collecting data, but that doesn't mean that you can't start now. The way that I built my must do list was just to take a piece of paper and to capture those things as I came across them. And I got up to eight things on my personal must do list. As you're building this must do list, consider the things you must do with your CEO hat on. Step into that role of visionary and look at your company and the the of rest role that you need to play in the company with that visionary CEO hat on. Also consider the things you are incredibly good at or that only you can do for the business. Remember Oprah on the COVID and still on tv? Yeah, it's okay. We're going to have a little bit of balance and they're going to be some things that you still do in the business. Those things can be on your must do list. That's totally okay. And after you finalize your must do list, don't be afraid to run it by your team, colleagues, friends, family, me on social media. Tag me in howtoclone yourself. All of these people can help keep you accountable to doing less and having a bigger impact. I can't wait to catch you in the next episode where we continue our how to Clone Yourself series where we are going to dive into the next step, which is is what you're gonna stop doing. And with all that stuff you stop doing, who actually, does it? Or does it need to be done at all anymore? We're gonna start to organize your thoughts around that so you can make forward motion in the how to clone yourself process. We need more of you in the world, and it's all happening right Sa.