I think we’re all done with hearing Shakespeare wrote King Lear and others during plague lockdowns. Or that Newton discovered gravity.
For many of us, discovering where we’ve hidden the remote control is enough. Not to mention pretty crucial in lockdown.
As small business owners, we had enough on our plates, to be honest, without worrying about penning our opus majus. The experience has been different depending on your business sector. For all of us, it’s been about adapting and changing.
47 things on the list to do
I wrote this list at the start of lockdown of 47 things to do if business was slowing down. That was 19th March, when we really had no idea how things would play out.
For many, business came to a juddering, sudden halt. For some, it meant a complete pivot. And for anyone without an e-commerce platform that needed to sell stuff, it probably meant getting one.
And quickly.
The things we weren’t expecting on our lists
Just a quick mention for all the homeschoolers, and the space sharers. Working out how to do all of that, and run a business wasn’t on the list. It certainly didn’t make any of this any easier, I’m sure.
Not to mention then trying to work out the many different government schemes, from furlough to the various aid schemes. We wondered how we ever fitted work in.
What you didn’t do doesn’t matter
I have not written King Lear.
Some weeks I’ve struggled to write a shopping list.
I’ve certainly struggled to write blog posts regularly, for different reasons. Some weeks, I’ll be honest, my inspiration and motivation were lacking. Lethargy and uncertainty won.
And other weeks, I was just full-on with work for different clients.
But for me, if we’ve made it this far, if we’re still in business, still talking to our loved ones, and having some semblance of grip on our world, then that’s enough.
Anything you’ve got on top of that is a bonus. Applaud that.
Celebrate the small wins
There are 35 things on that original list that I have not done. Not even given more than a passing thought to.
But there are 12 that I’ve done, and they’ve been rewarding and useful, even fun in some cases.
I’ve done more networking than I’ve done before, and thanks to the communities of SWiB and Jelly South West for those moments. I’ve done some volunteering for Open Kitchens and supported some small businesses with bits of writing to help them with some of their pivots and fundraising (hello to the team at Original Recipes).
I’ve managed some reading, but not as much as I might have imagined.
Admin seems in better shape, and I’ve done some email cleansing. The exercise has been hit and miss.
But I learned to make the most of the quiet periods, and spend some time with my teen, even if it was only to go for a walk. And not to stress about the quiet times, which I was semi-successful at.
And I’m one-third of the way through an Emily Peacock cross stitch cushion.
It’s enough
What were your wins?
Forget Lear, forget gravity. What were your wins? Even if you had to make tough decisions about your business, which I know some did, then making that decision is a win of sorts.
Whatever your wins were, don’t forget them. They are stories for your future. This is a year like no other, that might have made you do things differently in your business. When you come to tell the legend of your business, these could be pivotal moments.
Don’t forget them.
What are you going to remember and celebrate? Drop me a comment below; I’d really love to know.
Here’s to more wins, however small ahead.
Oh, and if anyone did discover Gravity 2.0, then break it to us gently.
And for the rest of us, screw comparison:
[bctt tweet=”There’s no comparison between the sun and the moon. They shine when it’s their time.” username=”HelenTWrites”]
