In this episode of the InFlow Podcast, I speak with Tanya Dalton about her guide to painless productivity for women in business.
Have you ever had one of those days where you tick a million things off your to-do list? But, when you fall into bed at night, you think, “I didn’t actually achieve anything today.”
In today’s fast-paced business environment, maximizing productivity is a priority for all business owners. However, achieving a high level of productivity as a business leader can be particularly challenging, especially for women. As leaders in business and in the home, women often have to juggle multiple roles and responsibilities. With the enormous pressure to be good at #allthethings, women in business are particularly vulnerable to overwhelm and burn-out.
Tanya Dalton, a best-selling author, speaker, nationally recognized productivity expert, and growth strategist for female leaders, identified this as a problem and made it her life’s mission to find a solution.
Drawing on her lived experience as a highly successful entrepreneur, Tanya has redefined productivity for women in her best-selling book, The Joy of Missing Out. She has established inkWELL Press Productivity Co., a multi-million dollar company that provides tools that work as a catalyst in helping women do less while achieving maximum success.
The Key to Productivity for Women in Business
Tanya knows, first-hand, how overwhelming it can be when you have to tick a million things off your daily to-do list to feel ‘productive.’
In today’s “hustle culture“, we seem to equate success with being ‘busy’ rather than being happy or fulfilled. The result is that you spend an enormous amount of time getting a lot done rather than doing the important tasks that move you closer to your goals and bring you joy.
“My definition of productivity is not getting more done. It’s focusing on getting the important things done. It’s about living with intention,” Tanya explains.
Tanya Dalton
Doing Less to Achieve More
According to Tanya, women don’t need more experts telling them balance is easy or that they need to work smarter, not harder, to get it all done.
This is well-intentioned advice is often given by people who don’t understand what it’s like to be the office CEO and the home CEO.
“It’s not enough for us to bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan. We feel obligated to raise that pig on organic acorns, take a charcuterie class to prepare it ethically, and then garnish it so we can appear Pinterest-ready. But why? Is this really what we want? Or is it what we think we are supposed to want?
We’re living under the pressure of being good at #allthethings, and it doesn’t have to be this way.”
Tanya Dalton
Based on her experience, Tanya says that one of the barriers to being productive for women in business is focusing on volume rather than what is important.
“As you become more skilled at identifying your priorities and planning your time accordingly, you will automatically be more successful in business and in life.”
How To Move Past Stuck
When you are chasing down big audacious goals, it is natural that you will feel stuck at some point in your journey.
I know that I have experienced this in our Real Estate educational and land investing businesses over the years.
You may experience this ‘stuckness’ as depression, overwhelm, or anxiety, and it can become crippling if you do not find a way to move forward.
According to Tanya, the opposite of stuck is not unstuck; it’s action.
“If you take one action, even a tiny action, you will immediately start to move forward. Once you take the first step, the second and third steps become easier, and before you know it, you build up the momentum to achieve massive strides towards your goals.”
Tanya Dalton
Redefining Success for Women in Business
Success is a subjective experience. One of the first things we advise our Land Profit Coaching students to do when they start their land investing businesses is to identify what success means on a profoundly personal level.
One business owner may define success as walking away from a salaried job. For another, it may be having the freedom to spend more time with family while still making a good living. It might be creating a 7-figure business or creating a financial legacy for generations to come.
Whatever success looks like for you, you will only achieve it if you become intentional in your actions. Tanya has created a road map for women in business to become more intentional and, therefore, more successful. She also encourages women to put “happy” and “fulfilled” back on the list of priorities on their journey to success.
Women in Business Come Together to Achieve Success
While I never endorse gender stereotypes, science supports the commonly held notion that women in business are typically better communicators and collaborators than men.
Tanya draws heavily on women’s ability to have meaningful and challenging conversations to support success.
“I draw a lot of strength from surrounding myself with powerful women in business. Strong women will not only be cheerleaders, but also dare to call each other out. As women in business, we can play a huge role in propelling each other toward success.”
Tanya Dalton
In the lead-up to the launch of her new book, On Purpose: The Busy Woman’s Guide to an Extraordinary Life of Meaning and Success Tanya will be hosting a free 5-day live event that will bring powerful women together to share how we have achieved success. The Choice Experience will be taking place online from August 23 – 27, and I am very honored to be speaking at the event.
You can register to attend The Choice Experience HERE: https://tanyadalton.com/choice