She's Just Getting Started ® - Tips for Starting a Business, Starting a Podcast, Strategies for Online Business

Ep 282: How to Overcome Information Overload - 3 steps for new business owners

• Kimberly Brock: Business Coach, Podcast Coach, Strategist

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In today's episode, we're talking INFORMATION OVERLOAD. It's a real struggle for many new business owners and I'm sharing 3 steps to end the overwhelm so you can get focused & become a productive, efficient business owner!

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Speaker 1:

Well, hello. This is Kimberly Brock, and for over 20 years I've been running my own businesses that have not only been profitable but personally fulfilling to me. So now I'm on a mission to help other new business owners, just like you, make money doing what you love to. Now we're going to have some fun, so let's get started Now we're going to have some fun, so let's get started.

Speaker 2:

Well, hello friends. This is Kimberly. It's episode 282, and I'm so glad that you're here today. We are talking about the information overload epidemic that is affecting so many small business owners, especially new business owners like you and new podcasters. I'm going to talk about it today. I kind of made up this term, the information overload epidemic, because it is an epidemic Y'all it really is. I'm seeing this all the time with my coaching clients and people that are in my group programs. I have seen it and it's so frustrating because, y'all it's killing your productivity. It's actually really hurting your business and I don't want this to happen to you. I want you to be able to build your dream. I want you to feel focused and happy every day and confident, knowing that what you are doing is what you should be doing. But all this formation overload is seriously, massively hurting your business. So today we're going to talk about it on how it's hurting your business. You may not have even realized all the ways. I'm going to give you three steps for overcoming it and breaking free so that you can feel focused, happy and confident as you build your business dream.

Speaker 2:

So if you're new here. Welcome. I'm so glad that you found this podcast. I have no doubt it's going to help you along your business journey, whether you are in the idea stage, starting or going. This is for you. So, first of all, I have some party favors for you. If you're a new business owner and also, too, if you're thinking about starting a podcast, I have resources for you that are free down below. Obviously, you've got all these podcast episodes that you can just binge today. So binge all the episodes, all you want, while you're on a walk, while you're doing the dishes, while you're cleaning the house, while you're driving, whatever it is, and you can listen with kids too. This is a parent-approved podcast, so I have clients that tell me that their kids listen in the car, on the way to school and stuff, and I think that's the cutest thing ever that they're hearing about business. So shout out to any kiddos that are listening today. I'm so proud of you and maybe you can start your own business very soon.

Speaker 2:

So, again, if you're new, grab my freebies down below. Like if you're starting your business, I have a 16-step checklist that you can work through really quick. I have a free training if you're starting a podcast and you want to figure out how you could do this to to build your authority and your niche and actually grow your business. So check those out below, and there's more freebies too. Also, too, I have a free Facebook group called Women Starting Businesses and Podcasts Doing what we Love, so make sure y'all check that out and get in the group. I would love to have you in there.

Speaker 2:

We have fun posts each week and I love to get updated on what you're doing and if you've been listening. Well, thank you so much to all my loyal listeners. I do this for you every week, for you, because I know that all you need is this little push. You need this push of this, these business skills. You need the push of confidence and motivation, and I know that's that's really it. That's all you need, because you have what it takes already to build your business dream, and I'm giving you that last little nudge to keep going. So I'm so proud of you and thank you for all the reviews.

Speaker 2:

The ratings have been awesome, the written reviews have been wonderful. And then, which reminds me if you've been listening to this podcast well, maybe only a few episodes, or maybe for years. I have people that tell me they've been listening all five years to this podcast. Would you be so kind to just really quick leave a written review? It means the world to me and I can't help but think that it tells Apple and Spotify and all the players that this podcast is worthy and it is one that should be listened to. So all you have to do is hit the five star rating. That'll take you like one second, literally one second and then, if you have a few minutes, to write a written review, just really quick, about what this podcast has meant to you, how it's helped you, what you've liked about it. If you can just type that in there really quick, maybe someone else who's looking at podcasts will see your review and be like, okay, I'll take a listen. So I appreciate it so so much. It really does. It means so much to me when you do that. So that's it Okay, on to the episode.

Speaker 2:

Well, hello friends, how are you? How is everything going in your business? What's been going on? Have you been creating new products or services? Have you been streamlining what you're doing? That would bring me a lot of joy. That would bring me so much joy. Do y'all know the Marie Kondo how she always says like what is it? I haven't even totally watched it, but people talk about it. How she'll only keep things that bring you joy. Is that right? Y'all have to like confirm with me, since I haven't totally watched it. You know, what brings me joy with you and your business, when you streamline it and when you simplify. It Makes me so happy.

Speaker 2:

Y'all have no idea, because I know when things are more simple, you're going to go farther, because it's just easier. Your life is easier, your business is easier. It's easier for your clients. I've seen my grow getter streamline their products and services and it's just awesome to watch because they now know what sells and they know what doesn't sell and they get rid of the. They trim the fat right and they get rid of it and they stay focused on what they do best. So I'm so happy y'all are here today.

Speaker 2:

This epidemic of information overload is a real thing. Y'all, it's a real thing. And I sat here before I was pushing record. I'm like is this a crisis? Are you suffering a syndrome? What do I call this? A disorder, a disease, a viral infection? I called it an epidemic and those words are all too familiar, right, when we think about COVID and all that. I've never heard the words like epidemic and all this. Can you imagine, like everything we have been through since 2020? Y'all, and we've been through it together. Isn't that what's funny? It's like I started this podcast end of 2019. Little did I know, like five months later, would be all the drama, all the drama, y'all. Isn't it crazy? But this information overload epidemic is a real thing and I want you today to wake up to the reality of how it's probably killing your productivity and possibly your business. And I'm not even kidding, I sound dramatic today, but the reason I'm so passionate about it is because I'm in the same boat as you. Maybe I'm at a different point in my business, right, it's kind of like my son.

Speaker 2:

He ran the Woodlands Marathon last weekend, a whole marathon. Now, he trained, but not totally, so he did walk some, but he did it Okay. And it was like, you know, there's some people way ahead, there's some people at the back, but everybody was finishing at some point. You know that Everyone was at their own pace. Some people had been training for a long time and it's just kind of like me with you, with our businesses. Right, I'm just ahead of you, but we're all in the same race, if you want to call it a race. I think it's a fun, amazing, exhilarating journey, but we're on the same track together. Right, I'm just at a different point than many of you are. Heck, you all may be ahead of me, I have no idea, but it's a real thing that we're on this journey and we're all trying to learn.

Speaker 2:

And the problem is is that in the last years and it's literally been in the last, I don't even know I feel thinking about how I consume information Y'all. I listen to podcasts, and this is I'm even thinking back when I started this business five years ago. Y'all know I've had businesses since year 2000. But this business I started, I guess I started doing things like five and a half years before, right, so I mean before this right.

Speaker 2:

So, like early 2019, I was starting to like investigate. I was listening to Tony Robbins, then I started watching videos of him, then I started looking at stuff online. I started reading blogs, I got audio books, I got physical books, y'all. It hasn't ended. There's even stuff on TV. Now you can get YouTube on your Apple TV or on your TV, and I've watched stuff on there. I've printed stuff.

Speaker 2:

I have so much crud on my desk, y'all. I need someone of you to come over and clean my desk, because I keep notes. I have a digital tablet, y'all. There is so much information. I have the notes app on my phone, I have Google Docs, I have Dropbox, y'all.

Speaker 2:

The struggle is real and I'm never going to say that I haven't experienced it, because I'm in it too. But that's why I felt so compelled and so passionate about talking you through this, because what I'm seeing is that a lot of you that are starting your businesses and podcasts are starting to feel super overwhelmed. You've got so much information. You're like here's an example Should I start a course? Should I start a membership? Should it be free? Should it be paid? Should I have a group program? Should I do one-on-one coaching? Like, what am I doing? Should I sell physical products? Should I sell merch? Like, should I do a subscription box? Like what is this? And I know it's because of the marketing that's being thrown at you.

Speaker 2:

I talk about this periodically. I'm frustrated. I'm frustrated not only by all the information that we have access to, but also for the fact that when we try to just like, check out for a little while and like get on Instagram or do something, we're still being bombarded with information, no-transcript, massively overwhelming, because you will get various opinions on things Like. My opinion is things should be simple, you should be doing it in an authentic way, and I kind of have my own system right, but you may listen to someone else who tells you to go all in and spend a half a million dollars and do a ton of ads right now, in the beginning, and all this stuff, and I'm sure that there's a success path with that. Right, I think all these people have a success path. Now, some of them we won't even go into it. I don't think they're in your best interest at all as a new business owner and they will try to sell you on that. So, again, I'm biased because I have my opinions.

Speaker 2:

But see, this is my point. Y'all could listen to me and I have my opinions. You can go to listen to somebody else or watch somebody else, and they have their opinions. So what do you do? What do you do as a business owner when you just you want to be the best you can be at what you do. You want to. You know you're trying to get focused on what you should be doing. You're trying to take action. This is all in the best interest of the people that you want to serve. And you're like, well, I heard I should be doing this or I should be doing that, or I should stop doing this, and how much time.

Speaker 2:

And then I don't know if you've listened to books like Atomic Habits. Have y'all listened to that? I love Atomic Habits. That was really good. Also, another book that I read was Willpower Doesn't Work. Have y'all heard of Willpower Doesn't Work? I love it Really good, just really good. Just talks about how human willpower really doesn't work.

Speaker 2:

You have to set up boundaries for yourself. You have to, like, hack yourself, like I always say that that I do to myself with, like sugary foods that we get or desserts, I'll just hide them. I won't even remember that we had them and I just saved myself. It's a life hack, right. If I'd had it out in the kitchen, I would be eating it all day long. So we all have to hack ourselves. That sounds terrible.

Speaker 2:

No-transcript that way, like I think about what I want to say. In the beginning. I already know the topic. I think of my three points and I turn on the microphone and I talk. But I've been reading a lot about how you could use ChatGPT to help you with your podcast episodes and YouTube videos. I've been doing research because y'all know I have the pod squad coming up and I'm going to be helping y'all integrate ChatGBT with helping you with this. So I'm like I've got to know this stuff right and it did help me today. It helped me with kind of I don't want to say scripting, but just outlining kind of this episode and it's really neat.

Speaker 2:

But it's like, again, it's information overload, like now. I've gone into this thing where, oh, I need chat GBT now to do this and figure this out, when I'm not relying on what I already knew. Y'all this podcast has been successful with me not doing all these extra things with chat, gbt and scripting, and I never did that and I don't even know if I will continue to use this. I just did it for today because I'd been researching some stuff. See, again, information overload. It's like why? But I guess hopefully it will enhance this.

Speaker 2:

I don't know I'm, you know there's things you got to work on with titles and hooks and you know, no-transcript efficient. We want to be productive, but here's what can happen the more time you are spending consuming, the more you can feel behind. I'm not even kidding, you will feel behind, like today. I could have recorded this episode probably two hours ago I'm not even kidding because I started taking notes and then I was on a tangent and then I was trying to get ChatGBT to, like you know, streamline some stuff and y'all. I could have already recorded this Now. We'll never know what I would have said. Compared to what I'm going to say now. It's really not that much different, just some other cool, a cool stat that I got that I think will be interesting, that I got from doing this on chat GBT.

Speaker 2:

But it really is overwhelming and the reality of the information that's at our fingertips is daunting and we have to figure out how to manage. We have to figure out how to manage. We have to figure out how to hack ourselves. What are we doing? We have to figure it out right now. So let's go through this, because I do have some tips and I think they're good for myself and for everyone listening.

Speaker 2:

First of all, let me go into why this is so dangerous for your business too. As if you don't know already, but again, the more time you spend consuming, the more you're gonna feel left behind. Sometimes, as if you don't know already, but again, the more time you spend consuming, the more you're gonna feel left behind. Sometimes it can be like a mirage, like an illusion, that you think that you're actually learning more and doing more and you just keep going and chasing and chasing, but you never get there. You never get to the point where you're like, yep, I know it all and we're good, so if anybody asks me any question, we're good. I mean, I never feel like that, right.

Speaker 2:

But I don't think we ever could, even with all of this information, right, realize that the problem isn't that you don't know enough, it's that sometimes you know too much and you don't know what to focus on, and I love that. Sometimes it's that you know actually too much, you have too much floating in your head and you don't know what to focus on, right, we just have so much information before us but instead of making us smarter and more productive, I believe that it's actually keeping a lot of you stuck, because it's making you more ponder both sides of something, like when you're trying to make decisions and you're like, oh, but I could go this way, oh wait, or I could go this way, instead of kind of going with the feeling in your gut not that our gut, I mean I do think sometimes our gut can be tied to our emotions and I think our emotions sometimes can steer us wrong. I could go on a tangent about that in your personal life. Right, that we have our emotions get in the way, but I think we have to use our brain Like if you didn't have any of this information. How would you be figuring it out? I think you would already know a lot of the answers, but we feel like we need to consult with all of these resources that you know we have. But again, there's an illusion of progress. It's like a trap, it's like a vortex that we're getting sucked into and it's like fake productivity. It's actually not productive. Like it's fake, it's faux. Do you all remember faux painting? When was that? Was that the early 2000s? I had faux painting in my dining room. Oh, I actually had it in my kitchen living room too. Now that I think about it, I did progress, but it's not always the case.

Speaker 2:

Here's the stat that ChatGBT gave me. I love this. This is amazing. Okay, it says do you know that the average person consumes 75 gigabytes of information a day? Can that be true? Can that actually be true? Where was the resource? Okay, I need to find the resource. Okay, here it is. Here's the resource University of California, san Diego, study on data consumption 70,. It was like 74 point something.

Speaker 2:

Gigabytes of information a day, y'all. How scary is that? We are not human computers. I mean. We are amazing and God created us like I can't even believe. But seriously, 75 gigabytes of information, y'all. And they said here's the problem we don't actually use 99% of it. Wait what? So we're using 1% of the 75 gigabytes of information that we're learning a day? Y'all. This is crazy. It's crazy.

Speaker 2:

Now, our brains are wired for like new information and we're like hunting down things and we want to know to improve ourselves. But are we actually applying it? When we scroll and when we're watching and we're learning, how much are we actually applying? Like y'all? I said, I'm looking at my desk right now. There's stuff that I printed. I actually was it a couple of years ago. I threw away a bin of printed things that I downloaded from the internet for my business From when I was starting my business, like pre-starting in 2019, I looked at that stack this was a couple of years ago and I was like this is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen and threw it away. But now I'm looking and there's a few things on my desk that are printed again, y'all. The struggle is so real.

Speaker 2:

Here's the good news there is a way to escape the information overload epidemic. There's a way that you can escape it. So this is the good news. Everybody get excited. There's three key steps that I'm about to share with you. It's going to massively help you. Okay, no, I'm not going to steal from the Atomic Habits book or anything like that. I'm just going to give you some practical solutions that you can apply right now in your business. Okay, so, number one this is what you're going to do. You can do this. I'm going to try this. I think it's gonna be hard Because I'm like a squirrel running around and just want to soak up new information. But here we go.

Speaker 2:

Number one set boundaries for how much time you actually are learning each day. Who knew that we would have to do that? But, like you could set a timer, like every day, maybe you spend time and I've heard others do this where they set specific hours, like one to two or two to three that they're reading about a subject that they're teaching about in their business, right? Or that you're educating people about that you're sharing. Maybe like an hour a day that you can spend learning, or 30 minutes I mean, I don't know what it is. I don't know where you're starting from. Like, do you find that you're spending hours doing learning? Or you're spending like an hour and you need to go to like 30 minutes, or maybe you make it certain days of the week. So I would set a timer. Maybe it's 30 minutes at a time for learning and then you switch to action mode so you go from learning to action. Okay, what boundaries could you put in place? So make sure y'all are taking notes? Again, I don't know if you're on a walk or what you're doing, but get a sticky note or notes app.

Speaker 2:

Number one what time boundaries could I put in place for learning, for learning, okay, what time boundaries? Could I set a timer? 15 to 30 minutes? Also, I read something that, like, compared to the 1980s, our brains process five times more data. I totally believe that. Don't y'all believe that? Like, there's so much more data being thrown at us than there was in the 80s? I mean, I was young in the 80s we weren't processing this much data. Life was simple. We didn't think it was simple. Our parents didn't think it was simple. Compared to their age, it was very. You know it wasn't as simple, but anyways, okay. So for your three steps to break free from all this information overload number one is to set a timer, set boundaries, okay.

Speaker 2:

Number two realize that you already know enough to help your people. You already know enough, y'all. Right now. If I called you on the phone and I said, okay, and maybe your business was about I don't even know home decorating, candle making, interior design, I have no idea Landscaping and I said tell me about it. Do you realize how much more you would know than me? Do you realize how much more you would know than me? Maybe you sell something on Etsy? And I said tell me about that. How the heck do you make that? I'd be in awe. I would be in awe of you. You already know enough.

Speaker 2:

So what are you trying to learn Now? If it's something specific, I get it. You can look it up and learn a little bit, but realize that you already know enough and I think a lot of you don't know that about yourself. You really don't. You haven't acknowledged it. I mean, you do know. Here's the funny thing you actually do know deep inside. If I told you, it's okay to say it, you won't sound arrogant, you're not bragging. But do you feel like you know about what you know? I'm not going to think that you're bragging or anything and you're going to be like, actually, yes, so actually you do know. You just are a humble human, but you're also one that is feeling a little insecure about doing this about with your business or your podcast, and so it's causing you to believe that you're not enough yet, like you don't know enough and you got to keep learning.

Speaker 2:

That happened to me when I started this business Y'all. That's why I had a bin of papers I mean a bin. It's absolutely ridiculous. Like a tree was cut down for all the stuff that I was trying to learn on paper. It's sad, it's really sad. And I already knew enough to help people with their business. No, I'm not like the greatest expert in the world, but I already knew enough compared to where my clients were Right. You know more than your clients know, and that's why they're paying you. That's why they want to pay someone Right. You already know enough. Like the average entrepreneur a lot of times has more knowledge than 90% of their audience. So, right, so some of you listening today may know more than me. I totally agree with that, but a lot of you are just behind me on the same road, just like the marathon visual right?

Speaker 2:

Business isn't about knowing everything. It's about taking action with what you do know right now. Okay, if you've been waiting until you know everything and you know it all, you're already ready. You already know enough, okay, okay. So our three steps to break free from the information overload epidemic. Number one set boundaries, maybe timers, for how much you learn each day or week. Number two acknowledge that you already know enough to help somebody.

Speaker 2:

There's a certain group of people you could totally help. Think about someone in your niche right now that knows nothing and you could be like Okay, you can take now to get sales now. What action could you take now to get sales now? So many of you are just not doing. You're stuck in learning, right, and when you're stuck in learning, it actually starts affecting your decision ability. And then you're like trying to make decisions and you're like I can't. What can I do today that actually brings in sales or moves my business forward? What can I do today? Again, y'all know, if you've listened to my past episodes, I'm all about simplicity. Your business has to be super, duper simple and streamlined, okay, and so if you do that, then if it's already streamlined, then it should be simply. I mean, it should be super simple to figure out what to do next to get sales.

Speaker 2:

Is it sending out an email? Is it texting some people? Is it posting on social? Is it doing a podcast episode? Is it telling people that you now have a? You know you're running a promo on something, a beta group on something. You've got your samples, your first renditions. You're going to be here or there. You're going to be speaking.

Speaker 2:

Can you reach out to somebody? Get on their podcast, have someone on your podcast. You could speak at an event. You could volunteer, you could sponsor something. There's something you can do now to get sales. I guarantee it. There's something you can do. If I told you you've got to make a sale by tomorrow, what would you do? What would you do? You'd do something. What's the easiest thing you could do, right? What's the easiest thing you could do, right?

Speaker 2:

So again, how do we break free from this information overload epidemic? Well, first of all, we were conscious about it. We talked about it today. It could be hurting you, it could make you less productive, getting you stuck in that mode of not thinking you're good enough. And that's the mirage of thinking you can get to be the expert in your field and you never will be. It's a mirage, it just is. It's still far away. That can never happen. You realize that. It's giving you decision fatigue. It's doing all sorts of bad things that are killing your productivity, it's hurting your business, it's slowing you down. You're not getting anywhere, okay. So how do we break free from that? Number one we set boundaries. Number two we realize that we already know enough. And number three, we focus on what we can do right now to get sales right now. That's it. Y'all are awesome.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much for listening. I hope you've been awakened today and I hope you reach out to me If you have felt like you just need some help sorting through things like this. Maybe you do have decision fatigue, maybe you still need more help with how to be more productive or how to structure your day. Make sure you reach out. I do offer one-on-one coaching. I do have my pod squad coming up for those of you that are starting your podcast, and I have other programs and ways that you can work with me down below. So check those all out in the show notes. I don't want you flailing around. I don't want you going about this alone. Realize that this is possible for you and you can do it in a simple and authentic way. So I'm so glad you're here. That's it. Y'all. Have a great day Until next time. Bye now. Now this episode may be over, but our relationship does not have to end here, head on over to KimberlyBrockcom and yes, you can get more valuable information for your journey and you know what.

Speaker 2:

You don't need to go through this alone. I would love to help you. Thank you so much and have a great day Bye.