Want to help your business? Become a client of yourself

It used to be that I’d cringe every time I looked at my website. Really cringe. Not only because I wanted to revamp the copy and hire someone to redesign it, but because it was a constant reminder of how often I put my own projects last.

I’d say to myself:

         I’ll set aside one hour a day to plan.

         I’ll invest one day a week to write the copy.

         I’ll squeeze in some work around my client copywriting jobs.

And, of course, none of this ever happened until …

I was galvanised by some wise words

Everything changed when I saw two quotes.

The first: “A year from now you’re going to wish you started today”. (Yes, too true! )

The second: “Don’t spend your life making other people’s dreams come true”.

Now, I love writing other people’s web copy. And if it plays even a small part in making their dreams come true, I’m thrilled. But it got to the point where every project I completed for my clients took me one step further from commencing my own. I had to find a way to do both.

So I found my way

Most people can dedicate regular time to their projects, but for biggish jobs, I’m definitely a bulk worker. Rather than trying to do bits and pieces here and there, I took a different approach.

Since I always prioritise my clients’ work over my own, I decided to become my own client.

As a client I followed the required process: I filled out the Client Brief and asked my supplier (me) for a deadline. As the supplier I provided a written deadline and made myself accountable to my partner who then monitored my project progress.

The result

My website is finally revamped and I’m proud to visit it. While I could definitely berate myself for not having started the project sooner, I’d rather congratulate myself for actually getting it completed.

And I can’t help but laugh at the fact that, if I hadn’t become my own client, I’d still be thinking, “I really need to revamp my website one of these days!”

What are your tips for prioritising goals for your own projects?