table of funtents
As a reminder, I started building keshty in public because:
- Most of us don’t come from a long line of entrepreneurs (me included)
- I wanted to equip minority misfits with tools to scale their own impact
- HENCE, I needed to live transparently (no BS) through my own journey
👋🏼 it’s me, hi
HIIII MISFITS!!! 🥳
Remember a few episodes ago I told you you’d just know when it’s my birthday? 🎂
Welp - I’m currently getting a massage at the spa, uncontactable as a clam and slowly turning into a prune. SERIOUSLY! AS WE SPEAK.
19 march save it in your cals x
I’m 33 today, so here’s a list of 33 things I’ve learned since starting a busi-
Just kidding. Those lists flop.
Here’s what doesn’t flop though: THE HOLY SEASON OF SPRING 🌸
I don’t know about y’all, but I legitimately get to 1st Jan every year and think: “which sod’s bright idea was it to decide on resolutions right now? Have they been outside???”
the Persians had the right idea, don’t @ me
Personally, I’m a big fan of the new year starting in Spring (aka the Vernal Equinox).
AND IN PREP FOR SPRING, today’s episode will give you a practical framework to “spring clean” your role, workload and business - bringing immediate calm to any feelings of overwhelm or chaos.
PS: Blooming Season kicks off tomorrow, 20 March at 9:05 AM GMT so allow me to say in advance - a v Happy Nowruz to those celebrate, and a big welcome to spring for those who happen to love this season as much as I do!
🔊 SUBSCRIBER UPDATE: FYI MISFIT!
I’ll be travelling over the next 4 weeks and fully switching off from work. That means no newsletters until I return (with 3 very exciting episodes planned already, btw).
Please feel free to read through my historic episodes in the meantime - you now have over 20 to choose from (time flies).
I’ll miss y’all + will be back before you know it!
🪻spring clean your workload
When I started keshty, I was determined to build a business that answered all my ops dreams from the start.
Do I always nail it? No.
Do I have a system that consistently turns chaos into calm without burning time? Duh.
I’m going to share that system with you today.
i swear by her
I came up with this framework when I started leading my first team and I’ve stuck with her for YEARS since.
It served at team size 4, 40 and 100 - and still serves me again at team size 1.
What I love most about this system (like the seasons) is we can routinely re-assess where things are at and “spring clean” our workload, no matter what time of year it is.
1. start with you (10 minutes)
why are we like this?
Every decent founder / leader on the planet thinks about their business, clients and team before thinking about themselves.
But in order for this to work, I’m going to push you to start with you, because:
you gotta put your oxygen mask on first
you are the compass by which the entire ship moves
the longevity of your business is directly proportionate to your own sense of direction and conviction
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s dive into Exercise 1: Your Role Audit which will take you roughly 10 minutes.
Your Role Audit instructions:
Step 1: set the scene. You want to be comfortable, focused and free of distractions - so take yourself wherever that’s possible.
For example, I like to do this with an almond matcha latte at a very specific cafe - but I’ve also completed them on a plane, in nature and in my childhood bedroom. The limit does not exist.
Step 2: on a piece of paper, draw a cross so you’re left with four equal quadrants.
Step 3: populate each quadrant with EVERYTHING you do as part of your role TODAY against the headings:
tasks you LOVE doing, and NEED to stay with you
tasks you HATE doing, but NEED to stay with you for the foreseeable
tasks you LOVE doing, but on reflection, you know they SHOULDN’T be yours
tasks you HATE doing, and SHOULDN’T be doing anyway
PS: really challenge yourself here on what HAS to stay with you. Ask yourself:
will the business actually fail if I’M not the one doing this?
do I simply enjoy learning about this vs. it being mission critical?
am I the only one putting pressure / arbitrary deadlines on this task?
Critically consider what you NEED to be doing right now vs. later (vs. ever).
PRO TIP: do this activity quarterly and ONLY capture what’s happening now (this quarter). Don’t capture past or future.
For example, don’t put “accounting” in things you hate and should not be doing if you’ve already got an accountant and aren’t the one doing this.
It’s important to keep audits live so you can see them iterate over time.
2. bring calm to the kaos (5 minutes)
Once you’ve completed Exercise 1, it’s time to make our roles work for us through Exercise 2: The KAOS Audit.
(and because I know some of y’all will ask, let me address straight away that were not referencing Jeff Goldblum’s Netflix series).
In Exercise 2, we’re taking a look at our roles and stretching them ONE step further by assigning actions.
My lil KAOS abbreviation stands for:
So we’re on the same page, here’s how I define each:
🎁 keep: this needs to stay with you
🤖 automate: you can complete the task via a tech-enabled process
📈 outsource / optimise:
in some cases, you can outsource AKA delegate a task entirely
if the process shouldn’t sit with you but also can’t be delegated, it may be because the process itself sucks or needs to be codified first; in this case, you’ll want to optimise AKA improve the process before you outsource
🗑️ scrap: throw it in the bin
KAOS Audit instructions:
an IRL example of a KAOS audit I did yesterday!
Step 1: review your quadrant.
Step 2: next to each task, assign the letter K, A, O or S depending on what action you need to take.
Step 3: the final step is to assign timelines* when you do your quarterly planning.
*make sure to read through #3 AND no bs reminders before you assign timelines!
PRO TIP: Once I’ve completed both the Role and KAOS audits, I create a quarterly roadmap with goals, milestones and success measures. This is just a fancy way of saying I break actions up into subtasks and assign checkpoints to track how I’m getting on.
I like to record all this in Asana, but use whatever works best for you to stay accountable and track progress!
3. take action (through the quarter)
wait a sec - this ain’t spring cleaning
Now that you’ve charted the map and recalibrated your compass, it’s time to actually sail in the right direction (heh, keshty puns 🚢).
You’ve got an idea of what you’ll need to keep, automate, outsource / optimise and scrap - so surely you can just put things into motion now, right?
Folks, heed my warning:
This stage is where BOTH magic and mess are capable of happening.
To ensure this practice works FOR YOU (as all true processes should), check out the no bs reminders below.
Because these exercises should 10000% leave you feeling calm - NOT overwhelmed. They should take things off your plate - NOT add to them.
💩 no bs reminders
🚴🏻♀️ opt for consistency vs. doing it all
These exercises won’t work if you try to do everything all at once. Opt for mini milestones that keep you consistent over attempting to action the lot.
Using my sheet as an example, I can’t simply “automate” the knowledge sharing I currently give for free or outsource parts of my client work. Instead, I treat both as a project: I need to create resources so I can offer this @ scale instead of my time, and I need to consider what my model will look like if I work with others.
You can’t do it all - so opt for moving the needle 1% every day and favour consistency.
🔄 one in, one out
In traditional work, we’ve become conditioned to take on MORE as we progress through our careers. What we’re never taught, and thus fail to learn, is how to SUBTRACT our way to success.
When assessing your workload, take a “one in, one out” approach - for anything you keep, something has to be given away. For context, take a look at my sheet again. Notice I intend to automate, outsource and scrap as many things as I plan to keep.
☝🏼 priority is a singular word
Recall from Episode Keep It Simple, Stupid that (1) strategy should hurt and (2) the word priority is singular. When you’re considering what and when to automate, outsource and scrap, push yourself to define what’s a must have vs. a nice to have.
You simply can’t spin 10 plates at 100% performance each. So while it’s uncomfortable to say no to things and admit you can’t do it all, doing so keeps you grounded and sustainable - which is ultimately what matters for your company’s longevity.
And that’s a wrap, misfits 🫶🏼
As always, I’m only an email away for questions and would be mega keen to hear what you make of the Role + KAOS audits. Always lurv hearing your thoughts and genuinely read through every email + poll 🥲
I’m NOW off to put this relaxed post-spa bod in shock by stuffing it with birthday pie (yes, pie, donuts or cookies - because I detest cake unless, ofc, it’s ice cream cake) 🥧
Will miss y’all over the next few weeks but will be back before you know it (hopefully, with a killer tan like you wouldn’t believe).
xo, Neds
