58. Stop Wasting Time: How to Achieve More with Results-Oriented Language
What happens every time you sit down to work on your business? You've protected that precious hour or two, fought for it against all the other demands on your time, but then you stare at your to-do list that says "work on website" or "business stuff" and that golden hour slips away while you try to figure out where to even start. The frustration is real, and it's not because you lack capability or dedication.
I work with brilliant moms who can run households with military precision, excel in their corporate jobs, and manage everyone else's schedules flawlessly. But when it comes to their own business goals, they find themselves spinning their wheels. The problem isn't you - it's the way you've been taught to plan and organize your tasks.
Today, I'm sharing the one shift in how you plan and think about your tasks that will save you hours of mental energy every single week: results-oriented language. You'll have a clear framework for transforming vague tasks into specific, achievable results that actually move you forward, and understand why your brain craves this kind of clarity and how it creates more momentum in your business.
Get my free workbook that goes along with this episode, How to Start a Business When You Have No Idea What to Do, by signing up below!
What You’ll Learn from this Episode:
The powerful benefits of practicing results-oriented language.
Why your brain works like a GPS system and needs specific destinations, not vague directions.
How to transform vague tasks into concrete, achievable results.
The neuroscience behind the goal gradient effect and how it accelerates your progress.
A simple three-step framework for implementing results-oriented language in your weekly planning.
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21. Is Perfectionism Stopping You From Launching Your Business Website?
Full Episode Transcript:
Okay. Let's see if this resonates with anyone. You've carved out precious time to work on your business. Maybe it's during nap time or after the kids are in bed, or maybe it's that magical Saturday morning before everyone else wakes up. You sit down at your computer, you got your coffee, ready to make progress, and then you stare at your to-do list, and it says, "work on website, plan content, business stuff," right? And suddenly, that golden hour you fought so hard for to protect slips away as you spend most of that time just trying to figure out where to start.
What if I told you that the secret to transforming those frustrating, wheel-spinning work sessions into powerful momentum-building blocks isn't about finding more time or creating more time? It's about changing the language you use to communicate with your own brain.
Welcome to How to Quit Your Job, the podcast for moms ready to ditch the nine-to-five and build a life and business they love. I’m your host, Jenna Rykiel. Let’s go.
Hello, mom friends. Thank you for listening today. Today, we are diving into something that's going to absolutely revolutionize how you approach every single work session from now on. This is something that I talk about with every single client I work with, and I thought, why not bring it to the podcast and make sure everybody knows about it? Because it's easy and it is so powerful.
So today we're talking about results-oriented language. And I promise you, this one shift in how you plan and think about your tasks will save you hours of mental energy every single week. Okay? I see this all the time with the incredible moms I coach. They're brilliant, capable women who can run a household, excel in their corporate jobs, and manage everyone else's schedules with military precision. I know you know what that looks like. But when it comes to their own business goals, they find themselves spinning their wheels, right? Feeling like they're putting in time but not seeing progress, wondering if they're even cut out for entrepreneurship.
Here's what I know to be true. Just like those moms, you are absolutely cut out for this. But the way that you may have been taught to plan and organize your tasks is working against you, not for you. So today, I'm going to show you exactly how to change that script, literally, so that every minute that you invest in your business becomes intentional, focused, and results-driven. And by the end of this episode, you'll have a clear framework for being able to transform vague tasks into specific, achievable results that actually move you forward.
You'll understand why your brain craves this kind of clarity that I'm going to talk about and how it actually creates more momentum in you and your business. Okay? Most importantly, you'll know exactly how to implement this starting right now, today.
Let's start with what results-oriented language actually is, because I want to make sure we're all on the same page. Okay? Results-oriented language is the practice of describing your tasks and goals in terms of the specific outcome you want to achieve, rather than the process or activity that you're engaging in.
So think about it this way: Your brain is like an incredibly sophisticated GPS system. When you tell a GPS, "Take me somewhere nice," it can't help you, right? But when you say, "Take me to 123 Main Street," it immediately calculates the fastest route, identifies potential obstacles, and guides you turn by turn to your destination.
And I want you to think about it that your brain works the same way. When you write in your to-do list, "work on website," your brain receives that like a vague GPS request, okay? It doesn't know what success looks like. So it can't efficiently direct your energy and attention on the task. But when you write something like, "Complete the About Me page and send to copy coach for review," your brain immediately understands the destination and can map out the most efficient path to get there. Okay, it knows what to start with. It knows exactly where to go in the website host, and it knows what to start brainstorming.
This is particularly crucial for us as moms because our focused work time is so limited and precious. We cannot afford to waste even five minutes of our golden hours that we put aside trying to figure out what we're supposed to be doing.
Okay? Now, if you've been listening to this podcast, you know I'm obsessed with the concept of planning and focus time. Focus time is that deliberately planned, uninterrupted work block where we accomplish our most important and brain-heavy business tasks. I typically recommend setting aside two-hour blocks because that's enough time to really sink your teeth into meaningful work without burning out. And I actually recommend only doing two hours a week to start out with, especially if you have a lot of other demands, just to build momentum.
But here's where most people go wrong with that focus time. They protect the time but don't protect the mental energy within that time. They'll block out two hours for "business work" and then spend the first 30 minutes just figuring out what to work on, getting reoriented to where they left off last time, maybe last week when they dedicated time to the business, and spending time making decisions about what's a priority, right?
And this is where results-oriented language becomes absolutely game-changing. When you use results-oriented language to plan your focus time, what you're going to do in that time, you're doing all of that decision-making work ahead of time when your brain is fresh and not under the pressure of a ticking clock.
I want to give you some really concrete examples of what this looks like in practice, okay, just so you get exactly where I'm coming from. So instead of writing, "work on website," like I mentioned, you would write something like, "finish About Me page and send to coach for review," right? Instead of "newsletter," you might write, "create newsletter about results-oriented language, create subject line, and schedule for Tuesday to send." Instead of writing the vague "social media," you would write something like, "create three Instagram posts about time management, schedule for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday."
I hope you can see the difference here. In each results-oriented version, which were of course the latter of all those examples, your brain knows exactly what success looks like by the end of that work session.
And I want to talk about the neuroscience behind why this works. Because there's actually brain science behind why this approach is so powerful, and understanding it will help you stick with it, even when it feels like extra work up front.
So first, when we give our brains specific, concrete goals, we activate what psychologists call the goal gradient effect. Okay? And this is our brain's tendency to really accelerate effort as we get closer to achieving a specific target. But this only works when the target is clearly defined, just like that GPS, right?
Think about it like running a race. If someone tells you to run for a while, you'll pace yourself conservatively because you don't know when you can stop. But if they tell you to run to that tree, your brain immediately calculates the distance, assesses your energy, and optimizes your pace to get there efficiently.
Second, when you give your brain a specific goal, it becomes like a detective looking for clues. You know how when you're thinking about buying a car, like maybe you're thinking about buying a Kia, I have a Kia. Suddenly, you start seeing Kias everywhere. They were always there, but now your brain is actively noticing them because they're relevant to what you're focused on, right? You're assessing the color that you want to buy or the model, and so your brain notices all the Kias on the road.
The same thing happens with your business goals, okay? When you write, "work on website," your brain doesn't know what to look for, right? So it doesn't help you notice useful things. But when you write, "finish About Me page," suddenly you start noticing great About Me pages when you're browsing other websites. Okay?
You remember that article you read about personal branding. You realize your friend mentioned a copywriter who could help. Your brain becomes this business assistant, right? It's actively collecting information and resources that will help you achieve that specific goal because it is so clear and narrow and defined. It's not overwhelming. The thought of working on a website is so broad and vague that your brain doesn't know how to help.
So the third thing that's happening is, and this is huge for us as busy moms, results-oriented goals, they reduce decision fatigue. And I talk about decision fatigue a lot on this podcast because decisions are so important, and we have to make so many little decisions throughout every single moment of every single day.
But every time you sit down to work and have to figure out what to do in that moment, you're using up mental energy that could be directed toward actually doing the work. Okay? So by making those decisions ahead of time, which I will talk about the process with that, you preserve your cognitive resources for the work itself. It allows you to be more creative. It allows you to be more energized.
Next, I want to talk about how to apply this to bigger, more complex projects because let's say the example of starting a business, that is a huge, complex project. And I know many of you are looking at launching a business or creating something significant, and it can absolutely feel overwhelming. I'm not going to sugarcoat that. The key is to think about it in terms of mini-milestones or micro-results. So every big project is just a series of smaller, completable tasks. Okay? The problem is that we often try to hold the entire project in our heads at once, which creates so much overwhelm and ultimately paralysis.
So let's use the website example again because I know this is something many of you are wrestling with. And by the way, if you are wrestling with this and you're getting stuck on the website piece, definitely check out Episode 21, where I show you exactly how to build a successful business without a website. It might be exactly the relief you need.
But the traditional approach looks like this: You block out two hours every Saturday morning to again, "work on website." Week after week, you sit down, spend time remembering where you left off, debate whether to work on the homepage or the About page. You gravitate usually towards whatever feels easier in that moment, and then you often run out of time just as you're getting into the flow. And after months of this, you feel like you've been working on your website forever, but you have very little to show for it.
The results-oriented approach looks completely different. So before your first work session, you spend 20 minutes breaking down the website project into specific, completable results. Okay? So maybe it's week one, you write "purchase domain, sign up for hosting site," and maybe even just "select template," right? Week two is "write complete draft of homepage copy." Week three is "create About Me page with photo and bio." Week four is "set up the contact form and test it." Week five is "review finished pages and fix any broken links and click publish."
Each week, you have a crystal clear finish line. When you sit down for your 2-hour block, there's no decision-making required. Okay? Your brain immediately knows what success looks like and can direct all of its energy towards achieving that specific result. Even more importantly, at the end of each work session, you can clearly see progress, right? You can celebrate specific wins. You get that dopamine hit that comes from completion, even though the entire project itself isn't complete, you still feel accomplished, which motivates you to keep going.
And I guarantee you, if you set it up as creating your website and breaking it down into what you want to accomplish each week, you will get to the finish line faster than having on your to-do list, "work on website."
The momentum factor is so important too. So this brings us to one of the most powerful benefits of results-oriented language, which is momentum building. I talk about momentum building so often in the early parts of building your business because momentum is truly a superpower. And you can create it. You have the power to create it in any moment. We all know what it feels like to accomplish something meaningful. There's that rush of satisfaction, that sense of, "I can actually do this." And that makes us want to tackle the next thing.
But here's what most people don't realize: That feeling is not reserved for big accomplishments when the whole website's finished. Your brain experiences the same reward cycle when you complete any clearly defined task, no matter how small. I know so many of the moms I work with and talk to love to-do lists and love checking off and crossing things out. There is a hit of dopamine, there is a satisfaction to crossing something out, and in your mind saying, "I did this. It's done."
And when you decide on a clearly defined task that creates a result, and then you actually complete it, your brain will absolutely celebrate that win. The dopamine release makes you feel capable and motivated, which is so invaluable. You build evidence that you're someone who follows through, who makes progress, who can handle this entrepreneurship thing. And that's the work of rewiring your brain to be somebody who owns a business and to be that future version of yourself who is the CEO, right, of not just your life, but also this thing that you created.
So that all is compared to when we write something vague, like "work on business," where you might, again, spend two hours in a scattered way across multiple incomplete tasks. Even if you technically did more work in those moments, your brain doesn't experience the satisfaction of completion. Okay? You don't get that momentum. You don't get that dopamine hit. There's no clear win to celebrate, no momentum to build on.
And so many people get stuck in the early stages of building their business because of this. It's not that they lack capability or dedication, it's that they're not structuring their work in a way that builds momentum and confidence until now. Okay, so let's talk about implementing this framework. So how do you actually implement this today, the next time you're working on your business or set aside time to create meaningful results? I want to give you a simple three-step framework that you can start using immediately. Okay?
Step one is the planning session. Once a week, I want you to spend 15 to 20 minutes planning your business work sessions for the upcoming week. Don't do this on the fly or right before you're supposed to work. Do it when your brain is fresh and not under pressure.
Now, I recommend setting aside 60 to 90 minutes total for planning out your entire week. This is something that I do with all of my clients, and that would include planning meals, workouts, family time, pickup and drop off, every bit of life. But for the sake of this conversation, set aside just 15 or 20 minutes just for thinking about planning for the time you're diligently setting aside for your business or whatever project is coming up. You can apply this to projects in corporate too.
And during that planning session, I want you to look at each block of time you've set aside for your business and your work and ask yourself, "What specific result do I want to have achieved by the end of this work session?" Write that down with action verbs and concrete examples.
The second step is to create that results-oriented language. So this is where, of course, the magic happens. So for each block of time you've set aside for your business and the tasks that you have during that block, I want you to ask yourself, "What specific results do I want to have achieved by the end of this session?" And then write that result down using action verbs and concrete outcomes, okay?
And here's what I mean by action verbs and concrete outcomes. Action verbs are words like complete, finish, create, write, send, schedule, publish, record, design, launch, right? I've used a lot of those examples already in this episode, but these words tell your brain exactly what action to take. And concrete outcomes are the specific measurable things you'll have done when you are finished. So finish About Me page and publish, write email to five potential clients and schedule, finish outline for new program, complete section one of the how to start a business PDF.
I'm throwing that last one in there because it's a great small, actionable step if you're at the stage of just toying with the idea of starting a business but have no idea where to start. So check out that PDF. I'll link it in the show notes, Jenna.Coach/58 because if you finish section one of that PDF, it's going to build momentum. I promise. You'll want to do section two, and then you'll want to take the next step in your business.
But with this, before you finalize each task, ask yourself a question about the specificity of each task, right? Ask yourself, "If someone else read this, would they know exactly what I accomplished?" And if the answer is no, you want to go back and make it more specific and clear.
As I talked about before, this sounds like shifting from "write newsletter" to "finish writing newsletter about time management tips, create subject line, and schedule for Thursday send." And all the other examples I gave earlier about how we actually shift that language to be more specific and actionable and all that good stuff. Okay, so each results-oriented version tells your brain exactly what success looks like, and our brain loves that. It then leads to being able to activate step three, which is that we celebrate that success. Okay?
So step three is crucial and often overlooked. But when you complete a results-oriented task, take a moment to acknowledge it. Now, your brain will probably want to do this automatically, but it's worthwhile to check it off your list with intention, okay? Let your brain really experience the full satisfaction of completing that task. This isn't about being self-congratulatory, it's about training your brain to associate your business work with positive outcomes, all for the purpose of keeping you motivated to keep going.
Now, real quick, I do want to talk about a couple of pitfalls just to be aware of. So as you start implementing this, there are a couple of common mistakes to watch out for. The biggest one is, don't make your results too ambitious for the time you have available. Okay? If you only have one hour, don't set a result that realistically requires three hours. This will actually leave you feeling defeated instead of accomplished, which will not give you momentum and motivation, okay? It's better to set a smaller result that you can actually achieve and then exceed it than to set an unrealistic goal and fall short.
Also, don't abandon this approach when things get busy or stressful. That's actually when you need it most. When life gets chaotic, the clarity and efficiency of results-oriented language becomes even more valuable. The benefit of setting aside 15 to 20 minutes to really get clear on what results you want to create is so much more valuable.
I also want you to know, like while we've been talking about this in the context of building your business, results-oriented language can transform every area of your life. Okay? You can apply this to household projects, family goals, personal development, anywhere you find yourself spinning your wheels or feeling like you're putting in effort and not seeing results.
So a personal example for me is my family is preparing for a big cross-country move, which I'll talk more about in future episodes as I reflect on what that means for my family and business. But thinking about moving the whole house is incredibly overwhelming. I'm sure anybody who has moved with two kids, or three kids, four kids, however many, even just moving when we are in our 20s is stressful.
But if I have a two-hour block set aside for moving tasks, it's so much more effective for me to write something like, "Clear out unused products from bathroom drawers and disassemble guest room furniture," or maybe I write, "empty dresser and list on Facebook Marketplace," rather than a vague, quote, "pack the house," or, quote, "prepare for move," right? The principle remains the same. Give your brain a clear destination so it can efficiently map the route to get there.
So, I want you to walk away with absolute clarity on how to implement this game-changing approach. So in review, results-oriented language is about describing your tasks in terms of specific outcomes rather than vague activities. Okay? We talked about examples of that. Your brain works like the GPS. It needs a clear destination to efficiently plan the route to get there. Keep in mind that three-step framework to actually implementing this, right?
First, do weekly planning sessions where you take time to define specific results for each work block. Create results-oriented language for each of those work blocks. And then really celebrate your accomplishments. Celebrate and build momentum and a positive association with your business work so that you have the momentum and drive to keep going.
This one shift will save you so much mental energy because it eliminates decision fatigue during your precious work time. It builds momentum, and it just feels really good. Most importantly, it really makes sure that every minute you invest in your business moves you forward in a measurable way so you're not spinning your wheels.
So what I want you to do is to look at your calendar for this week, find one block of time that you've set aside for your business or a personal project. Instead of writing a vague activity, write down the specific result you want to achieve in that time. Make it concrete, specific, and achievable within that time frame. And then when you sit down for that work session, I want you to notice the difference. Notice how quickly you can get started, how focused you feel, and how satisfied you are when you complete that specific result.
This is just one tool, but it is a powerful one. And here's what I know about you: You're absolutely capable of building the business and life you're dreaming of. Sometimes we just need to adjust our approach to work with our brains instead of against them.
I want you to keep listening to the podcast because every week, I will be giving another piece of the puzzle, another strategy, another mindset shift, another practical tool that will help you build momentum. I also have some really great interviews coming up with badasses in the law field and in career coaching in general about really finding and building a career that you love.
So keep listening and please, please, please, if you find yourself gravitating towards the podcast, go ahead and give it a follow. No matter where you listen, you can subscribe and follow the podcast, which is really the best way for you to stay up-to-date on new resources and episodes. It also reminds you that this podcast exists, especially when life gets hectic and we don't have time to listen to podcasts. And then we come back to it and forgot which ones we were really enjoying. Okay? So subscribe, follow, find the plus sign or the check mark on your app or computer, and never miss a beat.
Okay. Until next week, you've got this. I'm cheering you on every step of the way.
Thanks for listening to this week’s episode of How to Quit Your Job: A Mom’s Guide to Creating a Life and Business You Love. If you want to learn more about how I can help you stop making excuses and start making moves, head on over to www.jenna.coach. I’ll see you next week.
What if I told you that the secret to transforming those frustrating, wheel-spinning work sessions into powerful momentum-building blocks isn't about finding more time or creating more time? It's about changing the language you use to communicate with your own brain.
Welcome to How to Quit Your Job, the podcast for moms ready to ditch the nine-to-five and build a life and business they love. I’m your host, Jenna Rykiel. Let’s go.
Hello, mom friends. Thank you for listening today. Today, we are diving into something that's going to absolutely revolutionize how you approach every single work session from now on. This is something that I talk about with every single client I work with, and I thought, why not bring it to the podcast and make sure everybody knows about it? Because it's easy and it is so powerful.
So today we're talking about results-oriented language. And I promise you, this one shift in how you plan and think about your tasks will save you hours of mental energy every single week. Okay? I see this all the time with the incredible moms I coach. They're brilliant, capable women who can run a household, excel in their corporate jobs, and manage everyone else's schedules with military precision. I know you know what that looks like. But when it comes to their own business goals, they find themselves spinning their wheels, right? Feeling like they're putting in time but not seeing progress, wondering if they're even cut out for entrepreneurship.
Here's what I know to be true. Just like those moms, you are absolutely cut out for this. But the way that you may have been taught to plan and organize your tasks is working against you, not for you. So today, I'm going to show you exactly how to change that script, literally, so that every minute that you invest in your business becomes intentional, focused, and results-driven. And by the end of this episode, you'll have a clear framework for being able to transform vague tasks into specific, achievable results that actually move you forward.
You'll understand why your brain craves this kind of clarity that I'm going to talk about and how it actually creates more momentum in you and your business. Okay? Most importantly, you'll know exactly how to implement this starting right now, today.
Let's start with what results-oriented language actually is, because I want to make sure we're all on the same page. Okay? Results-oriented language is the practice of describing your tasks and goals in terms of the specific outcome you want to achieve, rather than the process or activity that you're engaging in.
So think about it this way: Your brain is like an incredibly sophisticated GPS system. When you tell a GPS, "Take me somewhere nice," it can't help you, right? But when you say, "Take me to 123 Main Street," it immediately calculates the fastest route, identifies potential obstacles, and guides you turn by turn to your destination.
And I want you to think about it that your brain works the same way. When you write in your to-do list, "work on website," your brain receives that like a vague GPS request, okay? It doesn't know what success looks like. So it can't efficiently direct your energy and attention on the task. But when you write something like, "Complete the About Me page and send to copy coach for review," your brain immediately understands the destination and can map out the most efficient path to get there. Okay, it knows what to start with. It knows exactly where to go in the website host, and it knows what to start brainstorming.
This is particularly crucial for us as moms because our focused work time is so limited and precious. We cannot afford to waste even five minutes of our golden hours that we put aside trying to figure out what we're supposed to be doing.
Okay? Now, if you've been listening to this podcast, you know I'm obsessed with the concept of planning and focus time. Focus time is that deliberately planned, uninterrupted work block where we accomplish our most important and brain-heavy business tasks. I typically recommend setting aside two-hour blocks because that's enough time to really sink your teeth into meaningful work without burning out. And I actually recommend only doing two hours a week to start out with, especially if you have a lot of other demands, just to build momentum.
But here's where most people go wrong with that focus time. They protect the time but don't protect the mental energy within that time. They'll block out two hours for "business work" and then spend the first 30 minutes just figuring out what to work on, getting reoriented to where they left off last time, maybe last week when they dedicated time to the business, and spending time making decisions about what's a priority, right?
And this is where results-oriented language becomes absolutely game-changing. When you use results-oriented language to plan your focus time, what you're going to do in that time, you're doing all of that decision-making work ahead of time when your brain is fresh and not under the pressure of a ticking clock.
I want to give you some really concrete examples of what this looks like in practice, okay, just so you get exactly where I'm coming from. So instead of writing, "work on website," like I mentioned, you would write something like, "finish About Me page and send to coach for review," right? Instead of "newsletter," you might write, "create newsletter about results-oriented language, create subject line, and schedule for Tuesday to send." Instead of writing the vague "social media," you would write something like, "create three Instagram posts about time management, schedule for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday."
I hope you can see the difference here. In each results-oriented version, which were of course the latter of all those examples, your brain knows exactly what success looks like by the end of that work session.
And I want to talk about the neuroscience behind why this works. Because there's actually brain science behind why this approach is so powerful, and understanding it will help you stick with it, even when it feels like extra work up front.
So first, when we give our brains specific, concrete goals, we activate what psychologists call the goal gradient effect. Okay? And this is our brain's tendency to really accelerate effort as we get closer to achieving a specific target. But this only works when the target is clearly defined, just like that GPS, right?
Think about it like running a race. If someone tells you to run for a while, you'll pace yourself conservatively because you don't know when you can stop. But if they tell you to run to that tree, your brain immediately calculates the distance, assesses your energy, and optimizes your pace to get there efficiently.
Second, when you give your brain a specific goal, it becomes like a detective looking for clues. You know how when you're thinking about buying a car, like maybe you're thinking about buying a Kia, I have a Kia. Suddenly, you start seeing Kias everywhere. They were always there, but now your brain is actively noticing them because they're relevant to what you're focused on, right? You're assessing the color that you want to buy or the model, and so your brain notices all the Kias on the road.
The same thing happens with your business goals, okay? When you write, "work on website," your brain doesn't know what to look for, right? So it doesn't help you notice useful things. But when you write, "finish About Me page," suddenly you start noticing great About Me pages when you're browsing other websites. Okay?
You remember that article you read about personal branding. You realize your friend mentioned a copywriter who could help. Your brain becomes this business assistant, right? It's actively collecting information and resources that will help you achieve that specific goal because it is so clear and narrow and defined. It's not overwhelming. The thought of working on a website is so broad and vague that your brain doesn't know how to help.
So the third thing that's happening is, and this is huge for us as busy moms, results-oriented goals, they reduce decision fatigue. And I talk about decision fatigue a lot on this podcast because decisions are so important, and we have to make so many little decisions throughout every single moment of every single day.
But every time you sit down to work and have to figure out what to do in that moment, you're using up mental energy that could be directed toward actually doing the work. Okay? So by making those decisions ahead of time, which I will talk about the process with that, you preserve your cognitive resources for the work itself. It allows you to be more creative. It allows you to be more energized.
Next, I want to talk about how to apply this to bigger, more complex projects because let's say the example of starting a business, that is a huge, complex project. And I know many of you are looking at launching a business or creating something significant, and it can absolutely feel overwhelming. I'm not going to sugarcoat that. The key is to think about it in terms of mini-milestones or micro-results. So every big project is just a series of smaller, completable tasks. Okay? The problem is that we often try to hold the entire project in our heads at once, which creates so much overwhelm and ultimately paralysis.
So let's use the website example again because I know this is something many of you are wrestling with. And by the way, if you are wrestling with this and you're getting stuck on the website piece, definitely check out Episode 21, where I show you exactly how to build a successful business without a website. It might be exactly the relief you need.
But the traditional approach looks like this: You block out two hours every Saturday morning to again, "work on website." Week after week, you sit down, spend time remembering where you left off, debate whether to work on the homepage or the About page. You gravitate usually towards whatever feels easier in that moment, and then you often run out of time just as you're getting into the flow. And after months of this, you feel like you've been working on your website forever, but you have very little to show for it.
The results-oriented approach looks completely different. So before your first work session, you spend 20 minutes breaking down the website project into specific, completable results. Okay? So maybe it's week one, you write "purchase domain, sign up for hosting site," and maybe even just "select template," right? Week two is "write complete draft of homepage copy." Week three is "create About Me page with photo and bio." Week four is "set up the contact form and test it." Week five is "review finished pages and fix any broken links and click publish."
Each week, you have a crystal clear finish line. When you sit down for your 2-hour block, there's no decision-making required. Okay? Your brain immediately knows what success looks like and can direct all of its energy towards achieving that specific result. Even more importantly, at the end of each work session, you can clearly see progress, right? You can celebrate specific wins. You get that dopamine hit that comes from completion, even though the entire project itself isn't complete, you still feel accomplished, which motivates you to keep going.
And I guarantee you, if you set it up as creating your website and breaking it down into what you want to accomplish each week, you will get to the finish line faster than having on your to-do list, "work on website."
The momentum factor is so important too. So this brings us to one of the most powerful benefits of results-oriented language, which is momentum building. I talk about momentum building so often in the early parts of building your business because momentum is truly a superpower. And you can create it. You have the power to create it in any moment. We all know what it feels like to accomplish something meaningful. There's that rush of satisfaction, that sense of, "I can actually do this." And that makes us want to tackle the next thing.
But here's what most people don't realize: That feeling is not reserved for big accomplishments when the whole website's finished. Your brain experiences the same reward cycle when you complete any clearly defined task, no matter how small. I know so many of the moms I work with and talk to love to-do lists and love checking off and crossing things out. There is a hit of dopamine, there is a satisfaction to crossing something out, and in your mind saying, "I did this. It's done."
And when you decide on a clearly defined task that creates a result, and then you actually complete it, your brain will absolutely celebrate that win. The dopamine release makes you feel capable and motivated, which is so invaluable. You build evidence that you're someone who follows through, who makes progress, who can handle this entrepreneurship thing. And that's the work of rewiring your brain to be somebody who owns a business and to be that future version of yourself who is the CEO, right, of not just your life, but also this thing that you created.
So that all is compared to when we write something vague, like "work on business," where you might, again, spend two hours in a scattered way across multiple incomplete tasks. Even if you technically did more work in those moments, your brain doesn't experience the satisfaction of completion. Okay? You don't get that momentum. You don't get that dopamine hit. There's no clear win to celebrate, no momentum to build on.
And so many people get stuck in the early stages of building their business because of this. It's not that they lack capability or dedication, it's that they're not structuring their work in a way that builds momentum and confidence until now. Okay, so let's talk about implementing this framework. So how do you actually implement this today, the next time you're working on your business or set aside time to create meaningful results? I want to give you a simple three-step framework that you can start using immediately. Okay?
Step one is the planning session. Once a week, I want you to spend 15 to 20 minutes planning your business work sessions for the upcoming week. Don't do this on the fly or right before you're supposed to work. Do it when your brain is fresh and not under pressure.
Now, I recommend setting aside 60 to 90 minutes total for planning out your entire week. This is something that I do with all of my clients, and that would include planning meals, workouts, family time, pickup and drop off, every bit of life. But for the sake of this conversation, set aside just 15 or 20 minutes just for thinking about planning for the time you're diligently setting aside for your business or whatever project is coming up. You can apply this to projects in corporate too.
And during that planning session, I want you to look at each block of time you've set aside for your business and your work and ask yourself, "What specific result do I want to have achieved by the end of this work session?" Write that down with action verbs and concrete examples.
The second step is to create that results-oriented language. So this is where, of course, the magic happens. So for each block of time you've set aside for your business and the tasks that you have during that block, I want you to ask yourself, "What specific results do I want to have achieved by the end of this session?" And then write that result down using action verbs and concrete outcomes, okay?
And here's what I mean by action verbs and concrete outcomes. Action verbs are words like complete, finish, create, write, send, schedule, publish, record, design, launch, right? I've used a lot of those examples already in this episode, but these words tell your brain exactly what action to take. And concrete outcomes are the specific measurable things you'll have done when you are finished. So finish About Me page and publish, write email to five potential clients and schedule, finish outline for new program, complete section one of the how to start a business PDF.
I'm throwing that last one in there because it's a great small, actionable step if you're at the stage of just toying with the idea of starting a business but have no idea where to start. So check out that PDF. I'll link it in the show notes, Jenna.Coach/58 because if you finish section one of that PDF, it's going to build momentum. I promise. You'll want to do section two, and then you'll want to take the next step in your business.
But with this, before you finalize each task, ask yourself a question about the specificity of each task, right? Ask yourself, "If someone else read this, would they know exactly what I accomplished?" And if the answer is no, you want to go back and make it more specific and clear.
As I talked about before, this sounds like shifting from "write newsletter" to "finish writing newsletter about time management tips, create subject line, and schedule for Thursday send." And all the other examples I gave earlier about how we actually shift that language to be more specific and actionable and all that good stuff. Okay, so each results-oriented version tells your brain exactly what success looks like, and our brain loves that. It then leads to being able to activate step three, which is that we celebrate that success. Okay?
So step three is crucial and often overlooked. But when you complete a results-oriented task, take a moment to acknowledge it. Now, your brain will probably want to do this automatically, but it's worthwhile to check it off your list with intention, okay? Let your brain really experience the full satisfaction of completing that task. This isn't about being self-congratulatory, it's about training your brain to associate your business work with positive outcomes, all for the purpose of keeping you motivated to keep going.
Now, real quick, I do want to talk about a couple of pitfalls just to be aware of. So as you start implementing this, there are a couple of common mistakes to watch out for. The biggest one is, don't make your results too ambitious for the time you have available. Okay? If you only have one hour, don't set a result that realistically requires three hours. This will actually leave you feeling defeated instead of accomplished, which will not give you momentum and motivation, okay? It's better to set a smaller result that you can actually achieve and then exceed it than to set an unrealistic goal and fall short.
Also, don't abandon this approach when things get busy or stressful. That's actually when you need it most. When life gets chaotic, the clarity and efficiency of results-oriented language becomes even more valuable. The benefit of setting aside 15 to 20 minutes to really get clear on what results you want to create is so much more valuable.
I also want you to know, like while we've been talking about this in the context of building your business, results-oriented language can transform every area of your life. Okay? You can apply this to household projects, family goals, personal development, anywhere you find yourself spinning your wheels or feeling like you're putting in effort and not seeing results.
So a personal example for me is my family is preparing for a big cross-country move, which I'll talk more about in future episodes as I reflect on what that means for my family and business. But thinking about moving the whole house is incredibly overwhelming. I'm sure anybody who has moved with two kids, or three kids, four kids, however many, even just moving when we are in our 20s is stressful.
But if I have a two-hour block set aside for moving tasks, it's so much more effective for me to write something like, "Clear out unused products from bathroom drawers and disassemble guest room furniture," or maybe I write, "empty dresser and list on Facebook Marketplace," rather than a vague, quote, "pack the house," or, quote, "prepare for move," right? The principle remains the same. Give your brain a clear destination so it can efficiently map the route to get there.
So, I want you to walk away with absolute clarity on how to implement this game-changing approach. So in review, results-oriented language is about describing your tasks in terms of specific outcomes rather than vague activities. Okay? We talked about examples of that. Your brain works like the GPS. It needs a clear destination to efficiently plan the route to get there. Keep in mind that three-step framework to actually implementing this, right?
First, do weekly planning sessions where you take time to define specific results for each work block. Create results-oriented language for each of those work blocks. And then really celebrate your accomplishments. Celebrate and build momentum and a positive association with your business work so that you have the momentum and drive to keep going.
This one shift will save you so much mental energy because it eliminates decision fatigue during your precious work time. It builds momentum, and it just feels really good. Most importantly, it really makes sure that every minute you invest in your business moves you forward in a measurable way so you're not spinning your wheels.
So what I want you to do is to look at your calendar for this week, find one block of time that you've set aside for your business or a personal project. Instead of writing a vague activity, write down the specific result you want to achieve in that time. Make it concrete, specific, and achievable within that time frame. And then when you sit down for that work session, I want you to notice the difference. Notice how quickly you can get started, how focused you feel, and how satisfied you are when you complete that specific result.
This is just one tool, but it is a powerful one. And here's what I know about you: You're absolutely capable of building the business and life you're dreaming of. Sometimes we just need to adjust our approach to work with our brains instead of against them.
I want you to keep listening to the podcast because every week, I will be giving another piece of the puzzle, another strategy, another mindset shift, another practical tool that will help you build momentum. I also have some really great interviews coming up with badasses in the law field and in career coaching in general about really finding and building a career that you love.
So keep listening and please, please, please, if you find yourself gravitating towards the podcast, go ahead and give it a follow. No matter where you listen, you can subscribe and follow the podcast, which is really the best way for you to stay up-to-date on new resources and episodes. It also reminds you that this podcast exists, especially when life gets hectic and we don't have time to listen to podcasts. And then we come back to it and forgot which ones we were really enjoying. Okay? So subscribe, follow, find the plus sign or the check mark on your app or computer, and never miss a beat.
Okay. Until next week, you've got this. I'm cheering you on every step of the way.
Thanks for listening to this week’s episode of How to Quit Your Job: A Mom’s Guide to Creating a Life and Business You Love. If you want to learn more about how I can help you stop making excuses and start making moves, head on over to www.jenna.coach. I’ll see you next week.
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