Your Fun & Profitable Online Business · Episode 44
Your No Matter What List and the Gift of Simplicity
When life gets full, your business does not need an equally full plan. A No Matter What List gives you three to five essential actions that keep the business moving without pretending you have unlimited capacity.
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The strongest move may be less
A 10-minute simplicity scan for a full season
When your calendar gets crowded, do not make every business task equally urgent. Sort the work into three decisions so you can protect momentum without carrying the whole business at once.
Temporarily set down work that adds weight without serving this season: new offers, complex routines, comparison, and unnecessary reinvention.
Shrink the work while preserving the outcome: shorter emails, simpler workflows, one platform, one doable task.
Protect the few actions that maintain connection, visibility, revenue, or useful reflection. These become your No Matter What List.
A full season does not require a full business plan. In fact, the more crowded life becomes, the more valuable it is to know the few actions that keep your business steady.
Why December can feel unusually heavy for entrepreneurs
You are often operating two calendars at once. The business calendar includes client work, visibility, finances, planning, offers, and year-end decisions. The personal calendar may include travel, holidays, school breaks, family events, and the emotional weight that can come with the season.
At the same time, your energy may naturally turn inward. You may want more reflection, fewer decisions, and a slower pace. When your body asks for less and your business brain answers with more, tiny stressors start stacking.
Simplify the two biggest energy leaks first
Content is one place to reduce pressure quickly. Reschedule what can wait, reuse strong material, and consider choosing one primary visibility platform for the month. Maintaining a useful presence can be enough.
Communication is another common energy leak because it is unpredictable. Auto replies, response templates, clear turnaround windows, and advance notice about offline time can remove dozens of small decisions.
Use the simplicity scan: pause, condense, keep
Pause the work that adds complexity without an immediate payoff. Condense the work that still matters but can become lighter. Keep the small group of actions that stabilize your business.
Your No Matter What List is not about doing the bare minimum. It is about protecting the foundation.
The point is not to copy someone else’s essentials. One business may need client follow-up and sales conversations. Another may prioritize a newsletter and delivery. Your list should reflect the small actions that maintain your own momentum.
And it can change. A No Matter What List for a busy holiday month can be smaller than the list you use during a growth season. The value is knowing what “enough” looks like before the week gets chaotic.
Your action step
Create your own No Matter What List this week.
- Run the 10-minute simplicity scan: pause, condense, keep.
- Choose three to five actions that genuinely maintain momentum.
- Write the list somewhere visible.
- Use it as your anchor when the week gets busy.
Questions about creating a No Matter What List
How many things should be on my No Matter What List?
Three to five actions is a useful target. The list should be small enough to complete during a genuinely full week, not another disguised master task list.
How do I know what belongs on the list?
Look for actions that maintain connection, visibility, revenue, client delivery, useful data, or reflection. Ask what would make the business feel meaningfully neglected if it disappeared for several weeks.
Is a No Matter What List just a bare-minimum business plan?
No. It is a capacity-aware floor that protects the foundation during a busy season. You can always do more when you have room, but you do not have to rebuild the plan every time capacity changes.
Can my list change from season to season?
Yes. Wendy specifically notes that the holiday-season version is not necessarily the list you use during a growth period. Your essentials can expand or contract with your goals and capacity.
What if everything feels essential?
Use the pause, condense, keep scan. Ask what truly needs to remain active now, what can become smaller, and what can wait without causing meaningful harm.
Should recurring client work be on the list?
If client delivery is one of the non-negotiable actions that keeps your business healthy, yes. The list should reflect your actual business model rather than a generic set of marketing tasks.
How is this different from a weekly priority list?
A weekly priority list changes with current projects. A No Matter What List is the small recurring baseline you protect even when projects, schedules, or seasons change.
Read the full episode transcript
Episode 44 transcript: Your No Matter What List and the Gift of Simplicity
Why simplicity matters when life gets full
Hey there, and welcome to episode 44 of Your Fun and Profitable Online Business. This is the podcast that helps you grow your business with intention, momentum, and of course, a sprinkle of confetti, even during the holiday season. I’m your host, Wendy Muzzy, a certified money coach, online business strategist, and your behind the scenes voice reminding you that your business can feel good, especially when life gets full.
We have officially arrived at the holiday stretch, and you know what I mean. This is the season that comes with twinkle lights and long to-do list, warm fuzzy vibes, and a calendar that practically bursts at the seams. Joy and pressure. And somehow, even though we’ve known that December was coming 11 months ago, it sometimes still sneaks up on us.
If you’re feeling the weight of expectations and constant decisions and the pressure to finish strong, you’re not the only one. In fact, if you’re feeling that way, it tells me that your business is alive and you care deeply about doing great work. But I want to offer you a general but powerful reframe. What if the strongest move you could make this month isn’t more? What if the real power play is to simplify?
Today, we’re digging into that, how to lighten your business load right now and how to build your no matter what list. So take a slow breath with me, unclench your draw, and let’s get to it.
Two calendars at the same time
All right, here’s the thing about December. It magnifies everything. And for entrepreneurs, that magnification hits differently because you’re operating two calendars at the same time.
First, we have your business calendar. This one’s full of wrapping up client work, trying to stay visible, closing out your financials, planning, reviewing your numbers, and wondering if you should do a holiday offer, if you should launch in quarter one, if you should be more strategic, or if you’re missing something. That’s a lot.
And then there’s the personal calendar. These are the holidays, maybe the school breaks, your travel, family expectations, events, kids being home, family dynamics, you know, those extended family members. And if we’re honest, seasonal emotions that we haven’t fully processed yet. No wonder why it feels like a lot.
When your energy naturally turns inward
But here’s another layer that most people don’t talk about. This is the time of year when your energy naturally turns inward. Even if you’re a high-capacity person, even if you’re excited, even if you love this season beyond belief, your body still craves reflection, slower mornings, fewer decisions, and more intentional pacing.
But entrepreneurs often respond to this natural inward shift by adding more. Maybe it’s more planning or more comparing or more pressure or even just more “shoulds.” It’s like your body is whispering, please slow down. But your brain is shouting, we’re behind, push harder, go harder. And that combination creates micro stressors that layer on top of each other consistently.
Here’s what it looks like. You start December feeling determined. Then you start to feel guilty for not doing enough. Then anxious because other people seem more prepared. Then overwhelmed, then stuck, then frustrated because you’re stuck. Then you judge yourself for being frustrated. It’s a whole cycle.
So I want to say this directly. You are not behind. This is where simplicity becomes your strength, your strategy actually. Because simplicity lowers the noise and it protects your energy. And it gives you a clear runway to go into quarter one.
Simplify content first
Now, we’re not simplifying everything, just the parts with the biggest ripple effects. There’s two of them. First, we have your content. This is where most entrepreneurs unintentionally train themselves in December. So instead of creating more, try to reschedule anything you can. Even one email gives you some breathing room.
Then reuse content you already have. A repost is not cheating. It’s actually really smart. Or pick one platform for visibility this month and let everything else just be quiet for a little while. You’re not trying to grow the busiest audience in December. You’re simply maintaining your presence in a way that feels light.
Simplify communication too
The other one we have is communication. Communication is one of the biggest energy leaks this time of year. Not because it’s hard, but because it’s unpredictable.
Here’s how to create more calm. Set auto replies with clear expectations. Use templates for responses that you send often. I love the signature line option in Gmail. Clearly communicate response windows. This can be in your auto reply or this can be with your current clients. You want to let them know when you’re traveling or offline. so you just don’t get radio silent. And when you reduce the unpredictability of any communication, you reduce a good bit of the mental load.
The 10-minute simplicity scan
Now, let’s talk about the simplicity scan. This is the 10-minute scan to help you identify what to pause, what to condense, and what to keep.
First up, what to pause. You’re simply identifying the things that add unnecessary weight or complications right now. Here are some examples. Creating new offers. That’s not for now. That’s for next month. Comparing your plans to someone else’s. We don’t have time for comparison here. Stay focused, stay in your lane. Complex posting routines. We are just doing one in and out. We don’t have to do 20 on different platforms every day. Starting from scratch, use your templates when you can. Now you’re not deleting these things forever. You’re simply saying not right now.
Next, what to condense. This is about shrinking the work without losing the impact. Maybe try shorter emails or three-step workflows or choosing one task that feels doable even on light days. Condensing isn’t about reversing progress. It’s about streamlining so you stay connected without burning out.
Next, what to keep. These are the things that keep your business alive and moving even when your life is full. Here are some examples. Email list nurturing. It could just be sending an email to your list every week. Connecting with other business owners. Maybe it’s joining on a call with a group that you’re part of. Or it could be staying in your visibility lane. For me, that’s podcasting. Every week, I release a podcast episode. Whatever it is, these pieces go directly into your No Matter What list.
Build your No Matter What List
Ah, so what’s No Matter What list? Glad you asked. It’s your personal list of three to five actions that keep you clear, calm, and connected to your business. even when the world feels busy, festive, or overwhelming. These are your even on a chaotic week, this stuff gets done commitments.
Now, your No Matter What list isn’t about hustling harder. It’s about stabilizing your foundation so your business stays alive without draining you.
All right, I’ll give you mine. And yes, it’s intentionally simple. Every week, no matter what, I release a podcast episode. I collect my KBIs, I promote one lead magnet, I engage on social media for one intentional hour, and I reflect briefly on what worked well and what needs refinement. That’s it.
There’s not 20 things here. It’s not creating something new. It’s not reinventing my business. It’s just the essential actions that keep me grounded and connected.
Now, your list may look different, and I hope it does. The goal isn’t to copy mine. The goal is to create your own version that supports you and your business.
Your action step
And this week, that’s your action step to do just that. Create your own no matter what list. Pick three to five things that maintain your momentum and keep your business moving forward. Write them down somewhere you’ll see them. Maybe that’s your planner or sticky note on your laptop. And do this so it anchors you every week.
And next month, we’ll talk about adding to this list whenever you’re in a growth period of your business. This isn’t just the bare minimum you do for all of 2026. This is just what you do in these periods where there’s a lot going on outside your business.
Simplicity now becomes strategy later
Look, you’re allowed to do less right now and make decisions that support the version of you that exists today. not the hustling version of you that gets wrapped up in shoulds.
Most people will try to sprint through the end of the year but not you, friend. You’re choosing stability on purpose because simplicity in December becomes strategy in January.
Now if this episode helped you I’d be so grateful if you shared it with a friend and or left a review. It helps more women find this work and build businesses they’re dreaming of.
Next week we’re talking about my method for goal setting. It’s a flexible system that prioritizes real life over pressure. You don’t want to miss it. Okay, until next time, happy simplifying!