Your Fun & Profitable Online Business · Episode 28
Habits That Quietly Slow Your Business Growth
Some habits look productive while quietly keeping your business in the same place. Learn to spot four patterns that drain time and energy, then make small shifts toward work that actually creates momentum.
Press play and find the habits quietly stealing momentum
Having trouble? Open the audio directly.
Momentum leaks
Four habits that can make a full day produce very little growth
The problem is not always that you need another strategy. Sometimes the faster path is identifying what is quietly consuming attention without creating visibility, leads, sales, or better client results.
Your list is full, but the work is disconnected from the result you actually want.
You keep restarting before a strategy has enough time to compound.
The uncomfortable task that could move the needle stays untouched.
Too much energy goes into work that could be simplified, automated, delegated, or eliminated.
You do not need a full rebuild. You need to clear the friction that is quietly chipping away at momentum.
It is possible to work very hard and still keep a business in roughly the same place. That usually happens when effort gets confused with progress. The calendar fills up, the to-do list gets checked, and yet the numbers that matter barely move.
Habit 1: confusing busy with productive
Busy work is especially dangerous because it often feels responsible. Tweaking a website, reorganizing tools, consuming another course, or polishing something that was already good enough can all provide visible proof that you worked.
→
Wendy’s shift is simple: choose three important tasks and ask whether completing only those would still move the business forward. If not, the list needs different work.
Habit 2: chasing shiny objects
New platforms and strategies create energy because they come with possibility. The cost is that constant restarting prevents you from collecting enough evidence to know what is actually working.
One strategy used consistently for three months can teach you more than five strategies abandoned after two weeks.
Habit 3: avoiding the hard stuff
The task you keep postponing may be the one most connected to growth: following up with leads, looking at the numbers, raising prices, making an invitation, or finishing the thing you keep circling.
The sooner you face it, the faster you can grow.
Instead of demanding that you finish the whole uncomfortable project, give it 20 minutes and take the first step. Momentum often begins before confidence arrives.
Habit 4: using systems you have outgrown
A system can technically work and still cost too much energy. Wendy compares it to an old phone: it turns on, but it is slow, clunky, and struggles with what you need it to do now.
Each quarter, ask whether the tools and processes still fit your current business. If something feels clunky, simplify it. If it is too manual, systemize it. If it feels heavy, consider delegating or eliminating it.
You probably do not need a full rebuild
When a business feels slow, the instinct is often to replace everything. But a small friction point repeated every day can create more drag than one dramatic problem.
That is why the better diagnostic is not “What else should I add?” It is “What is quietly slowing me down?”
Your 10-minute habit audit
- Write down what you did yesterday.
- Put a check beside anything that directly increased visibility, leads, sales, or client results.
- Notice what consumed time without earning a check.
- Match the pattern to one of the four habits from this episode.
- Choose one small change that removes friction this week.
Questions about habits that slow business growth
How do I know whether I am being productive or just busy?
Connect the task to a business result. If it does not support visibility, leads, sales, client results, or a necessary operating function, it may be useful but it should not automatically outrank growth work.
How long should I stick with a strategy before deciding it is not working?
There is no universal timeline, but the episode recommends giving one new strategy enough time to collect real data, often three months or longer, instead of constantly restarting.
What if the task I am avoiding is important but overwhelming?
Shrink the commitment. Set a 20-minute timer and do only the first step. The goal is not to force a giant burst of productivity. It is to begin moving the task again.
How often should I review my business systems?
A quarterly systems check is a useful rhythm. Ask what feels clunky, manual, heavy, or no longer appropriate for the stage of business you are in now.
Does business growth always require doing more?
No. This episode makes the opposite case: growth can come from removing friction, stopping low-value work, staying with one strategy longer, and updating systems that are consuming unnecessary effort.
What should a new business owner focus on first?
Prioritize the activities most closely connected to being seen, starting conversations, making offers, delivering strong client results, and learning from what happens. A smaller list of useful actions usually beats a long list of impressive-looking tasks.
Read the full episode transcript
Episode 28 transcript: Habits That Quietly Slow Your Business Growth
When working harder is not creating more growth
Hey there, and welcome to episode 28 of Your Fun and Profitable Online Business. The podcast that makes business growth feel exciting, doable, and way less complicated. I’m Wendy Mazzee, a money coach, online business strategist, and your go-to guide for making your business feel as good as it looks.
I help women entrepreneurs stop wasting energy on what’s not working and start building a business that grows with more flow and of course, more confetti.
Today, we’re digging into those sneaky habits, the patterns that keep you busy, but not really moving forward. If you’ve been working hard, but wondering why things still feel stuck, this one’s for you. Okay, let’s get into it.
I’m going to start this off with my own personal story because I’ve been there and I get it. When I first started coaching, I thought growth meant doing all the things, buying all the courses, joining every challenge that was out there and tweaking my website endlessly.
I had all the books. I had all the little guides. I did all the things. I felt productive. My days were cram packed, probably more than eight hours. But when I looked at my metrics, they weren’t making a difference.
And here’s what I learned. Business growth isn’t about how much you do. It’s about what actually gets you the results you’re looking for. Let me say that again. It’s doing the things that get you the results that you’re looking for.
Sometimes growth means letting go instead of adding more
Here’s the problem. Certain habits feel like they’re beneficial, but they’re really draining your time. They’re killing your energy and your creativity. And most importantly, they’re killing your excitement.
They keep you spinning in place instead of moving forward. Does any of this sound familiar?
This is why knowing what’s slowing you down is so important. Because once you can spot it, you can shift it. And suddenly, the same effort leads to way different results.
I want to say this loud and clear. Business growth tips aren’t always about adding more strategies or tools to your plate. Sometimes it’s about letting go of the things that are getting in the way.
Habit one: confusing busy with productive
All right, let’s talk through the four sneaky habits that I often see with my clients. Number one, confusing busy with productive.
You know that feeling when your to-do list is full, but none of it really leads to sales or visibility? That’s just busy work, friend. It may feel good to check them off your list, but it doesn’t get you closer to your goals.
Here’s the shift. Each day, identify your three most important tasks. Ask yourself, have I only got these things done, would my business still grow?
The answer is yes, awesome, nothing else is needed. But if it’s no, replace those three must-do activities with something that really makes a difference. Maybe it’s sending an email to your list, following up with a lead, or delivering value to a client.
Habit two: chasing shiny objects
Number two, chasing shiny objects. I get it. They look so pretty, they’re shiny out there. Someone else has it, they’re successful with it. I totally get it.
But there will always be a new platform, a new strategy, or a new trend. I bet you there’s 100 being created as I say this. If you’re constantly starting over, you’ll never give yourself or your business time to compound.
If this is your struggle, here’s what I suggest. Stick with one new strategy at a time. Run it long enough to collect data and test if it really works. Now, this could be three months or longer. You’ve got to be really patient here.
And I want you to know that scaling happens by doubling down, not by constantly jumping around to the next best thing.
Habit three: avoiding the hard stuff
Number three, avoiding the hard stuff. This one might sting a little and I’m sorry, but we all have tasks that we avoid for whatever reason.
Maybe they’re stories that we tell ourselves. Maybe it feels ick. It doesn’t matter. There’s always things that we avoid.
These could be tracking your number, following up with leads or raising your prices. Whatever reason you’re avoiding them, you might be avoiding them. But this is what keeps you stuck at the same level.
Here’s how to address it. Identify one, just one of those tasks that you’re avoiding. the big one, and set a timer for 20 minutes. Just do the very first step.
Next week, you can do the next step, but start down the path of getting it done. Remember, the sooner you face it, the faster you’re going to grow.
Habit four: using systems you have outgrown
And number four, using systems you’ve outgrown or not using systems at all. Here, you’re spending way too much energy managing the stuff that could be automated, delegated, or eliminated.
Things technically work, but maybe they’re clunky or just really difficult.
Here’s how you can stay on top of this one. Every quarter, do a quick systems check. Ask yourself, is this tool or this process still serving me at the level I’m at right now?
If it feels clunky, look for a simpler option. If it feels too manual, ask yourself, how can it be systematized? If it feels heavy, consider delegating it or eliminating it.
I like to compare your systems to your cell phone. The one you bought five years ago still works technically, but it’s slow and clunky, and sometimes it can’t keep up with the newest apps. But when you upgrade, suddenly everything runs smoother and faster and those apps start working again.
The same is true for your systems.
You do not need a full rebuild to create momentum
You can have a business that moves with you, not because you added more, but because you refuse to settle for what you’ve been doing.
The real boost comes when you start asking, what’s slowing me down and what can I do to change it?
You don’t need a full rebuild. You just need to clear the friction that’s quietly chipping away at your momentum.
And when you finally do, you’ll move faster and feel lighter and your business starts to be fun again.
Your 10-minute habit audit
All right, here’s your action step. I want you to do a 10-minute habit audit. Open a notebook or your notes app and list out what you did yesterday. Think of the habits behind it.
Then put a check mark next to anything that directly drove growth. For this, we’re gonna look for things that increase your visibility, your leads, your sales, or your client results.
If most of the things don’t get a check, that’s your clue. Identify one of the habits we talked about today and make a change.
To recap, those habits are, Mistaking busy for productivity, chasing shiny objects instead of staying the course, avoiding the hard stuff that actually moves the needle, and relying on systems you’ve outgrown or skipping them altogether.
This is where a small shift can lead to super huge momentum.
Keep clearing space for what is next
All right. If you loved today’s episode, it would mean the world to me if you’d share it with a friend who’s growing her business too. And leave me a quick review.
Reviews help women find the show, and it’s one of the easiest ways you can support me while I keep creating this content for you.
Next week, we’re diving into something I know many of you wrestle with, how to build a thriving business as a multi-passion entrepreneur.
If you have more ideas than can fit in a single box, yes, I get it, that’s me. You’re going to love this one. So make sure you’re subscribed, and until next time, keep clearing space for what’s next!