Guess What: That thing that went wrong again this week? The one that made you want to throw your laptop out the window? That's not just a problem. It's a roadmap.

For years, I heard the advice: "Work ON your business, not IN it." Great in theory. In practice, I had forty-seven orders to fulfill, customer emails piling up, and inventory to manage. When exactly was I supposed to carve out time for strategic thinking? Between packing boxes and answering texts at 9 PM?

Turns out, I didn't need a two-hour strategy session blocked on my calendar. I needed ten minutes and permission to actually pay attention to what was making me crazy.

Your frustrations aren't distractions from running your business. They're clues about what to fix next. And you already have everything you need to start solving them.

When Your Business Is Driving You

Here's what happens when you're running at full speed: you stop noticing what's actually slowing you down.

An error happens during order fulfillment—you fix it and keep moving. A customer texts you at 9 PM with a question—you answer it because that's what good business owners do. Something goes wrong for the third week in a row—you handle it and promise yourself you'll figure out a better system "when things slow down."

Spoiler: things never slow down.

Meanwhile, the same problems keep popping up like whack-a-moles. The same errors cost you time. The same inefficiencies chip away at your energy. You're working harder, but somehow the business isn't getting any easier to run.

You start to feel like you're just trying to keep up instead of actually being in charge.

The Permission You've Been Waiting For

Here's the thing most business advice gets wrong: it tells you to "make time for strategy" without acknowledging that you're drowning in work right now.

So instead, let me tell you something different: you can pause.

You can tell customers that orders placed this week will ship next week because you're upgrading your systems. You can block off tomorrow morning to fix something that's been breaking for months. You can stop answering emails at 9 PM and set up an auto-responder instead.

You're in charge. You get to decide how your business runs.

When you communicate clearly about what you're doing and why, most customers won't be upset. They'll appreciate that you're fixing what's broken instead of letting the same errors keep happening.

Taking time to improve your systems isn't irresponsible. It's the most strategic thing you can do. And it doesn't require a weekend retreat or a business coach. It requires ten minutes and a willingness to write down what's driving you crazy.

The 10-Minute CEO Practice

I developed this practice when I finally stopped waiting for "someday when I have time" to fix the things that were draining me. It's built around four ten-minute sessions you can schedule whenever they fit—weekly, monthly, or somewhere in between. The magic isn't in the timing. It's in actually doing them.

Session 1: Build Your "I Would Love to Solve This" List

Set a timer for ten minutes. Write down everything that frustrated you recently:

• What error happened this week?

• What made you feel most worried or stressed?

• What do you KNOW could work better but you haven't had time to fix?

This isn't about being negative or complaining. It's about noticing what's actually costing you time, energy, or peace of mind.

Don't edit yourself. Don't worry about whether solutions exist yet. Just capture what's real.

For me, this list included things like: printing shipping labels separately from packing slips, then sitting on my living room floor alphabetizing both stacks like I was playing the world's most boring card game, then pairing them up and hoping I didn't mix anything up before packages went out.

Session 2: Prioritize by Relief

Ten minutes. Look at your list from Session 1.

Ask yourself: which ONE of these, if I solved it, would make my life noticeably lighter?

Not the most impressive fix. Not the one that sounds best on Instagram. The one that would give you the biggest sense of relief when you think about not having to deal with it anymore.

That's your target.

Session 3: Search for Solutions

Ten minutes. Now that you know what you're solving for, go looking for answers:

• Google it (if you know what it's called)

• Ask AI to suggest tools or systems

• Post in business owner groups: "How do you handle [X]?"

You're not implementing anything yet. You're just finding out what's possible.

This is where the magic happens. Because once you know what you're looking for, solutions often already exist. You just didn't know what to call them.

Session 4: Make Time by Managing Expectations

This is where people usually get stuck. "Okay, I know what I want to fix and I know how to fix it. But I don't actually have time to implement it."

Here's the shift: you create time by deciding what gets paused and telling people about it.

Need a day to set up a new system? Tell customers: "We're upgrading our fulfillment process this week. Orders placed between [date] and [date] will ship on [date]. Thanks for your patience while we make things even better."

Need to block mornings for two weeks to learn a new tool? Adjust your email response time and let people know you'll be back to them by end of day instead of immediately.

You're not asking permission. You're making a decision and communicating it clearly.

Most customers won't mind. They want you to fix what's broken too.

Get Started

What's on your "I Would Love to Solve This" list right now?

What's the thing that went wrong again this week that made you think, "There has to be a better way"?

You're right. There probably is.

Take ten minutes this week and write it down. You might be surprised what becomes possible when you stop running long enough to notice what's actually in your way.

The frustration you're feeling? That's not a sign you're doing something wrong. It's a sign you're ready to do something different.

And you already know exactly where to start.

Best Wishes for Joyful Growth! 🌿

Dr. Victoria LeBeaux 

Creator, The Grow Your Business Project