This morning, before coming into the office, I took advantage of the nice weather to clean out the chicken coop. Do you know how long I’ve been putting this off? Weeks. Maybe 6, maybe 8. If this was a procrastination race, I was definitely going to win.

The thing is, cleaning out the coop isn’t actually very hard. It’s messy. It takes a couple of hours (at most). But it isn’t actually difficult. It’s just time consuming…and gross.

But the advantages? The environment is healthier, the birds are happier, and healthy happy birds lay eggs. I also get exercise which in turn makes me happier and healthier too. By doing this task, I create a desired surplus for myself, my family, the birds, and our local egg buyers.

When I speak about designing your regenerative business, I’m talking about stuff like this. Obviously not chickens but systems and practices.

What are the areas where you desire a surplus? Time? Energy? Wellbeing? Money? Community? Something else?

Where in your business are you procrastinating on (or ignoring) the stuff that will bring you a surplus?

What can be let go of, tweaked, or changed so that creating this surplus is not only feasible but easy?

Sometimes you just gotta get out there and scoop the poop (or batch your social media posts or launch the thing or send the emails). Sometimes you need to re-align and re-focus on your priorities. Sometimes it takes a conversation with a third party to see what needs to change…and how.

This work can feel like scooping shit but remember, the rewards are better than a fresh omelet breakfast.