Came across this question this morning, in an e-book I downloaded to my kindle last night called Time Management 2.0 by H. Reardon and C. Kane. Got me thinking about how I spend time on stuff that has nothing to do with the things I need to be focusing on. It really doesn’t matter how perfect my web site is or how great my business cards look. If I don’t have a consistent method for getting clients – I’m screwed. I’d be out of business.
People waste too much time debating edge cases. Edge cases are the what-ifs, the could-bes, the minor details — the things that might make a 2 percent difference, but mostly distract you from the real work that would make 80 percent of the difference – Corbett Barr
This is how we stay on a never-ending improvement roller-coaster never getting off – but never actually MOVING FORWARD.
What do I mean?
We all know that a chain is as strong as the weakest link. So let’s say the chain below represents your full potential. If you’re focusing on any other link but the one tied with the shoelace, you’re on the roller coaster. The reason you’re not moving forward lies in the area of the shoelace. THIS is what’s holding you back.
This is where you need to spend your time. Not on making iterations in places where the effect is going to be minuscule but on the REAL WORK that’s going to make 80% of the difference.
If you’re down in the weeds, you’re never going to see that this is where you need to focus. You’re going to constantly be distracted by this new tactic and that new strategy that you MUST master before you start getting results. With this approach you’re going to waste time AND money. You’re also going to lose steam and enthusiasm for what you’re passionate about.
Don’t let that happen. If you’ve feel as if you’re going around in circles, you may need help figuring out how to identify, isolate and eliminate what’s holding you back. For an “up in the tree view” check out these solutions.
Get clear about marketing! 