Read This If You Need Strong Monday Focus
This is a sneaky one because almost everyone does it.
Choose the right domain name.Design the right logo.Develop the 5 year business plan.
Get all your ducks in a row.
And that’s exactly the problem.While most of us are out there “thinking through” the problem, our competitors are already done with version 1 of the prototype and getting feedback from customers.It’s so easy to get caught up in the easy stuff because it feels like it matters. It’s much more difficult to ask yourself: “what’s the hard part of my project?”If your project doesn’t have a hard part then you don’t have a project—it’s probably a hobby or dead end.Steve Blank used to say (and I guess he probably still does say) “Get out of the building and talk to customers.”
No matter what your problem is, the people you’re solving it for know the answer.
Example:
Need better sales copy?Go read some of your customer reviews and testimonials.That’s way faster, easier, and cheaper than taking a course on copywriting and reading the top 5 books about sales strategy.
You don’t need to optimize, yet. You need to start.
The time you’re spending making it perfect is the time you could have spent getting the traction you need to then have the opportunity to have something to optimize.You know that little yellow “buy” button on Amazon’s website?You better believe that they spent a LOT of time and energy optimizing it. And they should, because they have a bazillion customers.If you don’t have a bazillion customers, you’re killing yourself by focusing on the wrong work!
2 Minute Action:
What’s the thing you’ve been dreading doing? Do that first.What’s the feedback cycle you’re getting on your work? Could it be more frequent or more actionable? Ask your supervisor or colleague, today.Give yourself permission to have an ugly, embarrassing website (or none at all!) and re-center your focus on the hard stuff.The discipline early on is going to pay dividends later.It’s Monday, people. Let’s start this week off strong.
You Think You're Output Is High, But This Will Change Your Mind
I was talking to an old friend recently, who was explaining all of the things they did inside his organization.I run this . . .I manage that . . .I monitor these . . .He went on and on about all of his responsibilities. This list was impressive.After he had talked for a while, he noticed that I hadn't said anything back.He asked: "So, I should be getting paid more, right?"Ugh. Tough question to ask a friend who genuinely wants to help.Instead of rolling over and responding with an easy "of course," I redirected his attention."It's obvious that you've got a lot going on, but do you know how much value your work has to the business?"I said.He replied, "what do you mean?"I recast it, "I mean do you know how many clients, happy customers, or how much money your work outputs for the business? I don't know what your metrics are, but do you know how you're being graded?"Silence.
Moral of the story:
Before you go off on a rant or claiming that you're busy all the time and can't get a break and work without recognition, give yourself a quick reality check.What are your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)?What are your sales goals?What are the axes on which your boss will grade your performance in your annual review?If you can't point to clear data, don't expect to move the needle on your projects or get a pay raise.
2 Minute Action:
If you work for an organization in which you want to rise, ask your supervisor how you're being graded and (in VERY specific terms) what you need to do to get to the next level.If you're working on your own projects and want to increase your output, you need to define what metrics are important at the stage you're in.Take 2 minutes to get the first draft down.