Happy Thursday!
Here are two principles for you to ponder and PUT TO USE!!
- Don’t confuse busyness with productivity.
- Unless necessary, don’t act on any idea for 24 hours.
These two principles are beautiful in their clarity and simplicity. But don’t let their short but sweet nature fool you. No other principles that we have set forth in this series are more important.
Law number 9 A is the linchpin around which many of our other principles revolve.
To put this law into practice requires mindfulness. Too often, we engage in activities throughout our workday (and throughout our non-work hours) that are based upon routine, procedures, or simply unexamined techniques. If, to paraphrase badly, we must examine our lives to make them worthwhile, why should we not do the same with our work habits?
When you find yourself racing from task to task, take a 60 second break. Inhale deeply to relax your body and mind, and then focus on whether what you are doing is productive or simply busyness. The very act of bringing your attention to activities that you typically perform mindlessly can result in increased awareness. From this awareness will come realizations as to whether any particular action can be done more efficiently, outsourced or delegated to another, or simply eliminated altogether as unnecessary.
As a small entrepreneur, your catchphrase must be ruthless efficiency. It’s the best, and perhaps the only path to success that you can then couple with a balanced life.
The second half of our twofer also relates to mindfulness, focus, and awareness. One of the true joys of being an entrepreneur is the ability to think creatively. Small business owners find challenges to be opportunities, relishing the freedom to problem solve and revel in the solution that fits. Moreover, drawing upon trusted employees, colleagues, friends, family, or members of a mastermind group, the astute businessman or woman will find sounding boards for brainstorming and idea generation.
Nothing runs the gamut of human emotions like an afternoon strategy session together with a small, loyal group of individuals. You come up with 100 ideas, 99 of which stink, causing everything from anger to dismay, but then there is that one diamond in the rough, isn’t there? While there are exceptions, the ability to creatively problem solve is rare in the time pressed world of the corporate conference room. But notwithstanding the breakthroughs, ah-ha moments, and inspirations that burst forth, brainstorming or problem-solving, whether on an individual level, or with a group, carries with it its own set of perils. The great idea may become less so as the details of its implementation are examined the next day. Sometimes groupthink can infect a team of individuals, leading the solution process itself down a bad path.
What’s the solution to the solution process? Unless it’s necessary — such as an emergency or exigent situation where we need a decision and to move forward quickly — let any idea set for at least 24 hours before taking any significant action. The brilliant idea that emerged after a marathon session may have been the result of a tired brain or two that wasn’t thinking too clearly. Let ideas settle, and revisit them at least a day later. This may be anathema in the world of today, where we live with constant connectivity, a 24 hour news cycle, and knowledge and technology advancing at exponentially faster and faster speeds. Nonetheless, letting an idea ferment for a day or so can save you costly implementation strategies and time wasted — both commodities precious in the world of the small entrepreneur.