[GROW-5] Making progress by NOT working

Today is part 5 of our series on how to make the most headway in your business in the least possible time. Last week, we talked how to manage your time. Now, we get into actual actions you can take in your business.

Speaking of which…

Tomorrow, as of now, I will be heading out to a local campground with my motorhome. Part of it just to get it out and exercise the equipment. But, the other part of it has to do with the topic for today.

See, one of the things I like to do every 2-3 months is to head out in the RV, usually by myself, and just do some PLANNING. Business planning.

I sit down and think ahead on things I want to accomplish with my business, projects I want to do and how I’m going to do them. No work… just strategic planning.

So, that’s the first high-leverage action you can take in your business…

#1 – Sit Down And Develop Your Game Plan

Now, this might sound… obvious. But, I want to contrast that with what most people do, which is…

Sit down to “work”. Deal with the low hanging fruit. Then, wonder what you should be doing since it wasn’t really planned, or you had decisions to make that you were putting off. But then, since that seems hard, you punt a little more and you end up spending your “work time” on Facebook. Debating politics or something really useful. [cough! 😉 ]

This is what happens when you try to work without a game plan.

So, that act of sitting down specifically to create your game plan is actually time VERY well spent.

And it should be done separately from actually working. Planning and actually doing it are two SEPARATE things. Two separate “hats” you need to wear, so to speak. And it also helps if you do it in a different environment than where you would usually be working.

Hence why I like to use my RV to do it. 🙂

Now, planning can also be a method for stalling. But, if you keep your eye on the ball, this is a very high-leverage thing to do. It means your actual work time will be spent on things which move the needle.

So, ask yourself:

• What is the goal (or goals) you’re shooting for?
• What are the big plans that will get you to that goal?
• What smaller projects go under each plan to get it done?
• What small steps or tasks make up each project?
• What does a “DONE” look like? In other words, what is the concrete measurement of when you mark that project complete and move onto the next one?

Another thing to tackle during this planning time is DECISIONS.

See, our work often gets hung up on decisions which haven’t been made. We either don’t really know the right move, or we’re lacking information. But, because it seems hard, we punt and put it off. These decisions points are like forks in the road that we just pause at.

So, this planning time is a great time to identify those points… and DECIDE. Make a decision, then plan accordingly. Any decision to free up the energy is better than no decision at all.

So, that’s your first “action step” for high leverage business growth in limited time…

Don’t work. Instead, sit down and come up with your game plan. Then, your future work sessions will be focused and more on target.

Inside The Lab, we have two members-only trainings which go into this in more detail. They are:

• The Business Growth Formula – How To Succeed When Others Don’t. This video covers my exact planning process and how I structure these planning sessions in my RV. 🙂
• The Finisher’s Formula – one of the many training courses in the Lab, but this one has to do with the Theory of Constraints. A specific process for identifying constraints in your life and business and devising solutions to them.

Now, those are members only. If you’re a Lab member, you can go through these anytime. If not, well… you can join us before the prices go up (by the end of the month… more details coming).

Tomorrow, we’ll be discussing another high-leverage action to grow your blog and business. One that may seem obvious, but most really under-estimate just how important it is. I mean, in terms of biggest results from the least amount of time, this one is right up there.

See ya tomorrow.

– David