As a business owner you are constantly faced with daunting tasks. You know the ones; they stretch out ahead of you with no end in sight. You are already overwhelmed and now you are paralyzed! Your immediate reaction is to procrastinate and move onto something else. Unfortunately this doesn’t help, it only hurts because the task is constantly on your mind. It never leaves you because you know it will eventually have to be done.
So what to do? First, let’s borrow from an old Chinese proverb: “A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step!” Stop looking at the task as a daunting task; start looking at it as a number of steps and just take the first step. Take one step at a time.
Some examples:
- Your strategic plan calls for the creation of a new product for your ideal client base. You know from experience this is a major undertaking. It’s huge, lengthy and risky. You can view it as such and remain paralyzed with inactivity OR you can take one step to start. This could be a short description of the product to run by your clients to get their input.
- You have to replace your website to take advantage of the latest digital marketing tools and techniques. You can still remember the stresses and strains of the last web project and so you put it off telling yourself the existing website works. That is one option. Another option is to take the first step by listing with your team the requirements for the new website.
- You know the operation of your business can be greatly improved. You have this dream that it operates like a well-oiled machine ticking away every day with little maintenance and no errors. It is the franchise model without being a franchise. You decide to tackle the admin support processes first. But where to start? List all the admin processes that need to be documented. You have taken the first step AND you know enough about the project to break it into smaller more manageable chunks.
Next time you are faced with a major initiative tell yourself to take One Step At A Time
It is always easier to start new things then to finish existing projects. Listen to our 2 minute Tip, Focus on Finishing.
