tomorrow

When you hear the voice that tells you to execute that idea tomorrow… instead take note, take action and make it happen today.

Why? That voice of procrastination is out to sabotage your creative work. It sees distorted beauty in tomorrow because there is a higher likelihood your brilliance won’t see the light of day.

“Since you're going to ship anyway, then, the question is: why bother indulging your fear?” – Seth Godin

Ask yourself honestly, will there truly be more time, energy or inspiration tomorrow? Or, is fear tricking you into settling for less than your potential today?

idleness

From Tim Kreider's article "The Busy Trap"

Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensible to the brain as vitamin D is to the body, and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as disfiguring as rickets. The space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole, for making unexpected connections and waiting for the wild summer lightning strikes of inspiration - it is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done.

Don't let our cultural fixation on busyness fool you. Idleness is indeed something of deep value.

[photo: portland]

responsibility

Your personal sense of focus directly impacts those around you.

With a scattered mindset, you can forward that incoherent email effortlessly. Or, you can choose to hone in, ask appropriate questions and add a layer of clarity. Really, it’s up to you to own your part. 

Will clarity or chaos be the message you keep spreading?

step one

Step one – it’s the uncomfortable one we’re far too inclined to skip.

Step one – it’s also the defining one we’re crazy to dare miss.

The absence of step one is obvious in:

the organization without a cause

the meeting without a purpose

the life without direction

the brochure without a message

the email without a point

Scarcity of resources may try to silence your dire need for it. Yet, when resources are scarce, it’s precisely the thing you need.

Step one – that powerful stage of:

considering why you exist

questioning why you’re embarking

determining what you’re after

envisioning where you’re going

All steps that follow benefit from step one – if you’re patient and courageous enough to embrace it.

Muster patience and lean into the power of step one.

less

Chances are, you need more less.

Less words. Less commitments. Less analysis. Less obligations.

With less, you could do far more.

swim upstream

We live in a world on overdrive, moving at an unsustainable pace. 

Are you caught in the hectic flow, blinded by a cloud of faulty assumptions?

This is the way things are.

This is the way things must be.

Our clients clamor for faster, more affordable.

We can’t afford to lose them.

Our competitors are quicker, cheaper.

We can’t slow down and be beat.

Halt those cheap excuses for a moment.

What if you make a different choice? What if you stop running that maddening race and shift direction? Might your utmost need be to stand apart from that frantic sea? When you leave behind demands for faster, cheaper solutions, don’t you think you’ll be better positioned to usher forth quality, sustainable work?

Realigning focus won’t be easy. Change never is. Yet, stop pointing fingers or shifting blame. The needed change starts with you. No matter where you stand, you can choose to swim upstream.

When you’re already slammed, why don’t you say no?

“We want to deliver the best service.”

Is it really the best service if you’re scattered in too many directions, operating in a compromised mental state? Is it the best service when you have to steal time and energy from all those other projects to which you’re already committed?

If you want to deliver the best service, perhaps what you really need is strength to say no.

stay focused

Don’t fall into that deadly trap – widening your audience “just a bit more.”

Don’t keep generalizing your message and website copy in the hopes you may catch a few more folks.

Why?

Your widening actions taint your words. You’ll lose your initial, ideal target because you no longer speak directly to that person anymore. In fact, you’re too general to specifically resonate with much of anyone.

Better idea: Write to that one ideal person you see in your mind. Stick to what will move them. Write so that the ideal can actually find you. Don’t worry about the rest.

space to create

“But what if it’s an emergency?”

That’s the excuse many of us lean on as reasoning for allowing reactionary work to control our lives.

But ask yourself – how many times has it actually been a real emergency? I’m talking someone’s life or safety is in jeopardy.

Rarely?

And yet, you continue to give power to that unreasonably fearful voice?

If you want to live a life defined by reactionary work – a life too busy responding with little room for creating – be sure to respond to that email immediately or answer the phone whenever it rings. But, if you’d rather create, problem-solve and strategize more often, start making decisions that allow you to do so.

Close your email. Silence your phone. Block creative time in your schedule and commit to it.

I’m guessing that email or call can wait until tomorrow. Decide to make room to create today.

define your process

Sure, you have a process for your business. You have a handle on what it takes to get work done each day and eventually get a deliverable to your client. The question is -- does that process exist outside of your own head? Have you ever paused to write it down, formalize it and communicate it to others?


Defining your process...

Improves workflow efficiency, creative engagement and effective problem-solving.

When you formalize your process, you crystallize your thoughts and better recognize. inefficiencies. This enables you to shape a framework that eliminates hurtles and minimizes creative burnout. For you, this means heightened work engagement, stronger creative solutions and, ultimately, a better work product.

Enables productive and respectful delegation of tasks to existing or future team members.

It’s tough to hand over to tasks to your team or outsource work when you lack a defined process to give them. Having a clear workflow ensures that you all stay on the same page.

Allows greater control of your workflow.

If you don’t define your process, your clients will. When you establish expectations up front, you alleviate your clients’ need to impose their own expectations on your schedule.

Boosts your credibility and professionalism.

You are the expert, but when you deal with clients haphazardly, you certainly don’t look like one. Lack of a process easily translates to lack of expertise or inability to take work seriously. Follow a clear framework, however, and your client can trust you to do your thing.

Deepens client understanding of the complexity and value of your work.

You know the depth of your work. Your client, on the other hand, only knows the face value of what you do. When you communicate your process clearly, their understanding of the complexity of what you do deepens. This increases their respect and your ability to charge more.

Few pause long enough to define a process. Do so, and you'll gain a competitive edge in your field.

r-e-s-p-e-c-t

Your clients don’t value you highly enough. They won’t pay you what you're worth. They don’t respect your timeline, and they try to tell you how to do your work.

Before you deal blame, ask yourself – do you give them reason to respect you?

Do you follow a defined workflow that demonstrates confidence in your proven process? Do you clearly share it with your clients in a way that communicates respect for their needs and establishes mutual expectations from the get go?

Or, do you just begin making motions haphazardly, expecting others to understand your process and recognize its complexity? Do you merely hope or assume they will share the same expectations?

Those broken business practices and the things you’ve grown tired of – the endless back-and-forth, the lack of perceived authority in your own area of expertise, the inefficient way of working, and the battle to communicate value and worth – those things are all avoidable and within your control.

From the onset:

• Communicate your process.
• Chart a timeline.
• Define deliverables.
• Clarify responsibilities.
• Develop an efficient workflow.

In doing so, you will demonstrate professionalism, credibility and effectiveness. Within your client relationships, you will command greater value and respect.

"A few weeks ago I was helping a girl in the store and I tossed a pink polka dot scarf her way. She looked at me bewildered and said, "what do I do with this?" I spouted out a few different ways she could wear the scarf, one being with a striped shirt or a floral shirt. She said "I can do that?!" all the way keeping her big eyes on the suspect: the polka dot scarf. I assured her that she can certainly mix that scarf with anything she darn well felt like mixing it with. Because really -- who is going to stop her? If she liked it, then she should wear it. Isn't that what personal style is after all?" 

-                                                           -from Kendi Everyday

The timid approach the gal in the shop takes toward personal style is more familiar to us than we realize.

In our lives and businesses, we look elsewhere for direction.

What am I allowed to say or do? What are the rules? What does the market want from me?

With that perspective, we take actions too heavily influenced by others. We begin to look a little more like everyone else and a little less like ourselves.

But, there’s a separate route to true differentiation. It’s a conversation that begins the moment you stop looking outside for direction and start allowing your own compass be your guide. And, when you let someone coach you through the process, it feels a bit like that moment you’re told the scarf can be worn absolutely any way you want.

observing strengths

Have you ever been in a meeting where the presenter was… no good? Amidst persistent stuttering and lack of confidence, you could see - the role simply wasn’t natural.

We can pretty easily gauge whether an individual is operating within his or her strengths. Yet, why are we apt to run organizations that place people in roles that don't align with personal strengths?

Mobilize your observations:

• Before you hire someone, pay attention to whether his strengths match up with the intended responsibilities.
• When scanning job boards, filter out positions that won't engage your personal strengths.
• When managing people, be flexible and encourage exploration of ways to put true strengths to use.

stick to your guns

Goal setting can get a bad wrap. Many people express that goals and values are total BS.

Rightfully so.

Without a sense of accountability, goals are BS. If you bother to take the time to define your goals and values, but fail to stay true to them, you’re wasting time and energy.

When you stick to your guns, however, you’re a force with which to be reckoned.

Commit to your goals:

• Say no to the client or project that doesn’t match your desired portfolio of work. Take action to attract those that do.
• Turn down the good job. Pursue the one that uses your greatest strengths.
• Surround yourself with people who will keep you in check.

within

The marketing books tell you: Examine the target diligently. Tailor your product and company to them.

The career guides note: Study the company carefully. Craft your resume (and life) to them.

Better to stop looking outside for direction. Start by doing what comes naturally. Then, the audience you seek can and will find you.

the value of strategy

Most people willingly hand you a quick-fix solution on a silver platter. Why? A quick fix solution is easy. You see a product – a logo, website, brochure. You pay up.

The downfall? A quick fix solution is just that. It doesn’t stand the test of time. Anyone can produce it. Anyone can replicate it. It lacks real roots.

Few people step back to see the bigger picture and ask the greater questions. They lack a defined sense of strategy – the very thing that could give them the edge in their business and life.

The value of strategy lies in its mystery. It isn’t as definable, nor is it quantifiable. That uncertainty frightens most people away – which is precisely why you ought to embrace it.

it’s okay to change your mind

It isn’t a weakness to redirect your course.

Altering your direction requires insight and strength. It’s better to embrace a fresh sense of perspective than stubbornly cling to a direction that you know isn’t right.

As you embrace flexibility to change direction, you’ll likely gain access to far greater doors.

[photo: Copenhagen]

ask the questions

[A note to the small business owner]

You started your business. You get to choose how to run it and how to guide it.

Which clients do you desire to take on? What processes will you follow? What will you communicate through your daily actions?

If you don't stop to ask these questions, you too are making a choice -- a choice to allow others to dictate these things for you.

I’m guessing that isn’t the choice you had in mind when you started your business in the first place, though.

So, start to ask the questions. If you don’t know what those questions should be, stop to ask for help.

defining the harbor

Whenever I work with someone to devise a communication strategy for an organization or project, I’m always astounded that so few stop to establish a clear sense of values and goals for the brand or project. Most willingly forge ahead without a defined direction.

Why aren’t people apt to define these things? Frankly, because it’s a foreign concept to them. It’s quite likely they don’t define these big picture concepts in their personal life either.

How many people do you know that have a firm grasp of their personal strengths, passions, core values and goals?

I’m guessing only a few?

How many people do you know that are living at their full potential with high levels of fulfillment in their jobs, relationships and overall life?

Not a whole lot?

I imagine there’s a correlation.

“Our plans miscarry if they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind." - Seneca

simplify

“Netflix no longer has vacation or sick policies because keeping track of all this data was expensive and overtaxed the human-resources department. If a company has the right employees, they won’t take advantage of paid days off – they’ll leave only when it makes the most sense for them to do so.”

- from Start Something that Matters by Blake Mycoskie

Do you ever find yourself adopting systems or procedures simply because that’s the norm and the way things have been done in the past?

Instead of existing on automatic, we can all take a lesson from Netflix in the way we orient our lives. Assess the actions and activities that define your day. Don’t create a to-do list filled with deceptively “productive” items that bear no real relevance to your mission and goals. Strip away all that distracts you from the true essence of your life and work.