The shit that doesn't matter versus the shit that does.
My client and my friend
was talking to me the other day.
We were talking about particularly complicated
and naughty annoying problem that's been bothering him for some time we've been trying to solve.
And the problem is not the issue. It's complex but he said to me, "Jon, do you ever feel
like you're running around doing shit that doesn't matter
and the shit that does matter
isn't getting done.
And of course, I did because I think we all do sometimes.
And in fact, I was just talking to my assistant Venus
relaying I was going to make this blog today and she said, "I feel like that too often".
So it's common. And, of course, it got me to thinking because I'm a business coach for trades
and this is true for all my customers.
All of them (and you)
find themselves doing the shit that doesn't really matter and leaving the ship that does matter
not getting done. It's a consistent thing. And a lot large part of my job as a business coach
is to try and flip that around. I try and help you get the shit that does matter done.
I've got a few tools at my disposal. I'm going to tell you what they are.
The first thing you need to do is figure out what shit matters and what doesn't,
isn't it because if you don't know, you've got no chance.
So that's the first step.
Think about what you want for your business and from your business
and think about what you need to be doing
to get you there. That's the shit that matters. And that, of course, is a strategy or a plan
and what you need to do is step back from business. Think about those things, make those decisions,
write them down and start acting on.
When I'm coaching, that's the first thing we do. We don't spend weeks on it. It takes hours, not weeks
but it's the first thing we do. We figure out what you want.
We figure out a plan of how we're going to get you from here to there. That's the ship that needs to be done.
We write that down
and we think three years, it's a three-year plan
and then we look at and decide what our short-term focuses areas are
for the short term, and that's the shit that matters and that's the stuff you need to make sure you do.
The second step is to make sure
you start doing this stuff,
the stuff that's in your plan, the stuff that matters. And there's a couple of approaches. One approach
is to review all the things you're doing, "Is this one of the things that matters?" "Is it helping my plan?"
"Should I be doing it?" And if the answer is yes, happy days, carry on.
And if the answer is no, perhaps to consider not doing - either don't do it at all
or delegate it to someone else to do and give yourself the time to do the shit that matters.
And another approach is to put your priorities in and make sure you get them in your day.
So remember other people's priorities will fill up your day pretty easily -
your staff, your customers, suppliers - people trying to sell your stuff,
all sorts of people will be trying to get you to do stuff that suits their priorities.
You need to make sure your priorities get in there too.
Plan your day, allocate time to those priorities, maybe do them first
or maybe give yourself some time away from the office when you've got your team's out the door
and you can have some free time.
But manage the interruptions too. Turn your phone off or shut the door. Leave the office.
Turn all those annoying message alerts on your phone and your computer off. Give yourself some time
to do these priorities whatever they are. And this is a constant thing.
You need to do this all the time. Don't just do it once and give yourself an hour in one day.
Give yourself an hour or two hours every day.
Do the shit that does matter. Now you've decided what it is,
you've reviewed some of the shit that doesn't matter and started to get rid of it.
Now you need to make sure the shit that does matter gets done.
And don't forget as well, you need to manage your own shit. A lot of the shit that doesn't matter that you're doing,
you probably got like. You probably right back there in your comfort zone or you're having a bit of a rest.
We quite enjoy it or give you a bit of newly down time,
away from everybody. Maybe it's driving to Bunnings, maybe it's
doing something that doesn't require a lot of brainpower or effort or a lot of discomfort,
so you need to acknowledge that in yourself
and realise that that might be what you're doing because it's really easy for us to bullshit to ourselves
that the shit that we don't need to be doing is actually very important and we're
not being lazy or procrastinating by doing it, so have a look at your own shit too.
It's alright to mess about sometimes. We all need a rest
but if you're not doing this shit that does matter,
you're going to miss out. You're going to be disappointed, you're not going to make the progress you want
and that's not good for you.
So if you don't want to work with me as your business coach, please at least
go back, have a sit down somewhere. Make a bit of a plan.
Think about where you want to go in your business and what you're going to have to do to get there
and then start fitting some of that stuff into your days.
And if you do want me to help you, of course, put yourself a ten-minute chat and we'll begin the process
of figuring out whether we're the right fit for each other.
Or book yourself on the next Tools Down Workshop and spend two days thinking about whether
I'm the right person to be a business coach and listening to me talk about my framework.
and also working on your strategy because you'll come out of that workshop
with the bones of a plan. See you.
you