What’s the Most Critical Activity for Your Business Success Right Now?
You don’t know?
Then I’ll tell you: it’s figuring out what the most critical activity is for your business success right now.
If your goal is to become a world-class weightlifter, but your answer to “what’s the best thing for you to be eating right now?” is “I don’t know” – who’s betting you’re not going to make it? Sit down right now, learn about nutrition and building muscle, and make a nutrition plan.
So if you don’t know, spend time making a plan. If you need to learn more about business and marketing, do that first and then make a plan.
Let’s say you know. You do know what the most critical activity for your business success is right now.
Are you doing it right now?
Well, apparently not. You’re reading this blog post.
Wait! Don’t press the X in the corner yet – you’ll do that in a minute.
Was this activity what you were doing before you read this blog post?
If no (as it often is for most of us) – why not? Why do all the little activities that are really not as critical (if we’re honest with ourselves) push off doing whatever we have defined as the most important activity for our business growth?
A complete psychological study of why we don’t just do what’s important is beyond the scope of this blog post. Now we’re just going to do an exercise:
When you finish reading this, spend the next 60 minutes doing the most critical activity for your business success. If that’s too much, spend 45 – but no less than that. Give yourself a chunk of time.
And JUST do that activity. Close all other browser tabs except for the one you need. If you can do it offline it’s even better. Turn off the phone. You don’t know where the off button is? It’s the little red one you press to turn your phone back on after the battery dies and you plug it into the charger. Yes – that’s really the off button. If the thought of making your screen go dead intentionally strikes you as unethical, you can always put it on silent and move it to another room.
Just do it.
After those 60 minutes, you’ll have accomplished two things:
- You’ll have actually progressed in helping your business.
- You’ll have a feeling of solid accomplishment. The more you can give yourself that experience, the more you will want it. And then you may not need the complete psychological study – because you’ll be drawn to that feeling of accomplishment.
Okay, it’s time.
Take a deep breath.
Focus it in your mind: what really is the most critical activity for my business right now.
Press the X in the corner.
Go do it.
Good luck.
(After you’re finished, you can always come back here and share your experiences in the comments. We’ll be excited to give you a Bravo! and a virtual round of applause. You might encourage other people as well.)
April 24th, 2012 by Aviva B
Posted in Business
5 Comments »
I spent my hour completing a good deal of work on editing and supplementing an article. I think that today, with all the emphasis on multi-tasking, we get used to the idea that we have 3 or more projects going simultaneously. We feel stressed if we are not checking for other tasks. While some of us can (or must) thrive in this atmosphere, it is not for everyone. I like the idea of concentrating on a single activity, as it reminded me of the intellectual exercise that I enjoyed while writing my dissertation.
Thanks for sharing, and kudos to you for doing the exercise! Good point about multi-tasking. It’s fast becoming a feature of the world, but that doesn’t mean that it’s positive for us emotionally or mentally. If you’re interested, here’s an interview on National Public Radio and an article based on research in the field about exactly what multi-tasking does to your brain.
I recall someone telling me at one point in time that one of the best things for calm and peace of mind is to focus on one activity at a time. By nature I’m more of a multi-tasker (there’s so much to do and I want to get everything finished as soon as possible), but I certainly admit that it decreases my “peace of mind level” – and probably when it comes down to it isn’t much more productive.
The interview and article were very interesting. I was especially amused to find that those who thought they were the best at multitasking were actually the worst. As an editor, I frequently encountered busy clients who would return a document without ruling on any edits that I had requested, because they did not remember that they did not work on it.
Unfortunately, I was regarded as a very good multitasker, and so I was given multiple monographs and other pieces, with priorities changing constantly. I think this is because I did earn an Ivy League PhD, and had to hone my attention span. I think younger workers, however, grew up at a time when attention spans were not developed, and they appear to need to switch tasks constantly in order to avoid boredom. There has been a decline in writing and reading skills as a result. The ironic part is that management has also been affected, and no longer has the desire to maintain standards that cost money. The bottom line is winning out over quality. Finally, I did not agree with the contention that vocal music is necessarily a distraction. Many people are distracted, but I wrote my doctoral disssertation entirely while listening to opera, and it was 800 pages and approved without revision. I am sure it is true in most cases, but I did get a laugh from that.
On a separate point, I think it is important to get away from work, even for a short time. At my last job, the outside was not scenic, but I made it a point to always walk and take my mind off the work. People who are saddled with their cell phones, Facebook, Twitter, and texting never get the separation that is needed to wind down the tension and prepare for the rest of the day. I am on LinkedIn, but I would never check that at work anyway. Thanks again for your post.
Thank YOU – for your insights. The point about attention spans seeming to have decreased in the last generation or two may have something to do with the physiological effect of surfing the internet. In another interesting article about “Why the Internet Is So Distracting,” the point is made that when you switch activities to something “new and exciting”, it can causes a release of dopamine in your brain. So: I notice I got new email – exciting! Dopamine hit! Let’s go open it now – exciting! Dopamine hit! Now I got a cell phone call – exciting! The more you get used to living like that, the less you’re inclined to appreciate living focused on one thing for a significant period of time.
You are right. I read an article recently on “the power of doing one thing at a time” and I totally believe in focus and concentration and like you said laying out a plan to get there. The same goes with QA and testing and the plans we lay out in the beginning of the project.