|
In the publishing and online world, you can find countless courses, information products, and books on all the things you can do to publish a book or create a Web site. In fact, we even sell a few ourselves. If you want to create a Web site, for $30, you can get a copy of our book Web Business Success, for example. Even though there is tons of great information available, a significant disconnect exists between knowing what to do and actually doing it.
In other words, once you know what you need to do, what is stopping you from actually getting it done?
Instead of going forth and doing something, many people just sort of give up and go check their email or play Solitaire. Avoiding getting things done is probably the biggest obstacle to business success, so it makes sense to really look at why you are not doing what you know you should be doing.
Here's an example. For years I have given my clients the classic business advice that a newsletter can increase your reach and help remind people you exist on a regular basis. Yet none have actually taken my advice because it seems "too hard." Yet here I am writing a weekly newsletter. I haven't missed an issue yet, even after writing weekly newsletters for about eight years. Millions of newsletters never make it past the first two or three issues. What am I doing differently to actually make my newsletter happen?
To be successful, you must take action. But unfortunately, inaction generally breeds more inaction. My husband's stepfather once pointed out that "the less you do, the less you want to do." The opposite is also true. Once you get going, taking action is powerful and your accomplishments build on each other.
Here are a few reasons you may be avoiding a project and possible solutions to get you back on track:
1. Pick one. If you have 27 things on your to do list, instead of lamenting that fact, just pick one. Although you can get hung up on priorities, realistically picking just one thing (even a small thing) is better than doing nothing. You can't do everything at once, so pick one thing and just do it.
2. Don't fear the unknown. If a task seems overwhelming, is it because you haven't done it before? Many technical tasks start out this way. For example, you may have heard that setting up an autoresponder is "easy." But if you've never done it before it's not easy for you. Go through the tutorials that explain how it works and don't be afraid to make mistakes the first time out.
3. Break it up. If you are avoiding a task it may be because you haven't broken it down into enough manageable steps. For example, "write a book" is a huge task that many people put off forever. But "write a page of your book" is doable.
4. Avoid distractions. If you spend your life going to meetings, talking on the phone, text messaging, and answering email, you never will get any actual productive work done. Set aside a block of time when you turn off all the toys. Be a hermit for a few hours and you'll be amazed at what you accomplish.
5. Switch off. Most people can't work on a single task indefinitely. Understand your limitations. For example, I write best in the morning, but if I write too much for too long, my brain sort of fries out. Knowing this, I try to write in the morning and do administrative tasks like paying bills in the afternoon.
The key to taking action is to focus on what you really want. If you can't seem to muster the enthusiasm to ever get a particular thing done, maybe it's not really worth doing. That's okay too. But when you know what you want, doing something is always better than doing nothing at all.
Have You Been Putting Off Creating a Web Site?
Check out our book Web Business Success: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Web Sites That Work. A Web site is a big project, so do yourself a favor and get the book that cuts through the clutter with proven strategies and techniques we have used ourselves. You can either order directly from us if you want an autographed or inscribed copy, or you can order from Amazon.com. Web Business Success even qualifies for Amazon's Super Saver shipping.
|
