Yesterday,
I advised all of us
to take a one minute break
and enjoy the world around us.
I didn’t say this
merely to increase
our happiness levels.
Though that WAS
my main reason
for giving
that advice.
I advised to take a break
because that will help
to keep us healthy
– emotionally and physically.
And very few of us
have the excess time
to be sick right now.
Being sick
is sh*t for business building.
Take a f*cking break.
The holiday season
is a busy time
for almost all business builders.
This might be
our best time for sales.
Partners might be taking
time off
over the holidays.
WE might be taking
some time off.
We have a lot of sh*t to do.
But take a minute.
That’s all that’s needed
– one minute.
And admire a display of holiday lights.
Or savor a bite of holiday baking.
Or watch someone open a gift.
Or hug someone you love.
Give that minute of happiness
to yourself.
And THEN you can
get back to work.
I didn’t want to hear
complaints
on a project
so instead of sharing
the work 50/50
with my partner,
I took on 70%
of the work
and assigned only 30%
to the other person.
That 30% consisted
of easy tasks.
I still heard complaints.
And when I heard those complaints,
I was admittedly
extremely bitter
because I knew the person
wasn’t doing their fair share.
Share the work equally.
Then if you hear complaints,
you can renegotiate
from a stronger and a happier place.
I can’t afford to be ill.
I live in Canada.
My stance doesn’t have
anything to do
with the financial costs
of medical care.
It has to do with time.
I don’t have the spare time
to be ill.
I don’t WANT to spend
time being ill.
I have books to write
(products to produce),
businesses to run,
other things I’d prefer
to do.
So I take precautions.
I wear a mask.
I wash my hands.
I improve ventilation
in spaces I occupy
(I have a personal air purifier
I hang on an lanyard
and wear around my neck.)
All of this
takes mere seconds.
I can then focus on other things.
And I save countless days
not being ill.
You and I can’t afford to be ill.
Preventing illness
has a huge return on investment.
Make that investment.
I have a loved one
who creates drama
wherever he goes.
He usually manufactures it.
And that drama
sucks all of the energy
out of a room.
There is no emotional space
for anything else.
I know this.
I accept this
about him.
And, when I have sh*t to do,
I avoid him.
I make excuses
not to take his calls
or spend time with him
until my work is done.
Drama-infused surroundings
might be exciting.
But they aren’t conducive
to getting things done.
Avoid them
and the people causing the drama
until you complete
your essential business building tasks.
Oh, and try
NOT to hire drama-causing people.
If you do need their skills,
isolate them
as much as possible
from your team.
When we run our own businesses
and can work hours
we decide to work,
people WILL take advantage
of that.
They will ask us
to pick up their kids
after school
or drive them to appointments
or do little tasks
that on their own
seem like nothing.
But multiplied
by everyone we know
and asked every day
suck all our time.
I help one person a day.
Many days, that’s it.
I don’t help more people
than that.
And some busy days,
I help by donating supplies
or cash
or helping to promote a promotion.
I tell the asker
of the favor
I can’t help
that I have to help someone else
that day.
Help people
but also protect your time.
Every year,
I write a 50 page short story.
I set it in
one of my existing worlds
and I give this short story
to readers (customers)
for free.
But this story
is written purely for me.
It is a creative release,
a way for me
to break free of expectations
and write whatever the f*ck
I want to write.
Some years,
I LIVE for this story.
The rest of the time,
I’m writing the stories
I should write.
This is the story
I truly want to write.
Business builders
are creators
and we NEED the ability
to create
every so often
purely for ourselves.
If you can,
figure out a way
to benefit
from these outbursts
of random creativity.
But definitely
work these creative projects
into your schedule.
We need that freedom.
When I have a couple spare minutes,
I schedule a promotional post
for a book (product)
or
I shred some documents
or
I take some photos
of interesting textures
for backgrounds
or…
I have a list of
tasks
that need to be done
yet don’t take much time.
And I used them
as filler
in my schedule.
A call got cancelled?
I do one of these tasks.
I finish a chapter early?
I do one of these tasks.
I have to wait for something
or someone?
I do one of these tasks.
I don’t waste these short durations
of time.
And the little tasks
all add up.
Keep a list
of fast tasks.
Complete tasks on that list
when you have a snippet
of extra time.
A writer posted a question
about my specific niche.
I thought about answering it
but then I realized
if they had explored the niche
at all,
they know I write in it.
It would have been
super easy
for them
to ask me that question.
They didn’t.
Which likely meant
they didn’t want my input.
So I saved myself
some time and frustration
and went back to work
on my projects.
If you’re not asked
a question
directly,
think hard
about whether or not
you want to expend energy
answering that question.
Especially on social media.
Your time is precious.
Protect it.
A neighbor put in a garden
last year
for the first time.
He removed the grass,
tilled the soil,
added soil,
edged the garden
and completed hundreds
of other tasks.
This year,
he decided not to garden
because he didn’t have time.
He already invested
most of the time!
A second year garden
is easy in comparison.
This is true of any start ups,
including businesses.
The first year
is usually the most labor intensive.
It takes the most time.
You’re already doing
or have done
the hardest part.
Don’t give up!