What’s Needed Next?
There’s ALWAYS something to do, right?
A creative entrepreneur’s to do list never ends, and mostly it just gets longer. We are TOO creative, thinking up more and more things that we get excited by, and/or going down rabbit holes of the tech or the admin variety. Either way, there’s always something to do.
One way to ensure you don’t end up overwhelmed or worn out is to ensure you stop for long enough between tasks to ask: “What’s needed next?” (and sometimes to say, “What’s REALLY needed next?!” especially if you catch yourself avoiding the thing that’s actually needed!)
Why it works
“What’s needed next?” requires of you that you make a decision. That’s a good thing because the decision is based on conditions that you set out. I’m going to suggest three criteria here for you, because they really do keep your business on track:
- Does it make you money?
- Is anything contingent on it? (Does it create a bottleneck if you don’t do it, or does it relieve one if you do?
- Have you promised it?
This way of looking at your to do list can mean you actively follow and choose according to criteria that are meaningful for you. You don’t have to use my example above. You can set out your own. I know one of my client loves to do five 2-5 minute jobs on the list as one of the first thing she does. It gives her momentum. She highlights them. Her first question is “can it be done in less than 5 minutes”. Here’s her trick… if it starts to take more than 4 minutes, she stops and adds it back on the list, to avoid rabbit holes and shiny objects. That helps her stay focused and stay in momentum.
The point here is that there’s ALWAYS something to do. Your job as a creative is to ensure you are using your energy to be doing the RIGHT things for you and for your business, rather than just doing. Stop for a moment now and just think about why you are doing what you are doing today. And why you chose the order you’ve chosen to do it in. If it works for you, great. If it doesn’t, rejig it according to criteria that work for you.
Just a little nudge to keep you moving on a Monday.