Practical Business Tip

by phil on Monday Apr 21, 2003 5:24 PM
business tips

There are an infinite number of things to do at every second, every minute, every time scale. We think for a second and then get the motivation to do something. The question is, how should one filter among the infinity what should meet our discretion?

I think the tremendously effective people have this knack for identifying which things create the biggest effect. For example, a small task like cleaning up your room has a large effect on productivity. A phone call to an old business contact tends to open up a treasure chest of almost-forgotten opportunities. A walk through the park with the intention of generating a money-making opportunity usually gets you what you want. A really nice suit will double your self-confidence, just as much as a good hair cut or nice tie.

Other interesting examples from the business-advice hyperego involve things like, "The most important thing is getting started" or "The most important thing is just showing up." These are all true, and the real winners know how to do a jillion of those "most important" things over and over again.

Just so you know I'm not making this stuff up, let me draw from a few personal experiences. I knew that if I just got one client, my web design business would magically materialize. I knew that if I just got some HTML on a domain name somewhere that I would then be motivated to update it, improvise, and as a result, have my own buiness running. The key is to do a lot of little things that "change everything." This kind of mentality I think marked my dad when he decided to splurge on funding my first computer when I was 12. He felt such a sacrifice would have a tremendous ripple effect that would pay off in unimaginable ways for my future, and it has.