FOCUS = Saying “No” To Really Good Ideas and “Yes” To Great Ones
In productivity, personal development, and goal setting circles there is no shortage of talk about focus. And there are no doubt some great tactics, tools, and hacks to help with focus. But for my money, one approach takes the cake…
… saying “no” to really good ideas that come my way so I can keep saying “yes” to the great ones I’m already working on.
Insert shiny balls.
No, it’s not that kind of post today. The idea of “shiny ball syndrome” is that we get to work on something we’ve got some real passion about but then we see something dancing just beyond our own yard…
We see a video ad on Facebook…
We read a blog post…
A friend approaches us with an idea for a new project.
And this is the rub… many of these shiny balls are cool. Like really cool and could, in fact, be great pastures if worked and watered.
And this is where we get into trouble.
Example time.
This week I was approached by some folks who I was knee deep in business with for nearly three years when I first got started in the wonderfully whacky world of entrepreneurship. The project had gone belly up about a year ago but like most things in digital entrepreneurship a little time had passed, smart people got around whiteboards and came up with new solutions and a pretty sexy new project.
They asked me to take a look at the sexy project.
Somewhat Hypocritical Sounding Side Note: Some will tell you to never look to the left or to the right but only straight ahead. I disagree. I think when people you know, trust, or have roots with bring you something in business, you look. There could be something to learn there, there could be a great opportunity there that you just didn’t know about, or it could be a complete pass. Most projects take only a short time to size up. I’m ok with sizing things up as I think being open is a great conduit for creativity, success, and happiness. I also like to honor my business friendships. They are working on something they are passionate about, I’m happy to look if for nothing else to say, “My plate is full but I’m excited for you and you’re going to crush it!”
The project was solid. I could easily throw a line in any section of that water and make some money.
But I passed.
Because what I set out to do in 2018 is really solid. What I’m working on is really great and I’ve not even come close to tapping it.
In the short-term, the new sexy project I got pitched could make me more money and frankly with a lot less work. But my long term self wouldn’t be happy about that because what I’m building now is about no kidding legacy.
Sexy side projects like this are kind of like business one night stands. They can be a lot of fun with the right one but not something you want to go tell Mom about or plan a future with.
This project had TONS of sizzle but remember; sizzle has an expiration date, legacy doesn’t.
So when you find yourself looking at the grass over on the other side or struggling to stay focused. The magic isn’t simply in turning off Facebook, making a to-do list, or outsourcing the tasks you don’t like. It often means saying “no” to some really good and often sexy stuff because you’re working on something great and even sexier
