I waste time.
And I can procrastinate with the best of them.
But I also know how to get things done.
The secret, for me at least, is combining a longer-term vision with short-term goals that have tight deadlines.
A long-term vision is important!
If you don’t know where you’re going, how in the world are you going to know how to get there?
It’s like a GPS. It can’t give you directions until you set a goal.
Where do you want your business, and your life, to be in 5 years, 10 years, or even 25 years?
Be specific. Imagine it. Write down the vision.
Seeing the big picture gives you the power to say NO to potential distractions.
Because let’s be frank. It’s not about a lack of ideas or possible directions.
There are too many possibilities!
It’s easy to be overwhelmed.
You must carefully choose the roads that give you the shortest and surest path to where you’re going.
That long-term vision keeps you going in the right direction.
But it’s the short-term goals that motivate me to consistently take action.
What do you want to accomplish in the next 90 days?
That’s a long time on the Internet.
The 90-day projects are where my clients and I often focus our attention.
It’s long enough to accomplish to big things…but short enough to make consistent progress.
Let me throw a little curveball by asking a slightly different question?
What is the most important habit you could develop or system you could put in place over the next 90 days?
For example, an important goal for many clients is growing their email list.
Perhaps you want to attract your first 1,000 subscribers.
Or you may already have a large list and you’d like to double it in the next 90 days?
Over the long-term you might implement a dozen or more list building strategies, but what is the highest and best use of your time right now?
That will vary based on your audience, your offer, and your assets (time, finances, team, skills, etc.).
A few suggestions I’ve made recently to different clients have included:
- Run a Summit on your topic (they have connections in their industry).
- Publish a daily video on Youtube (they have video skills and a highly searched topic).
- Use your podcast to make connections and ask for referrals from guests (high value consulting service with a very specialized audience).
Once you’ve chosen the 90-day goal, and the primary method you’re going to use to get there, break it down to weekly action steps.
What do you need to accomplish this week to move toward your goal? The person running the summit needs to set a date and start contacting guests (they’ll choose a date a little longer than 90 days out to make sure there is enough time for the schedule). The Youtuber will gather the equipment, brainstorm ideas, and create a publishing schedule. They’ll dive in with the daily videos the next week.
Indecision leads to inaction.
A clear goal and a path to get there leads to implementation.
Use a calendar to plan your daily action steps. Personally, I use a simple weekly desktop planner along with Google calendar. But any tool will work.
Review it daily. What is the #1 activity you must accomplish tomorrow to move toward your goal?
You might have a #2 and #3 you’ll do as well, but it’s a successful day if you finish #1.
You might say, “That sounds too simple!”
And you’re right. It’s not about complexity. It’s about focus and daily progress.
Growing an email list full of hungry buyers is one of the most important goals you can achieve.
That’s where Authority Lists & Traffic comes in.
It will help you create a personalized list building blueprint that’s the right fit for you, your audience, and your offer.
