ESSENTIALISM – Where to next?

Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it’s about how to get the right things done.

The question we all have to ask ourselves is: Am I investing my time doing the right things and do I know what those right things are?

Many small business owners are reacting to a situation instead of focusing on the essential things that are planned to reach a desired destination. In other words a systematic approach is needed to help us determine what action needs to be taken.

As small business owners we have too many choices in all areas of business growth. Perhaps we should say we are overwhelmed by these choices. The next issue is the large number of outside influences that are distracting us with information overload. The internet has made it easy for anyone to give advice about what we should be doing.

We have to purposely and strategically eliminate the nonessential that are consuming our time. If what you are doing does not take you a step closer to your vision, than that action has to be questioned.

The term, prioritize, is critical to business growth, but it has to be the correct prioritization. Priorities have to be made on the basis of the possible results they can produce. Too often priorities are chosen by how easy they are to implement. 

Habits are defined as something you do so often it becomes easy. The establishment of good habits is essential to growing a successful business. Good habits are needed in the areas of exercise and diet; we establish good habits in those areas in order to live a healthy and productive life. It takes both will power and repetition before a habit becomes entrenched in our minds. Business requires the same dedication and perseverance to establish what I call “success habits” which are the foundations for future growth.

Dan Coats wrote: “Habit is the daily battleground of character” to which I add the definition of character, “The ability to carry on after the mood has left you.”