A procrastinating architect wrote to me the other day: ‘I have so many things to do, not real projects yet, but lots of things to strategize, marketing, training, networking, writing Monkey's Fists and newsletters, that even with an agenda, I find myself wasting time and losing motivation. Short of having a personal coach constantly with you and who can kick you in the butt, how do you keep motivated and stay straight on the path? It's tough and can be frustrating! Would this be a sign, that, regardless of my will, I am not cut out to be an entrepreneur?’
This is what I told her: ‘Thank you for asking this question. The answer is you are cut out to be whatever you want to be in life … you just need a better system for getting results. Here is the thing: If you have the skills and smarts to become an architect, then doing marketing is easy. I know I could never be an architect. Your problem seems to be overwhelm. The solution is PRIORITIZATION and CHUNKING DOWN.
‘So list all the marketing projects you think you should be doing, You won't be able to do them all or even think reasonably about all of them. Then go through and list each project on a post-it note. Now move each project higher or lower on the wall depending on its ease and importance easiest and most important at the top.
‘Now you have a priority list. Start with the top project and forget the rest. Take this one and chunk down the steps that are required until the actions become super simple. If any step is too complex, chunk it down. Pretty soon, you’ll have completed that marketing initiative and be onto project #2.’