The power of momentum in your business

I grew up in the suburbs of San Francisco in the Bay Area, an area that has continued to evolve and grow out the infrastructure – especially after the ’89 earthquake! Since the area is well known for traffic and on-going construction I had an amazing idea when I was a kid.

If only, I thought in great naivety, they could do all the road work in ONE week. We could close the schools and everyone can stay home, then the rest of the year we wouldn’t have to deal with construction delays.

Genius, right? Just kidding, I know how impossible/silly the idea is now.

But the problem is we often have the same mentality in our businesses.

I don’t need to work on my filing, I’ll just put everything in a box and deal with it when I have 4 hours.

I’ll just ignore social media until I can overhaul the whole thing and afford to hire someone.

Sure, I need support but can’t afford full time so I’ll just wait until the budget is there for 4 people.

Maybe you have your own “procrastination project” which is one that isn’t moving forward but sharpens our avoidance techniques 😉 When I have these projects in my life the house becomes really clean!

The real solution to project procrastination is to generate momentum

If you accept that starting a project doesn’t have to require 12 continuous hours of work, then you’ll be more willing to take baby steps along the way.

When it comes to accomplishing any big goal, the first step is the hardest.

Your Action Step: Pick a single project that you’ve been holding back on and decide one thing you can do to move forward.

Focused momentum will accelerate projects faster

Imagine that you’re assigned a reading list and pick up 12 books and decide to read the first chapter of each book. How well do you think that will work for comprehension and getting into the story or subject?

When your attention is divided, so is your momentum.

Instead, start with a single project – not 5.

Your Action Step: Create a “later list” of projects that can stand a little more time on the back burner. Then commit to starting one project, even if it’s just 15 minutes of focused time.

Momentum will carry you over the speed bumps

I have this theory that “bright shiny object” syndrome is a symptom of not getting enough wins before you hit a snag.

Common blocks include managing teams, implementing technology, needing to make up skills, making big decisions, and integrating with your existing business. If you only work when things are going smoothly, then something will always stop you.

By focusing on one project, taking action with baby steps, focusing your attention, and building up momentum, you’ll be able to surpass those blocks along the way.

Your Action Step: Focus on the next step and don’t worry about things too far down the road. Trust yourself that you’ll have the insight and information you need when you reach a block to overcome it.