Living the dream

Follow you dreams… start something!!

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Why is it that we don’t start things…. We make excuses, it’s too hard, takes too long, too technical etc.

I often wonder about all the dreams and ideas that people have had… wanting to make stuff that never goes anywhere because they never start. And I  imagine some of them might have been big and could have been big successes would they have been followed through.
Don’t get me wrong I’m not judging, it’s hard for me too, I mean I have ideas of making things all the time, some big and some small and many not started.

Way too much to do

No doubt the major reason for not starting something is that you have way too much to do. At least this is what I tell myself.  In David Allen’s book Getting Things Done there is a quote
“Anxiety is caused by the lack of control, organization, preparation, and action – David Kekich
David goes onto explain in his book that he encounters people all the time that tell him they don’t have enough time to get it all done.  So I guess that’s number one, not enough time and I would guess the next one is procrastination, or maybe not.

Six months to get the content!

I have a client who’s name I have changed for this post. It took her six months to get me the content for her new site. I mean really- six months? I should also point out that this was for a business that has existed  for 8 years so it’s not like we’re reinventing the wheel.
When I talked to her about the situation I was reminded again of the book getting things done, when she said to me “Mark this has been on my mind for the last three months” but I have way too much to do and I just haven’t got to it.
I stopped by her office on the next day, she had prepaid several sheets of paper notes regarding the content that she would like on the site. I sat down in the conference room, she had her assistant with her and in about 2 hours we had things pretty well thought out, as to where all the content would go. I’d say about fifty percent was coming from the old site. As for the new content a lot of it was in text based documents that her assistant put together. The next week I had everything needed to complete the site. One meeting, two hours of time spent, and after six months of waiting it was completed.
I thought to myself maybe I’m to blame, maybe she didn’t have a clear understanding as to what was needed to complete this, or perhaps I should have built in a  penalty- a cost for not having it done by say 45 days, Now I tell clients final payment is due wether or not you have your content! That’s a motivator.

Why we don’t start things- some reasons why.

  1. Not sure of what to write about, or content to include (relating to a blog or website)
  2. I have plenty of time to do
  3. No vision of the finished product- another words what it will look like in the end.
  4. Not really committed to the success of the product

Focus like a laser beam and cut right through steel.

You know the feeling… there are days you just get so much done and dam you feel good about it. As for me I’ve been keeping most all the clutter off my desk, putting loose paper either in the trash or in a reference folder with notes going into Wunderlist, which I organize by the days of the week.  If I need to act on something later I know where I put the related paperwork.

I know it’s tough running a small business, are you kidding I’m in an out of small businesses every day and if I’m in the studio then I’m on Skype taking to the owners trying to help them get online and solve their marketing issues.

What I do that helps me, everyday I read affirmations, a list of things that I want to accomplish, most are long term goals. But you know what I find? Everyday I take a little step in the direction to getting there. So I keep that vision in front of me and I don’t let up. Now I have to tweak my daytime goals, I’ll get there and I hope you do to.

If you have a web marketing project that you want to get done feel free to contact me, I’d be glad to help.
In the mean time, take a deep breath, be thankful for what you have and learn new things…
See ya!

 

photo credit: Chris Devers via photopin cc

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