Do you have a big goal this year? To attract more clients and earn more income? To recruit more team members? To move up one level in your direct selling company?
Yet when you look at what you actually spent your time doing in the last week or month, are you still doing the same activities you did last year?
If you are, you’re going to receive the same results as last year.
I see this all the time in my coaching work with clients. You want big results, yet your daily activities create small results. There’s a disconnect between your goal and your actions.
It’s frustrating. You’re so clear about what you want! You ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY want to advance in your company, or create more income, or have more impact in the world! So what’s getting in your way?
You’re choosing low-value, low-impact activities over high-value, high-impact activities.
In YOUR business, what your high-value high-impact activities (aka Income-Producing Activities)? When you do these activities, you KNOW your business will grow as a result.
For most businesses, high-value high-impact activities include:
- Meeting new people (via networking or other ways)
- Following up with prospects and customers
- Asking for referrals
- Marketing your unique abilities, products or services.
Then there are the low-value, low-impact activities. You might rationalize why it’s OK to spend time on these, but you also know that they don’t grow your business. This includes:
- Getting lost in social media
- Spending time online researching things that have no direct connection to your high-value activities
- Staying completely up-to-date with all your emails
- Doing laundry, cleaning the house, and other household chores during your workday
- Spending too much time making things perfect vs. good enough
- Doing what other people want you to do, so you’re working on their priorities vs. yours.
Why is it so tempting to spend time on low-value, low-impact activities vs. high-value, high-impact activities? Especially when you have that big goal?!?
Because the high-value, high-impact activities are probably in your growth zone. In your growth zone, you have to…. Grow!
Being in your growth zone is typically uncomfortable because you have to change on the inside. You have to articulate your value, which means you’ve got to own it first. You have to be visible in the world and speak out about your inner desires and passion, which might cause you to worry about how other people will judge you.
The low-value, low-impact activities are your comfort zone. In your comfort zone, life is easy. You don’t have to grow, stretch, articulate your value or be clear about things that feel overwhelming.
The problem is that every time you choose your comfort zone, you’re giving up on your growth zone.
When you say Yes to 2 hrs on mindless Facebook checking, that means you have said No to 2 hrs of income-producing activities.
Your choices have consequences. Every time you say Yes to one thing, you’re saying No to many other things. Your time in low-value activities has a price. Your choices are not free.
When you say Yes to laundry (or social media or organizing your Inbox), you’re saying No to growing your business.
There’s no growth in your comfort zone and there’s no comfort in your growth zone. You can either be comfortable and stagnate, or you can learn to be OK while being uncomfortable, in order to grow.
CALL TO ACTION
First, check your income. If it’s not enough, then you’re in your comfort zone, NOT your growth zone.
Next, what are YOUR high-value, high-impact activities? You know that when you do these things, your business will grow.
Check your calendar. How often are you doing these high-value, income-producing activities? How can you do MORE of these?
Your income tells you which zone you’re spending time in. Your mind can rationalize ANY action you take; your mind is full of opinions. Your income is a fact.
If your income is not where you want it to be, and you feel overwhelmed about sorting through your time and activities, then I invite you into a private complimentary call with me. We’ll discuss your business goals, what’s not working, and how working together can help you move forward into more success (and income and growth!). Simply email me: marcy at marcystahl dot com and we’ll easily schedule a call at your convenience.
