This is a question Sarah Peck brought up yesterday during a workshop she hosted.

There are a plethora of things which we could do and unending demands on our time and attention. It takes design and focus to only do the things that matter most. Sometimes it can be nice to have a list of the things you don’t do and don’t bother with in order to create the space for the important stuff.

If you’ve been on my FAB list for business owners, then this is exactly what’s I’ve been doing.

(See also: this fantastic HBR article on the value of Operational Transparency.)

What happens when you have the right goals, and you believe your action plan is dialed in… but your schedule and routines are all out of whack?

How do you solve the problem of: cannot successfully implement the action plan?

You start small. You pick one critical action that is part of your strategy. And you do that one action. Then, repeat. It sounds overly simple, but most functional things are.

I once read that anything worth doing is worth doing poorly. Giving yourself permission to stink will make it easier to begin. And starting is often one of the biggest hurdles of all. A crappy first draft of an email newsletter is far better than no draft at all.

Seth Godin wrote that “the only path to amazing runs directly through not-yet-amazing. But not-yet-amazing is a great place to start, because that’s where you are. For now.”

If you are a business owner or CEO, the current state of your business is a result of the decisions you have made up to this point… the goals you have set… the things to which you have said yes and no. If you don’t like the hours you work, the cycles of your revenue, the clients you serve…. start making new decisions.

Side note: if you’re a small business owner and you’re interested in the new training, email desk@blancmedia.org to let me know and I’ll be sure to let you know when we open up enrollment for the next pilot group (around the end of October).

I was just recently reminded of a time when my friend Dan Mall shared about how he replaced the phrase “I don’t have time” with “it’s not a priority”.

He wrote: “Recently, I’ve tried to stop saying, “I don’t have time.” It insinuates that I’m a helpless victim to the all-powerful stream of hours that mightily passes me by. It’s easy to adopt an “Oh well” attitude to what you’re giving up. It authorizes my apathy. Instead, I’ve replaced it with the phrase, “That’s not a priority.” Suddenly, I’ve taken control of my own decisions. I’ve taken responsibility for what I do and don’t do. I’ve added clarity, condemnation, and encouragement, all in 4 short words.”

For me, especially as a business owner, things changed significantly for me when I realized that I alone was in charge of how I spend my time. I have to be the one to decide for myself what the most important use of my time is, and I have no excuses if my schedule feels out of control.

… what would it be?

When talking with Cal Newport a while back, he shared with me about the 3 waves of productivity:

1. First there was Efficiency
2. Then Intentionally
3. Now Meaning

These three waves go in order and each one serves the next. You begin by just trying to be more efficient. Then, once you’ve discovered how to save time, you begin to focus more on making sure you’re being proactive with how you spend your time. And then, lastly, you move toward meaningful productivity — where you take back all that time you are saving and you use it for the things that matter.

Thus, as you can see, you need all three to get the true benefits, and it’s not until you get to the third wave that you start to see all the benefits. It is in the third wave — Meaningful Productivity — where you start to produce more valuable work and you find your work more meaningful.

Such as how to have healthy relationships. How to manage your money. How to take care of your body. How to be in control of your schedule. How to accomplish your goals.

We are told that these things are important. And, if we are fortunate, then we may even see these things modeled for us in our life. But we are rarely actually given the skills, mindsets, and information we need in order to live them out in our own life.

Speaking of how it’s okay to make a decision without knowing every last detail… Consider this: one drop of clarity plus 5 minutes of action. I have found that action brings clarity, and then, in turn, more clarity fuels more action. It’s a fantastic cycle. And so, when you’re stuck on something, you’d be surprised how much progress you can make (and how much clarity you can get) in a short amount of time.

You don’t have to take action on every idea. You can make a decision without knowing every last detail and option. It’s okay if you don’t finish every book you start. You don’t have to respond to every email you receive. There’s no need to push every project to the max. Having breathing room — a little bit left over — is perfectly acceptable. In fact… I would argue that it’s preferred.

Many people struggle to make regular progress toward their goals. This is often because the things they are doing are not actually related to accomplishing their goals.

To create an action plan, I like to start with the end in mind, and then work backward.

Once you have a desired outcome, all you need to do is list the steps necessary to accomplish it.

Break things down into small action items. Schedule time for yourself for when you’ll do the next action item for that goal. As you begin to move forward, you’ll discover that Action Brings Clarity.

PS – What is a goal you have in mind right now that you’re struggling to make progress toward? Hit reply and let me know, or send me a DM on Instagram.