The ‘Everything First’ Syndrome Strikes Again
So here I am, working on a blog post about focus, and I get this feeling: “Hey dude, you’re not practicing what you’re preaching here, are you?” And I had to admit that, not only was I not being straight with myself, I had way, way, WAY too many projects all stacked up halfway between front and back burners.
- Rewriting one ebook
- Creating a new sales funnel for another
- Updating the website for yet another ebook
- Converting one series of email lessons to all video
- Changing all my autoresponders over to a new mailing service
- Writing for this Blog
- Starting the BullsEye Club
- Two new products that I need to begin outlining
- Three new teleseminar series to work on
- Running the website for my late Mom’s poetry
- Webmastering websites for two NGOs and a restaurant
- And about a dozen other small projects in the early stages
That, my friend, is not focus. It’s behaving like the hound dog I’ve mentioned before, who’s dropped down in the middle of a field of rabbits, and he’s trying to run in all directions at once. My granddaddy used to say, “The dog that chases two rabbits will go hungry.” Although I’m not going hungry, I could be getting a lot more results from the things I’m doing.
Last year, in late November, I announced publicly that the new BullsEye Club would be opening by mid-January. As you know, that deadline slipped. So what’s up with this thing, then?
Well, when my big epiphany about focus hit me, I simply laid everything down except the one thing closest to completion. I swore I’d – as much as possible – work on one main project at a time from now on. Naturally, some things, like blog posts and webmastering continue to need regular attention. That’s okay… it doesn’t take all week to do these handful of tasks.
Sometimes things change. It may be – as in my case – that you suddenly realize you’ve over-committed. In other cases, you may have moved on and become an entirely different person, like Elizabeth Potts Weinstein did. In her recent blog video “Why I’m Letting Go of Things That Make Money,” she explains her experience very well.
Change… that’s why the BullsEye Club got moved a little closer to the horizon. The Club is still on, and it’s going to be lots of fun, but it’ll wait its turn. I’ve stopped trying to do everything first. But I’ve been getting a stream of questions about the Club – when it’ll be ready, what it’ll include, how expensive will it be, and so forth.
A few facts about the Club: my intention is to avoid the typical model where you go and download a bunch of content. Instead, it’ll be an activity place where members can discover how to DO things, can build new skills by actually practicing them, can actively swap information with others on what does and doesn’t work, and other practical-type learning. In other words, it’ll be a combination of coaching group and mastermind group.
Will it be a monthly membership arrangement? Yes. And I intend to make it so affordable that anybody with Internet access can get in and stay in for as long as they’d like. This won’t be an old-boys’ club exclusively for the well-heeled.
On the other hand, it won’t be a place where you’ll encounter a bunch of idlers sitting around griping and sniping, either. You’ll find regular on-going assignments to accomplish. Do them and you’ll gain a bunch of useful new skills. Don’t bother with them, and you’ll stay stuck in the same old rut. Guaranteed.
And before you ask if today’s article is my interrupted piece on focus, no it’s not. That also is coming later.
For now I just wanted to answer some of your questions about the Club and what you’ll be getting from it.
Got more questions? Observations? Suggestions? Post ‘em in the comment box below because I’d love to hear ‘em.
Cheers from warm and smiling Thailand,
Charles
Related Posts:
ON THE OTHER HAND…
Oh, just what we need right now Russy, a Devil’s Advocate.
Hey, I’ll be one of the first to side with Charles about having too much on your plate and being totally unfocused. I think a lot of us DIY entrepreneurs tend to be that way, sometimes out of necessity; sometimes because we are control freaks; most of the time, we simply over-estimate our already stretched-out super-human abilities in this I-want-it-all-and-I-want-it-now world. We kid ourselves into really believing that we can Be, Do AND Have it all.
Still, there are people who appear to be able to do it all. Take Paul Evans, internet marketer extraordinaire of Nicheology fame. Here is one very busy and industrious dude. He reminds me of the old Army commercial, “We get more done before 10:00 AM than most people do in a day.”
This can be most annoying to us humans.
For all I know, Paul could be just another sleazy snake-oil salesperson with a gaggle of ghost writers at his beck and call, cranking out squeeze pages and other erotic enticements that have us reaching for our maxed-out credit cards behind our spouses back just this one last time.
But damn… Paul has shown me way too much common sense in his approach to work. And most of his BEST stuff… he GIVES IT AWAY FOR FREE! Take his report for example, called “Income DNA”. He talks about how YOU can raise your own income DNA – NOT like HE does it… NOT like some other guru does it… but in a way that is best for YOU!
You can download that free report right here: http://www.lovethatfeeling.com/incomeDNA.zip
It’s a quick, entertaining and most informative read. Paul’s common sense will bring you back to reality if you have already swallowed the crap line, “You CAN Be, Do AND Have it all.”
YOU CAN’T!
Admit it and accept it, as Charles so clearly explains here, too.
HOWEVER… (here’s where the Devil’s Advocate part kicks in)
After you read Paul’s report, you’ll realize that you can accomplish MORE of what you want to BE, Do and Have than what you are getting right now. LOT’S MORE!
HOW?
Well, you’ll just have to read the quick, entertaining and most informative report for yourself because as Paul so correctly points out, “We are ALL different!”
OMG – Maggie just HATES it when I do that! She calls these, ‘Cliffhangers’.
All I can tell you is that you will *KNOW* for yourself what you need to do.
AND… you will be inspired to DO it!
http://www.lovethatfeeling.com/incomeDNA.zip
All the best from Toronto,
Russ
Hey again,
I was just going over some of my old articles and came across some more useful advice when dealing with our ‘full plates’. Here is an excerpt from that article followed by a link to the full ‘meal’:
You Don’t HAVE to Be Super Human
Yes, Maggie and I have a full-course meal in front of us. There may even be enough left over for a ‘doggie-bag’. Here’s how we help each other stay out of over-commitment and overwhelm.
* Realize it’s going to take time. A baby takes up to a year or more to learn how to walk. In some cases, it may even take longer. Just as you wouldn’t give up on that baby, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER give up on yourself. I probably won’t realize a profit from my new venture for another 6 months to a year! Maggie’s courses will finish in another two years. You can’t hurry time. It is what it is. Accept it.
* Balance the essential responsibilities. I work mostly from home now. It’s natural for me to do a lot of the housework such as grocery shopping, cooking, laundry and light cleaning in between my writing assignments. I also see that the girls get started on their after-school routines before mom comes home. For now, Maggie is the primary bread winner. Be a team and rely on each other’s strengths. Know that in time, things will change. Make adjustments and keep moving forward.
* Take a break – be kind to yourself! Maggie and I enjoy going for walks or watching a movie together with a fresh bowl of pop-corn and a drink. Quiet and simple works very well for us. On the other hand, you may be like my step-daughters and won’t be happy unless you’re in a room crowded with happy, boisterous people. (oh dear, we must be getting old!) Find whatever works for you and schedule it at least once a week. I know you don’t HAVE the time. Somehow, you must MAKE the time.
Compared to 20 years ago, we are all living seemingly super-human lives. Our expectations for ourselves and for our families in many cases are extremely unrealistic. Remember to be kind to yourself. Do what you can do. The light WILL shine upon your path. Things WILL get easier. And one day…
oh, don’t you just Love That Feeling?
http://lovethatfeeling.com/blog/are-you-trying-to-be-super-human/
Yeah, it’s really tempting to offer advice to others, when we’re standing outside looking in, thinking we’ve got it all figured out. What’s the old Indian proverb? “Until I’ve walked a mile in your moccasins I should keep my big fat mouth shut” – or something like that?