Small actions can move mountains
I was working in my backyard this weekend. We are in the process of transforming our yard into an outdoor room. The process has many component parts. The first step, as in most projects, is defining the project and what it will look like when it is complete. In this case, the vision and goal are the same. Both my husband and I decided that we wanted to do more entertaining out of doors. Our existing backyard configuration did not encourage mixing and mingling. The traffic flow was a bit awkward. We wanted to improve the feel of the yard.
We had several conversations about what we wanted. We each had ideas about how we wanted the space to feel when we were finished with the remodeling project. Our ideas were similar but not identical. We negotiated, collaborated and came up with a list of must haves, nice to haves and a budget. We outlined a schedule and put it into an action plan.
Action Plans keep you on target and on task
In my consulting practice, I use action plans to accomplish what might otherwise seem impossible. Action plans are brilliant for managing progress, identifying the discrete steps that when strung together equal a project. Action plans, like recipes, show what, when and who is responsible for doing each step, in the right order. They show how long each task is likely to take and what is needed to be successful. By breaking big projects into their individual component parts, it is easy to track progress and to realistically assign resources for each step. Action plans show the beginning, middle and end of each task. You can measure your progress against your action plan.
Action Plans don’t have to take much time to yield measurable results. In fact, by taking the step of creating an action plan, I have often saved time by seeing clearly what resources I have, what is missing, and what I can delegate. Action plans help me plan my day. The important stuff gets done when it must be done.
Planning for Change
If you have ever shifted your attention in a new direction, attempted to lose weight and keep it off, or get yourself in a regular exercise program, you know that real success comes when you plan beyond the goal. What will it look like once you have what you want, how will you keep the change instead of reverting to your old patterns.
In this case, my husband drew up plans for the yard, He is an architect, but I’m not, so to be sure we both were seeing the ultimate outcome in the same way, I needed some visual aides. I supplied the step-by-step action plan. I asked questions and documented his answers.
The project gets underway
Our biggest investment was time. Then came materials., and after that, labor. This was to be a do-it-yourself project. We didn’t have any pressing issues influencing when the work would start or end, so it was easy to fit it in as we had available time in our schedules. Most of the work required the muscle and mind of Garry. I contributed some of my time and muscle as I could. When it came to carrying wheel barrows loaded with crushed gravel and cement, I just didn’t have the upper body strength to do the work. But I could lift and load the wheel barrows with dirt for the new planters.
Our yard is sloped. We had put up the deck to create a flat platform. Some of the deck had already been replaced. We decided to take out half of the decking and build up the ground where the deck had been to meet the same level as the remaining deck. We plan to install a fire pit to encourage lingering out of doors on summer and fall evenings.
I pounded nails to put in the deck and I wanted very much to be part of the deconstruction process. Garry showed me how to use a small pry bar and hammer to pop up the heads of the nails in the boards. Once the nails were loosened, I could come back in with a larger, longer pry bar and easily remove the nail from the boards. By using the right tools and leverage, I could do the same work as my manly, well muscled husband. And so, this post came to mind.
Are you using the right tools to leverage your business?
Just as I learned that the right tools in construction make a big difference, I know that the right tools in marketing yield exponentially big results. When I went with the grain of the wood when loosening the nails, the job was almost effortless. When I pressed the pry bar against the bulk of the board, again, it was easy to remove the nails. When I tried to use my muscles instead of leveraging my strength with the hammer and pry bar, I didn’t accomplish what I wanted and the more I strained only caused the nails to dig in and I became frustrated.
Working smarter allowed me to get what I wanted, to loosen and remove the nails in the shortest amount of time. Small actions produced big results. Using the right tools I multiplied the power of my well-toned bisects, abs and legs to get the job done.
I’ve applied this principle to other big projects, like learning to drive, getting a master’s degree, exercising regularly (19 years and counting of 5-6 days a week working out), and to eating a healthy mix of foods (one small change at a time).
The grain of sand approach
Pick one area of your business where you want to see a change. Write up what it will look like when the change is complete. Now pretend you want to explain to a five year old how to get from where you are now to the result you want. No fancy words, not fancy concepts, just plan, easy to understand language. You are going to write up each step, just like in a recipe. Don’t leave anything out. Put your list aside for 24 hours and then, read through it and see if anything is missing. Rinse and repeat until you have a map of what to do, headed up by why you want to do it. Your vision is what will keep you doing the steps/tasks until you get where you want to be, even when you don’t feel like it.
The moral of the story…by taking small, leveraged actions, you can move the biggest mountain. Use the right tools in the right way and you can get what you want with ease. I can show you how to leverage your marketing muscle to get more clients now. When you’re ready to get a different result from what you have now, send me an email at success at creative1.com and tell me what you want, why you want it and what is keeping you from having it. I’ll pick one lucky entrepreneur for a complimentary business building strategy session in August. It could be you.
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