Your business is different than everyone else’s.
It’s important to remember that.
You bring your own unique spin to HOW you do things and exactly WHAT you do. You’ve also got your own set of strengths and challenges.
But the coaches who meet (and crush) their business goals all have one thing in common …
They are GREAT at identifying the TOP 5% to 20% of things THEY need to focus on to grow their business.
(We’ve been talking about this a lot this month)
Because when you don’t, you end up like this….
So, what’s actually in your top 20%?
Get out your pen and paper- because if you do this exercise below, it can literally change your LIFE.
By the way – a BIG thank you to David Finkel for inspiring this post and exercise!
Your Top 20% = If you were to hire YOURSELF, this is what you’d get paid for.
These are activities that get exponential results, create leverage, and generate REVENUE.
The 80%? That’s when you’re George Jetson on the space treadmill.
You’re working hard but you’re not actually getting anywhere. You’re focused on the “busy work” and the day-to-day. And although these tasks are important … they’re literally PREVENTING you from moving your business forward.
So are you up for a little challenge?
I’m going to share TWO EXERCISES that I have my coaching clients do.
Shut the door of your office and make sure you have the space to focus and be present. Also, make sure you’re as specific as possible.
Ready!? Here we go …
Exercise #1: Pretend you’re on a cruise. There are two islands in front of you.
One is called “Achievement Island” … and the other is called “Hamster Wheel Island.”
On Achievement Island, you can only do things that create EXPONENTIAL results. This is where the revenue-generating activities happen. This is the place where the activities move your business forward in a BIG way.
On Hamster Wheel Island … this is where you’re focused on that busy work and the day-to-day activities that drain your energy … and that you know you probably should be delegating to someone else. You know it’s getting in your way, but it’s still important and needs to get done.
—-> ACTION: Write down the TOP 5 ACTIVITIES you do on EACH island.
Take a few minutes and do the exercise before moving on to the next one.
Ready for the second one?
Exercise #2: Let’s head to your next destination!
Your next two islands … “Happiness Island” and “Unhappiness Island!”
On Happiness Island you’re in your ZONE! You’re doing activities that make you feel fulfilled and inspired. You’re really great at these activities and you’re skilled at doing them. Things on happiness island seem effortless because you ENJOY doing them!
On UNHappiness Island you’re stuck doing things that suck the life out of you. You don’t enjoy doing these activities (sometimes dread it) and are bored out of your mind when you do them. In fact, you’re not only bored, but you dread the thought of it.
—-> ACTION: Write down the TOP 5 ACTIVITIES you do on EACH island.
Once you’re done, spend a few minutes reflecting on your “islands” and the activities you do on them.
This is going to start helping you to separate out what EXACT activities are in your top 20% and your bottom 80%.
As you’ve probably guessed, your Top 20% is going to contain some combo of what’s on your “Achievement Island” and “Happiness Island!” …
Because if you’re not also doing things you LOVE in your business – then what’s the point?
And your bottom 80% is pretty much a combo of the activities on your “Hamster Wheel Island” and “UNhappiness Island.”
There may be a few things that fall into a grey area … and working with a coach can really help you define these.
Understanding your breakdown is KEY to making the right shifts and seeing exponential growth in your business.
I hope this little exercise helped you to start organizing your activities … so you can start coming up with a plan to phase out of your 80%. (Also where working with a coach is key!)
In my next email, I’m going to give you some tactical examples of what would be in your top 1%, 4%, 20%, and 80% to help you get even MORE clarity.
It’s going to be GOOD, so keep an eye out.
And if you want to catch up on the series, you can check everything out on my Blog (starting with the May 4th post: “8 Reasons You Haven’t Reached Your Goals Yet.”
Make it a productive day,
Alicia
P.S. Ready to step off the treadmill and get off “Hampster Wheel” & “Unhappiness Island?” My coaching program is designed to help you grow and scale WHILE getting out of the day-to-day – so you can have more impact, make more money, AND have a life. Click HERE to learn more & schedule a call to see if it’s a good fit <<
