It’s an old story: You set a goal and begin working on it, things happen and opportunities open up for you and before you know it you are off in a totally different direction. After a lot of wasted time and effort you discover this was a distraction dressed up as an opportunity. The current podcast gives you a few tools to help spot these time wasters before you head down that different path.
Consistently Write down your goals
Writing it down forces you to move from vague thoughts in your head to concrete actions. I like using a project management workflow sheet because you write down what you want to happen, the steps to make it happen, and then ways to measure how close you think you can come to what you wanted to happen. This keeps you accountable and clear about where you think you’re going.
The fit with current goals
Writing it down gives you a clear idea of where you want to go and when an opportunity arises you can plug it in to see if it fits with your overall plan. The opportunity has to present a clear advantage on a personal or financial level not just an exciting idea that you always wanted to try. Everything costs something, and if the cost in time and effort strains too many areas then it is not an opportunity but a distraction.
The cost of missing this opportunity
Opportunity cost is the price of going after one thing when another might have been just as or more profitable. Most of us have limited time and resources which restrict your ability to select multiple options. It is important to take a step back to give serious thought to each opportunity to consider the cost in time and effort before you make a decision. This takes the emotion out of the situation to allow clear headed reflection.
Opportunity costs have a timing element
Some opportunities may arrive too early in your process for you to take full advantage of them and have to be put off for a later time. If it can’t be done later, then you have to live with the fact that you made the best decision possible given the circumstances and priorities.
Entrepreneur does not mean risk it all
Being an entrepreneur is less about taking risks and more about limiting risk. If the opportunity competes with existing programs or strategies then conflict will be the result. A greater good has to be established and then accepted with all its limitations.
Make distractions into relationships
Deciding that something does not work for your goals right now does not stop forming a relationship with the person or organization presenting the opportunity. Business and personal growth is based on forming long term relationships that can cause one contact to lead to another. Their offer says they valued your work and thought you had something to offer, leverage their thinking.
Review the podcast to get the full list, but using some of these approaches should help you miss experiences that just weren’t worth it. And isn’t that what you wanted in the first place?
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