If you consider yourself a capable person, chances are you’re good at a lot of things. You seem to pick new tasks up quickly and you can make a reasonable success of anything you put your mind to.
This is both a gift and a curse.
I should focus on my current clients but I could win so many more.
I should think more about the marketing channels I’m using but I could open a TikTok account.
I should sell my business before I start a new one but I could just register that domain name.
I should think about where I invest before committing cash but I could just take a gamble on this fund.
When there’s so much you could do, how do you know what you should do?
Without applying a filter, every brainwave turns into a new venture. Every idea is added to your to-do list. Suddenly you’re overwhelmed with all the stuff and you’ve lost sight of what you’re really here for.
So what’s the alternative?
Recognise when you’re piling up your to-do list with things that don’t really matter. Have a better understanding of where your precious time is best spent. Realise that doing everything you could do spreads energy thinly and compromises the main goal.
Notice where you’re hankering after that new project that could be really big, getting pulled along by dopamine or blinded by the lights of potential.
Take an extra moment before springing into action to work out if this thing is a could do or a should do. Ignore the could dos. Save them up in a spreadsheet for later, but don’t mistake them for things to do right now.
Even with the should dos, question further. Why should you? Who says you should? Why do you feel compelled or obligated? Are you acting from a place of discomfort or guilt?
Forget what you could do, question what you should do. Stop adding to your list, keep it as short as possible and channel your energy in one direction to get yourself where you want to go faster.
