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Business Insights from Andrea Hill

How to Escape the Minutae

25 August 2019
If you're mired in minutae and low-value activities, chances are you've lost sight of your vision. Take 2.5 minutes to learn how to pull yourself out - and UP - and get focused again.

Transcript

 

[00:00:00.780]
I got off to a great start today, I launched myself out of bed at the first chirp of my alarm, didn't even look at my mobile device, got outside for some fresh air, hung out with my family, then hit my desk an hour early with abundant energy. And after that, things kind of went to hell. I went down this rabbit hole of responding to email and resolving petty business issues. And two hours later I was frustrated and I felt like all the energy had been sapped from my day.

[00:00:31.140]
Sound familiar? Honestly, if I had just one day like this, I'd be OK. I know that some days are just a little more detail intensive and that it goes with the territory. The problem is I've had a week of them and that's when I know I've gotten lost in the woods and I'm not focusing on the forest anymore. Usually when we're lost in the woods, it's because we're not in control of the bigger vision. Vision is something that requires constant attention.

[00:01:02.160]
It's not something you can set and forget and expect it to work for the next three or five or 10 years. If you're reflecting on your vision regularly, you're updating it as the world changes because the world is always changing. A great vision continues to evolve and you must evolve with it. Also, having a vision isn't enough. Your vision is more than just the picture of the business you want to be. It's also the specific list of actions and behaviors that you must do every day in order to achieve that vision.

[00:01:38.970]
Many people do the work of figuring out what kind of business they want to be, but they don't drill down on the actions and behaviors necessary to become the vision. So if you find yourself lost in the woods like I did today, step back and review your vision. Is it reflective of the world today or is it a little past its shelf life? Once you freshened that vision up a bit, create the list of the actions and behaviors you must do to achieve your vision.

[00:02:08.580]
Make sure you're making time every day to focus on the important stuff, and you'll get back up to the top of the trees where you belong in no time.