Nope, this is NOT a post about that kind of soft, squishy "mission-vision" thing...
This post is about what's on your plate right now - today - right this minute.
My friend, Jose Palomino, sent me an email this morning about some website tweaking that he's doing. He wrote, "Getting the timing right and the sliders to stop rotating after the final reveal is today's mission."
Bam - that was his ONE thing for today. Was he doing other tasks? You bet. Was he developing business, calling clients, following up on sales leads, and doing paperwork? Sure... but he also had his "mission" for the day.
When it comes to being a small business owner, independent professional or speaker/consultant, you have a million things to do and a hundred priorities.
Wouldn't having a SINGLE mission for the day be great?
Well - you can. Many important tasks can be done in as little as 15 minutes -- and tackling ONE head-on might be exactly what you need to regain that most precious entrepreneurial asset - MOMENTUM.
Some examples to get you started:
- Revise your home page copy
- Write an important email to a client or prospect
- Send an invoice you've been proscrastinating on
- Post a blog
- Submit an article to a trade journal or industry publication
- Respond to a media request
- Send out your email newsletter
- Circle back with a prospect who's on the fence
- Clean up your LinkedIn profile
- Post a long-overdue recommendation on LinkedIn
- Send a thank-you note
- Mail a book to a prospect, influencer or decision-maker
- Pick up the phone and apologize to someone important
- Ask for that referral you've been shy about pursuing
- Contact that virtual assistant you've been thinking of hiring
- Post your internship job description with your local university
- Begin a research file or a Google Doc for your next book
- Make a list of 20 companies you'd like to do business with
- Clear off your desk (you can do this in 5 min. if you create a file folder called "Crap from Desk" and today's date!)
- Do a competitive sweep and see who's doing what in your industry so you can refresh your offerings
- Shoot a 2-minute video and post it to YouTube
- Buy my book and get $747 in bonuses right now (Shhh...)
- Erase the whiteboard in your office and create a "fresh start"
- Take yourself out to a coffee shop for a 2-hour strategic meeting with yourself, a legal pad, and a pack of Sharpies
- Take a nature walk and bring your pocket audio recorder or smart phone to capture ideas
- Reconnect with an old client, friend, or colleague
- Write an amazon book review for a book you admire in your field
- Call your tech wizard to fix a nagging technology problem you've been tolerating for way too long
- Leave a 45-second voicemail for a client just to say how much you value your relationship with them
- Visit your favorite bookstore or newsstand and buy a magazine to flip through for new business ideas
