Read This If You Want To Go Faster
One of the things that makes us efficient with our time is repetition.
If we do something for the first time, it's usually clunky and awkward.
After a few practice runs, we get the hang of it, and we become faster at the same motion.
This is true if you're practicing piano, learning to ski, or playing chess.
It's true for both physical and mental types of work.
So, naturally, one of the ways to get improve your efficiency is repetition.
Repetition makes us faster.
And one of the benefits of going faster is that we can do the same thing we used to do but with more brain capacity.
So, now, instead of thinking really hard about which chord to play on a guitar, we can just rock out and kick some amps over like rockstars because we just have to think "play an A chord" and our hands just do it by themselves.
The same goes for work and business.
Once you have your process in place, you get your time back so you can focus on new improvements or new innovations.
The important thing to realize is that the only way to do this is by iterating and reiterating.
We start on one, small, valuable thing first--and then move on to the next layer, feature, service, profit center, or business unit.
One. At. A. Time.
Looking back, you'll see all the amazing progress.
You'll say, "oh my gosh, I can't believe we used to do things like that."
But today, it's just going to look like today.
2 Minute Action:
What is the smallest but still valuable step you could take, today?
It doesn't even matter if you have a vision or not--sometimes just taking the first steps to help you see what's possible or what you want.
Here are some examples of first steps:
If you were just laid off, a first step might be posting to your social network and letting people know you're looking for work.
If you are developing a new program for a school, a first step might be creating a list of reasons programs have failed at that school before.
If you are building a website, a first step might be building a Powerpoint that "fakes" the site's features and can still be used as a walkthrough on a sales call.
If you are learning to play the piano, a first step might be watching a YouTube video on how to hit a C chord.
If you are opening a food truck, a first step might be a cookout with family and friends.
Take 2 minutes and do something small and valuable to move forward.
It has to be both.