Every month I hold one-to-one coaching calls with accountants who have either a big project they want to make progress on, or a series of small tasks they keep putting off.
Either way, their momentum calls are just that: the space for them to build momentum. Get shit done.
There’s always a point – usually three or four sessions in – when the things they’re achieving aren’t quite the items on the list.
These items are usually close to what we discussed what was important. They’re prioritising recording videos, and they recorded videos…but not the ones we identified in the previous session. Or we agreed a blog post with a link to a template, and the blog post is written but the template isn’t.
When this happens, first, we don’t panic.
We don’t record this as a failure. Often it’s an opportunity to remember we don’t live in a perfect world. Yes, you said you’d record that video by this session, and you didn’t: life happens. What prevented you? How can you get back on track? Then they move forward.
The second time it happens, we check priorities. You set an intention, but the last two times it’s turned into something else. Is there a reason for this? Are your priorities off, or are those still right, so now we need to talk rhythms and systems? How can you make sure you get this thing done?
By the third time, we recognise a habit may be forming. Now’s the time to get serious about what else is going on and what threats or opportunities are facing the business or yourself as the owner. Is it shiny-thing-syndrome, or are there genuinely other opportunities?
This is the time to make a final call on this marketing action. Can it be done (or progressed) during that time, or do we call it and say, “I’m consciously deciding this is no longer important, even though a month ago I believed it was.” Sometimes just facing that question and giving it a solid yes or no helps show you how important it is (or isn’t). There’s no guilt in letting an action go when you’ve made a conscious decision: the key is to face it. Don’t simply let it slide.
Usually, it doesn’t go past a third time. Either we’ve reset priorities and agreed the item doesn’t need to get done anymore; or else we adjusted the rhythms, and the item is now done. And they can move forward to the next thing.
But one of the things I tell all my coaching clients is, it’s okay if the things you get done as a result of these momentum calls are not quite the things you originally planned. After all, we’re business owners with lives to live: not robots ticking off tasks. (Even AI doesn’t always do what it says it will do: how much more can we as humans have that happen?)
There’s a balance between the accountability of consistency, and the alertness to opportunity. For me, recording a how-to or explanatory video often takes longer to complete than another kind of quick video (like a review video for a client, or a quick follow up to a sales meet). For the how-to videos, I’m at my best when I’m at my home office, at my desk, with my microphone and webcam, with quiet surroundings and space to think.
So I account for this. I set deadlines that are more achievable given my travel schedule and where I’m working from that week.
But I also know it’s okay to pivot to another opportunity sometimes. I’ve got the whole week planned out in my home office, and then I get a chance to be a guest on a podcast, with some resources to create related to it. Or a team member needs more support and it sends me off on a tangent for leadership training or a new way to help the team get what they need.
This happens to you, too. When it does, consider those three succeeding questions in order:
ㅤ1. What prevented me? How can I get on track?
ㅤ2. Is this still the right priority? What rhythm can I put in place to keep it a priority?
ㅤ3. Do I get it done in the next two weeks, or do I call it and decide it’s no longer important?
Here’s what I’d love to hear from you this week:
What (marketing or other) action do you keep putting off?
