What is your next Most Effective step, right now?

Posted on June 05, 2013 by Ann Hession, One of Thousands of Business Coaches on Noomii.

We often talk about “next steps” in our businesses. There is always that next thing to do! Yet how often do we do the next step, and then the next, and the next, and still not appear to get much closer to our biggest goals?
As business owners, we all have so many roles to play that it is all too easy to get caught up in the details, this step and that step, and somehow not get to those steps that will truly move us forward.
So today I challenge you (and myself!) to step back for a moment and ask, “What is my next most effective step?”
What do I mean by most effective? Well, that is going to vary for all of us. Sometimes the most effective step is obvious and sometimes it’s not! If it’s just leaping out at you already, just because I asked, then for Heaven’s sake just go and do it! If not, then here are some great questions to ask yourself to help you see what step or steps you could take today that will make a difference.
• What step have I been putting off, because it seemed too hard or too complicated?
• What step, however big or small, has been lingering undone for months now?
• What undone thing is draining my mental energy every time I see it or think of it?
• What area of my business (or life) have I been wanting to not even look at because of something undone, undecided, unclear?
Got one? (Or two, or three? I’ve got four already, myself, just from writing this!)
Pick one. You may be surprised at what you pick. You may think you should be working on your marketing but realizing that what’s really draining you is the workspace reorganization you started but never quite finished eight weeks ago. If you work at home, as I do, you may realize that what’s really bugging you, day in and day out, is the bathroom you got half painted six months ago. And really, how long would it take to finish it vs. how much time you’ve spent putting it off and how much energy you lose every time you look at it? So go pick up the paint brush or call someone to finish it already!
Realize that sometimes the “most effective” step to take is a small thing that has been in the background, dragging you down, decreasing your effectiveness all over the place without you realizing it.
On the other hand, if the thing you picked is a “big” thing, you may still be stopped by feeling that it’s too hard, too complicated, and you just don’t know where to start. In that case, you need to break it down and identify one small step to get yourself started. Don’t buy that “I don’t know what to do” that your mind is trying to sell you. There is always at least one small step you can take if you look for it!
Enough said — whether you choose something that seems big or small, just go do it. Today. Now. I am!

Your breakthrough business coach,
—Ann Hession