I was talking to a friend last night about a problem.
The problem required discussion, not because of the problem, but because we needed a solution.
It’s easy to get “lost in the weeds” when the problem becomes so large we can’t see a solution. In reality the inability to see a solution is always in our heads.
Because as we all know, there is a solution for every problem.
It does not matter if it’s a personal issue or a business issue, such as needing more members and clients, the place to start is with a piece of paper.
Here are the steps to follow with the piece of paper.
Do a brain dump and list all aspects of the problem, no matter how hopeless it seems. Get the “reality” on the sheet of paper, any old sheet of paper will do, even the side of a paper bag.
- Summarize all the points listed in step one in one sentence. (It can be a long sentence).Just fill in the rest of the sentence. Example: The real problem is that my business needs more clash flow and I don’t have a marketing plan in place to address this problem.
- Now grab another piece of paper and list at least 10 solutions to the real problem. Don’t stop short of 10 solutions, no matter how crazy they may seem. Note: this should only take a couple of minutes.
- Look your list of solutions over and pick one. Schedule a time, from 10 to 30 minutes, in tomorrow’s calendar to devote focused time on this one item, and only that item.
- When tomorrow comes do the work. Focus, concentrate, and make progress.
- Here comes a piece of paper again, because at the end of your work session you need to record your progress in writing.
- Decide on your next step, schedule time in your calendar, then rinse and repeat as the saying goes.
Work sessions should be 20 minutes of undisturbed focus, just like a good workout. Don’t think of anything else. Just like a good workout, record what you did, and how you did.
Then walk away, back to business as usual.
These small steps will build up quickly and your confidence will grow. When in doubt, look over your daily notes of the progress you made.
And when you have solved this problem, celebrate, and move on to the next one.
Repeat this process often and you’ll feel a surge of energy. Confidence and hopefulness will replace that feeling of helplessness.
You will become the unstoppable force in your business that looks for problems to solve.
