The most important work you can do is the work that will get you closer to your mission.
Doing work is a good thing, but not all work is equal. We can do work that feels productive, but gets us no closer to our purpose and mission.
I find there are two things that cause me to do the wrong work, improper prioritizing and active avoiding.
The clearest example of this was with my first startup. As a solopreneur I was responsible for almost everything, and therefore had a lot of work that I could choose to do. I spent a significant part of my time designing and building new features – it was a challenge that leveraged my strengths and felt productive.
But here’s the problem, it was the wrong work, or at least not the most important.
What I should have done, and probably avoided, was talking to users more frequently. Because talking to users can be difficult, and at the end of the day it doesn’t feel like you got much “work” done, even though it would have been the best way to get closer to my mission.
My encouragement to you is to regularly stop ask, “what can I do today that will move me closer to my mission?” Then do it. As with many things, this works well when done with someone else to keep you accountable and give good feedback.
Time is our most important asset. Let’s not waste it doing work that doesn’t matter.
~ Sean
Closed for now ... something new coming soon(ish).