The Job You're Avoiding

I bet you've already thought of it.

That one job you've been meaning to do for weeks.

Maybe even months.

It's not because it's difficult.

In fact, it might only take half an hour. But somehow it keeps getting pushed to the bottom of the list because there always seems to be something more urgent demanding your attention.

That's what I call the hard yards.

Not the early starts.

Not the late finishes.

The jobs that are always easier to leave until tomorrow.

For some people it's finally reviewing their prices. For others it might be creating better shelf talkers, reorganising a display or taking photographs for social media. It could even be having that conversation with a member of the team that you've been putting off.

You already know what yours is.

The challenge isn't knowing what needs doing.

The challenge is making the time to actually do it.

The problem with important jobs is that they rarely shout the loudest.

Customers need serving.

The phone rings.

A delivery turns up.

An email lands in your inbox.

Before you know it, another week has gone by and that important job is still waiting for "when things quieten down".

The truth is...

They rarely do.

So here's my challenge this week.

Don't write a list of ten jobs.

Pick one.

Block out 30 minutes in your diary and get it finished. No distractions, no interruptions and no moving it to next week because something else cropped up.

You'll probably wonder why you didn't do it weeks ago.

This week's Business Builder Live session was all about creating regular focus time to work on your business instead of constantly working in it.

The retailers who make the biggest progress aren't necessarily the ones with the best ideas. They're the ones who consistently make time to tackle the important jobs that everyone else keeps putting off.

Small improvements.

Made consistently.

That's how great retail businesses are built.

Food for thought this week.

Have a great day,

Mark