This week I’m sharing with you one of those books that I find inspires me and gets me back on track when I feel like I’m seriously derailed….
Deflated.
Overwhelmed
Confused.
I have several go-to’s when I’m feel this way – basically anything from Stephen Pressfield will do… but this past week I re-read Rework by the guys behind Basecamp (previously called 37signals), Jason Fried and David Heinemeirer Hansson.
These guys know what they’re talking about in terms of doing things on their own terms and not listening one bit to conventional wisdom. So freaking refreshing!
You can whip through this book in one sitting due to how it’s written. Short chapters with each “point” given about 1-2 pages of straight to the point advice.
Here are my favorite points and strategies from the book (so hard to choose only a few!)
Make a dent in the universe
They share that in order to do truly great work you need to feel like you’re making a difference in the world. Stop making “me too” products or looking and sounding like everyone else. You have to stop and ask what you want your legacy to be? How do you want to be remembered? Change won’t happen on its own so make the change you want to see in the world.
Scratch your own itch
This is one of my favorite concepts because so many people I know have done this. The easiest and most obvious way to create a great service or product is to make something YOU want. This allows you to design, test and market something you really know … and want. Basically by “solving your own problem” you have a better shot at keeping interested and engaged for years to come as well.
You need less than you think
Having taken a page from the lean startup concept, Jason and David note that you can build a successful company on a lot less than you think – less people, less money, less resource, less time. You have to ask yourself the hard questions like: “Do you think you can build your business on $3,000 vs the estimated $30,000?.” “Do you really need a full-time social media manager or can you manage social media, for now, by putting in a dedicated 5 hours a week?” “Do you really need a fancy logo or will a simple one do for now?” “Do you really need office space at this point or can you rent a desk at a co-working space?”
Build half a product, not a half-assed product
When time and resources are tight there is so much relief in the following statement:
“You’re better off with a kick-ass half than a half-assed whole”
OMG that is hilarious and so so true! They suggest trying to focus on a few things and do them really well rather than trying to do a million things and doing them all crappy. So stop trying to make a bunch of great “ideas” into something that could easily miss the mark and further waste time. Focus on doing a few (or one) thing incredibly well and build from there.
Tone is in the fingers
People get way too obsessed with the tools rather than on the craft itself. It’s like the amateur golfer who goes out and buys the most expensive clubs out there … but only plays on occasion and is a pretty lousy player at that. Compare that person to the gal who uses hand-me-down clubs but is out on the course everyday for two hours perfecting her swing. Big difference. Same goes for business. Don’t focus on the latest tools and fancy stuff like fancy photography and video. At the end of the day it really does come down to the quality of the content so focus on that instead. (Big sigh of relief, right!)
Launch now
Don’t wait for everything to be done and perfect to launch. They suggest this, “If you had to launch your business in two weeks, what would you cut out?” Great question to ask yourself. Often when we impose a deadline on a particular task, we gain some serious clarity. We figure out what’s important and what isn’t, what will stay, what will go and what can be done down the road.
Are you adding value?
Creating “stuff” is actually easy but adding real value to your clients can be hard. You have to ask yourself if what you’re working on actually is making your service or product valuable to your clients/customers? If not, figure out how you can create value or quit the project you’re working on.
Quick wins
Nothing is more true than this notion: momentum fuels motivation.
When you make progress, cross things off your project to-do list, feel productive and get something out the door, you feel energized, enthusiastic and motivated to keep going. When you’re running your own business and tackling a massive project, you have to find quick wins and small victories to keep you going. Break projects down to thoughtful mini projects and begin collecting those quick wins.
Drug dealers get it right
Huh? Yep, drug dealers are savvy and they’re expert sales people. They give you a little taste, a teaser, for free and then POW they have you hooked. The same goes for you and your business. Make your product so addictive and fantastic that they want more! Give a little away so people get a taste and then they’ll be hooked and back for more.
There are so many gems of wisdom in this book, I cannot recommended it enough. It’s one of those reads that anytime you’re feeling deflated or off track or just plain need a kick in the butt to get back to your work – you can pick it up, flip through a few pages and then feel re-inspired to do your very best work.
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