How much time do you spend thinking? This may sound like a foolish question as we tend to assume that we are thinking all the time. But are we really thinking or just on auto-pilot responding and reacting to what we hear, see and read?
It was George Bernard Shaw who said, “Two percent of the people think; three percent of the people think they think; and ninety-five percent of the people would rather die than think.”
Because thinking is hard. Particularly when much of the so-called information we are subjected to is biased and based on opinions rather than fact. The current discussion about the Omicron coronavirus variant is a good example: how many of us have taken the time to
read the scientists reports and examine the data instead of just listening to the politicians spinning their version.
Very few of us put aside ‘thinking time’. I firmly believe that having the right questions is more valuable than having the right answers,
and so here is a list of the questions I like to ask myself during my ‘thinking time’ sessions. I hope it will inspire you to start your own list of go-to questions:
- The ‘Big-thing’ question: What is the one big thing that, if accomplished, would have the most significant impact in my business
and render the need for other seemingly-important projects unnecessary?
- The Client question: Why are our ideal prospects, the ones who already know about us and our services, NOT buying from us? Is
the offer unclear or unappealing? Is it undesirable or uncompetitive? Are we trying to sell it to the wrong person?
- The Numbers question: What numbers do I need on my weekly and monthly scorecard to help me improve my business
performance?
- The Procrastination question: What are three things I haven’t started because I’m pursuing perfection? What are a few steps I
could take today to get the process started?
- The Competitor question: If I was competing against myself, what weaknesses in my processes would I exploit? How would I put a
massive dent in my own brand?
- The Pragmatic question: Is my strategy not working as well as it could because the strategy is bad, or is it not working because
we are incapable of executing it? What is a strategy we can consistently execute upon today?
- The Zero-base question: Knowing what I know now, if I could start all over again, what changes would
I make to my business model? What is preventing me from making those changes today?
This time of year is ideal to put aside thinking time away from the day to day stresses of the business, so grab a cuppa and a mince pie and spend some quality thinking time.
My very best wishes for a very happy and peaceful Christmas. Health, peace, and prosperity to you and yours.
Stay safe.
Noel Guilford