Staying Focused on the Goal

One of the reasons I'm starting a business is because my job has been marked for elimination in two months. While I don't think this idea will provide enough income soon enough to help with that immediate crisis, I do think it's worth getting started now.

The problem is staying focused. My wife and I both have engaged in a significant amount of "thrash" this week as we shift from task to task and try to figure out where we can best make a difference in our current situation. It's a bit easier for me, as I still have a 9-to-5 job I need to finish. But my wife is finding it a bit more difficult.

So what do you do when you have more options than you have time? Here's my advice: Crate, Evaluate, Delegate, Regenerate, and Coordinate.

Crate (a verb, meaning "get it all together in one place": Sit down with your business partner. In my case it's my wife. Brainstorm what needs to be done, both in getting the business going and in maintaining all the other essentials of life. Write it down! If it's not written down it will be all to easily pushed out by the next concern that comes along. If a specific task is not clear enough, break it down into smaller tasks until you feel each task is clear and manageable.

Evaluate: Prioritize the list based on how critical each item is to the over-all goal. Some will be obvious, but other will require careful thought to separate the "good" things from the "great" things. It may involve trying to do some cost-benefit analysis.

For example, my wife is a skilled quilter. A local gift shop is interested in selling her quilts, but charge "space rent" and a percentage commission. On the surface it sounds great, but when we ran the numbers we realized that my wife could make more money per hour working at McDonalds, and with less risk.

Less simple to analyze is whether we would be better off devoting more attention to our family garden this year or to helping her build up an inventory of craft goods to sell if more favorable terms can be found. Both are good goals. Both have both short term and long term benefits. Both require some money up front. Choosing which is better is nearly impossible without some sort of psychic ability. We ended up taking our best guess based on what we expect to have happen.

Delegate: Divide up the more important tasks. Clearly decide who is responsible for what. Don't try to tackle the entire list, however. Start with the most important items and pick those you believe you can accomplish within the block of time before your next "business meeting", which shouldn't be more than one week.

Be open and honest with each other about what you can reasonably expect to accomplish during that period. Don't take on too much just to feel like you're doing your fair share. If you've got other concerns to address or just can't work at the same pace as your partner, that's okay. Just so long as you communicate that. Setting realistic expectations will save lots of headache and guilt later on.

You may also discuss the next few items beyond that time frame just in case you end up accomplishing more than you expected, but even if that happens you can always quickly pick up the list, let your partner know you're selecting an additional task, and just go with it. You've got the list, so you know what the next most beneficial task is.

Regenerate: You are not a machine. You have to leave time for yourself. Make sure you have time do something different, something enjoyable, something that rejuvinates you. Take time away from the project so you can get some perspective and attack it fresh later. Far too often I find myself too close to my work to notice that I'm actually heading in the wrong direction--or at least missing out on a better direction.

Coordinate: Meet regularly and go through the process again. Make sure your list of tasks is complete. Add to, change, or remove from your list. Discuss successes and challenges alike. Celebrate progress. Delegate and go at it again.

I can't stress enough the importance of meeting regularly with your partner. Especially if your partner is your wife. There are two blocks of time we have designated as "sacred time" each week. The first is Date Night. We spend time together every week. It may not be much more than watching a video and having snacks, but it's a shared experience nonetheless. It gives us something to discuss, and shared "movie quotes" we can pull out in conversations throughout the week.

It's not always the same night, but I will cancel my own fun with my friends before I'll cancel my date with my wife.

The other is "Family Council". Every Sunday night we get together and plan the week. Then we set aside time to discuss issues that may be on our minds. Sometimes it's straight-forward "what are we going to do about..." type stuff, but sometimes there are deeply personal issues that need to be examined and worked through. Our Sunday night meetings are not always fun, but they've really strengthened our marriage.

I wouldn't go so far as to equate a business partnership as a marriage, but it can be close. And if your partner is your spouse, it's all the more critical. Staying in touch and staying focused will mean all the difference.