When I started my first business, I had a spreadsheet called “in/out” to track the money coming in and the money going out. People made fun of me, but it worked. While our accounting systems are much more grown up now 🙂 I always strive for simplicity.
Similarly, over the years, I’ve tried a lot of different systems to manage and organize my daily tasks. But all of those systems seem to accumulate more tasks, making it hard to sort through what’s really important and leading to task paralysis.
Through trial and error, I’ve learned to accomplish a straightforward list of daily non-negotiable items. And when I do these five simple things, I’m able to manage the sea of other tasks much better.
Here’s my daily non-negotiable list:
- Meditate
- Exercise (sometimes just a little)
- Gratitude
- Address these two questions:
- Are people (clients and staff) happy?
- Is our business development on track and aligned with our values?
The sea of decisions is immense, and it can all be very distracting. But if you get really good at doing the minimum you have to do to be successful, you’ll likely find more success.
For Walden Hyde, our non-negotiables include:
- Make room for creativity
- Create well thought bold creative rooted in clear strategy
- Provide exceptional customer service
- Be profitable
- Make sh!t happen
As a brand, you have so many decisions to make—web, digital, social, email marketing, search, SEO, events, in-store—but what is your list of non-negotiables?
Try spring cleaning your brand’s to-do list and get super focused on making sure you’re extra good at the minimum you need to do to be successful.