This post is by Brandon Yanofsky of brandonyanofsky.com.
Life gets so overwhelming sometimes. It feels like we have so much stuff to do, and not enough time to do it. Important things in our lives get put on the backburner, and we never end up doing them. It could be something as simple as cleaning out your garage or as big as quitting your job and starting a business.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m horrible at accomplishing personal goals. My room has been dirty for a couple of months. But I accomplish my business goals quickly and frequently.
So I asked myself, “What do I do differently in my business life than I do in my personal life?”
Niching down
Let me tell you a little story so you fully understand what “niching down” is, and how I did it.
A few months ago, I decided my next business would be providing Internet marketing services. If you are familiar with the Internet marketing industry, it seems like everyone and his mother is becoming an Internet marketer. I realized I could never accomplish my goal of becoming a successful Internet marketer if I approached the task by trying to be better than everyone else; it’s just too saturated.
So I niched down. I decided to target a specific market and become the best at that market. My market: salons near Los Angeles, CA. I told myself I’d become the best providing Internet marketing for salon near Los Angeles, CA. That seemed easy enough to accomplish. Once I achieved that goal, I could go after another niche market, and then another, and one day, become one of the best Internet marketers.
It’s been working quite well. I started up thesalonmarketer.com to provide these services. Only a few months ago did becoming a successful Internet marketer seem impossible. Now it seems very, very possible.
But the point of this story isn’t about my business—it’s about life.
Niche down your life
In life, we set huge goals for ourselves. Your goal to clean your entire garage is like my goal to become a great Internet marketer: it seems insurmountable.
Instead, let’s niche down. Just like I decided to take on one specific market, take on one specific task that will get you closer to cleaning your garage. That might be cleaning only one shelf. Once you accomplish that, you can clean the next shelf. And maybe throw away the junk in one corner.
By niching our seemingly impossible goals into easy-to-do, small tasks, things will get done.
What will you do?
What have you been wanting to do in your life?
Now’s the time. Break it down, conquer one niche at a time, and your goal will become real. Tell us how you’ll do it in the comments.
If you’d like to read more articles by Brandon Yanofsky, you can read his blog about stress relief.
About Guest Contributor
Your post really hit home for me today as I am jumping from projects and tasks without finishing anything and this post has reminded me to focus on one thing at a time. I will accomplish more by focusing on one thing at a time. Isn’t there a saying about the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time?
I’m glad to hear that Abby. I think it’s something we all struggle with. I’m glad though that I was able to make you more aware.
Great point, Brandon. Especially when we feel like we’re behind and have to make up for lost time, we try to take on everything at once. Ironically, All-or-none usually ends in None. If you focus, you not only get the job done, but you build momentum and confidence.
This is how I’ve been with dieting. I start my diet saying, “I will eat no bad food,” and a week later, I’m off the diet. This time, I’m doing one small thing at a time and it’s working much better.
Oh, you know how every once in a while you will hear the same message over and over again and in every place you look? Well this is my message. Niche down, simply, focus on one thing at a time. Thanks for the reminder. Great article. Simple. I like that.
Thanks for the comment Stefanie. The universe is trying to tell you something.
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