Are you doing busywork? Are there things that you should not be doing but you give attention to them anyway simply because you feel like you might be useless otherwise?
I tend to have that problem and I can tell you that problem is keeping you from growing your business.
This is Dean Soto, and in this episode of Freedom In Five Minutes, I talk about the importance of creating and producing things that only you can do to push your business to the next level.
That and more, coming up…
Overview & Episode Content
- Stop Doing the Busy Work Post-Automation
- Never Discount the Awesome Stuff You are Doing
- Step Back and Find Ways to Innovate
- Continue Doing the Right Hustle for Your Business
Stop Doing the Busy Work Post-Automation
If there is one side effect of fully automating your business. That is sometimes you may feel like you are not getting anything done. Because most of the tasks are done automatically, there are moments when you feel useless.
I was at my computer the other day doing the busy work and feeling unproductive when I thought about my business pattern, Paul Tran.
Paul is an awesome guy. He started the Honey Badger Seller where he helps introverts sell better. For all the introverts who are listening today and want to learn proven methods to sell, please check out @HoneyBadgerSeller on Instagram and subscribe to his newsletter.
I was sitting in my chair thinking, “Paul is just getting so much done!”
He has got his logo done and he has started building his email list. I’m just seeing all the stuff he has going on and I could not stop myself from comparing and feeling like I’m not doing anything. It sucked to feel that way.
So, I opened my WhatsApp and messaged him, “Hey man, I feel like I’m being useless. Do you need me for anything?”
And that surprised him because it was totally out of the blue. He probably thought I was crazy.
Paul responded, “We all get that sometimes and it’s not a big deal. Don’t sweat it.”
But words are one thing, deeds are quite another.
Never Discount the Awesome Stuff Only You are Doing
The next day, I scheduled an excavator to run for a month on our property so we can begin creating a spot for some buildings and for a new backyard.
There is an area that needs to be flattened beside our house. We are also going to create a soccer field at the bottom of our property and another spot for more chicken coops.
On top of that, I had more phone calls about two more investment properties I will be purchasing. So, I sent Paul a WhatsApp message telling him all of these things.
And most of my activities happened through messaging and phone calls. We were making some deals and we got even more people subscribing to our VSA services.
So, I WhatsApp’d Paul to let him know what has been going on with me and I still feel useless because these are just phone calls. I still felt like I was not really doing anything.
The ones who are really doing it are my staff. They are amazing, mMy VSAs are the ones who are helping our clients day-to-day. And here I am, just on the phone making deals — that’s about it.
Then, Paul messages me back, “Don’t you see what you’re doing? These are awesome stuff that you’re doing! Don’t discount it.”
Step Back and Find Ways to Innovate
Here I am, thinking everything I have done is nothing special because I was just on the phone and talking to people.
Paul reminded me that having systems and automation in place is what leads to bigger deals that will help build the business. Empowering the staff, treating people right, and valuing the people who work for you also helps grow the business.
The things that I do for the business are done through phone calls and messaging. Taking a step back made me realize just how cool it is to be the deal maker for my business.
That is what Donald Trump would do — sitting there making deals and talking to people. He would do the handshaking, getting the funding, and all that jazz.
It is hard to not compare when I see my business partner hustling in his thing or when I see my friends on my Instagram feed doing their own hustle and working hard. Sometimes, it feels like I’m doing something wrong simply because I’m not doing the same thing.
But in reality, it is pretty cool to be doing the “the investor quadrant” in your business, as Robert Kiyosaki calls it. Your knowledge and ability to lead — to put two and two together and inspire people — is what becomes the most valuable part of what you do.
This is important because we are trained to work hard and if you don’t there’s something wrong. Now, there is nothing wrong with hard work. Whatever situation you are in, you should be working hard.
But the thing is, we should not be working on things that can easily be delegated. And we must certainly try to step back once in a while, see the bigger picture, and find ways to innovate.
Continue Doing the Right Hustle for Your Business
My idea to purchase investment properties, for example, came from doing some work around the house during the day when I should have been “working”.
I thought about some of the money I had tied up in investments with promissory notes and how the person who had the promissory notes has cashflow properties — he flips homes.
I told that guy, “Why don’t I just use what my money’s tied up in and buy some homes off of you?”
He immediately said, “Yeah. Let’s do that.”
By being able to step back and make those deals, that has become a hustle at a different type of level. And there are levels above that. I can’t do what these big guys do with huge commercial properties.
One of my really good friends runs a concrete company. And what he does is insane! He does concrete for airports and other huge buildings. And on top of that, he runs several crews and manages several projects!
Now, that is a level I cannot fathom! We all have a stage in our lives where our hustle changes into something else.
So, where are you right now? Are you at the right hustle? And are you doing work that you should not be doing simply because you feel like you might be useless? I tend to have that problem and I can tell you this, that problem is keeping you from growing.
Conclusion
Focus on work that you cannot automate — that only you can do. Do the work that will push your business forward.
What can you do to create and produce? I challenge you this week to look into yourself and find out.
Resources and Links
This is Dean Soto and you’ve been listening to the Freedom In Five Minutes Podcast. Go check out ProSulum.com and FreedomInFiveMinutes.com. Do that and I will see you in the next episode!