I've known about problems in my business for months before I actually did anything about them. Sometimes years!
And I don't mean just 'suspected' there were problems.
I mean I knew about them but have procrastinated on taking action.
And each time that decision to procrastinate (and yes it's a decision) has come with a mental toll.
I'd say most founders have been here.
That strange place where the problem is clear, the solution is obvious, but yet nothing changes.
For me it was decision-making. Everything still ran through me. Approvals, direction, the small stuff that should have never been mine to begin with.
I talked about it. I even built plans around fixing it.
But I'd go back to work the next day and do the same thing.
I was the bottleneck and I knew it. For years.
I eventually had to admit fixing it meant facing discomfort.
The business didn't need me the way I needed it to need me.
The gap between knowing and fixing is rarely about information. It's about what the fix actually costs you and whether you're ready to pay it.
A few questions worth sitting with:
The action is usually smaller than we make it out to be.
And it's usually about just making a start. (Two of the most valuable words Seth Godin told me were "Just begin")
And that's really all it comes down to.
Take one small (uncomfortable) step.
One decision handed off.
One process that finally leaves the chaos in your mind and gets documented.
And that creates a tiny bit of wriggle room in your mind so you can think a little more clearly.
Which then means you can free your mind from the burden of another unnecessary process.
Do this a few times and you're back in control.
Do this over months and years and you're a business owner, not an overworked employee masquerading as an entrepreneur.
Basically it comes down to 2 simple steps:
That 'minimum viable dose' is often all it takes to break the spell.
Do you agree?
What have you been knowing but not yet doing?
Hit reply and let me know.
I read every email.
Ciao for now,
Ash