What Not To Do And When Not To Do It

One of the simplest pieces of advice anyone could ever receive is to do more things that work and less of what doesn’t. As basic as it is, it’s remarkably effective. Do not underestimate how much will change when you replace low-output activity with high-leverage action.

As a natural extension of that, it’s important to determine what is or isn’t worth doing. Similarly we all would benefit from having a higher threshold for what we take on or say “yes” to. It operates on the same principle of focusing your time and energy on doing things that are higher leverage.

But there’s an extra piece that needs to be considered that I don’t hear as many people talking about. It isn’t just what are you going to do or not do… You need to consider when to do or not do it. And here’s why:

The right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing. And a wrong thing might only be the wrong thing right now. 

Knowing what not to do is equally as important as knowing when not to do it. 

In building a business, an advanced marketing strategy could be the right thing to do but it’s the wrong time in your business to do it.

In your health, training for a marathon or switching over your diet might be a great thing to do that’s incompatible with the current season of life you’re in.

The reason so many people fall in this trap is because clarity is so difficult to find. Once you identify something that you think is going to help you achieve your goals, and you’re bought into it, it’s hard to resist the urge to take action on something you believe in.

But for that thing that seems like it would work, the right thing to do, it might be the wrong time.

So as you find ways to hold yourself to a higher standard and get clear on what you need to be executing on in the short-term, keep this in mind. Is it the right thing to do and is it the right time to do it?

‍