There was a common theme to every client conversation I had last week:
Navigating the tension between the urgent priorities for today and the long-term goals and vision you want to build.
You know how it goes:
You've got to grow your email list… but also get this week’s newsletter out TODAY.
Or you’ve been meaning to update your services page since 2022… but you just agreed to send over a one-pager to a potential new client, which you now have to write and design.
And of course, those urgent, external deadlines win every time while the other projects get put on the metaphorical back burner.
As a result you feel busy because you absolutely are, but you’re also not building momentum.
Because doing a lot isn’t the same as growth. You can be in constant motion and still stuck in the same place.
Just ask this cutie:
Or literally any solo business owner doing everything themself! 🙃
If every day feels busy but you're not sure what actually leads to results.
Or if you told yourself you'd make hay while the sun shone this summer and now it's September 2nd and you're no further ahead...
That's not a personal failure or a sign that you're bad at this.
It's just what happens when important and urgent live on the same to-do list.
When I sit down with a client – either 1:1 or in a group – I almost always notice the same thing: the repeatable day-to-day stuff gets lumped in with the big-picture, someday stuff, with equal priority and nothing to tell them apart.
No wonder the “someday” projects always lose.
This is the benefit of mapping everything out and aligning your marketing with your big picture goals.
Not only will you see what actually works (meaning… leads to sales) and what’s dead weight.
But you’ll also start to see which of those bigger projects are actually worth making time for.
As I’ve been prepping for the upcoming fall Decelerator cohort I’ve been thinking more about that kind of clarity – a way to differentiate between the marketing you need right now and the marketing that’ll help you grow.