If it is not a “Hell YES”, it’s a “NO”.
It has gotten that simple these days.
Life is very interesting and seems to have an intelligence of its own. It seems the more I niched down and focused on growing a self-storage business, the more opportunities came my way. I am sure you have or will experience the same thing.
That is where the third habit of Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People comes into play.
Habit Three: Put First Things First.
Not only in business but in life itself, because there is really no separation. There is just life.
If you have done the work to have a powerful future in the world of self-storage calling you forth from last week’s episode, you are beginning to see that alone is not enough. There is you, your vision of the future, and then there is the pull of life. All the “things” there are for you to do and handle.
All important things, necessary things, but things that stand between you and activity that moves you forward. All of a sudden, days, weeks, even months have gone by and we realize nothing significant has really happened to progress us in the one thing that has inspired us, and is the “created future” we are living into.
If you are starting or growing your self-storage business, live by this third habit. Organize your day, week, month, and life around scheduling in time to do the important things first. Perhaps what is important to you is something like the following:
- Spiritual life
- Family life
- Creating/Growing self-storage
- Earning money
- Having Fun
This is just an example, not a suggestion. You may have health, travel, whatever. Sometimes these move around for me, but in general, the above is it.
Put First Things First.
If you do that, perhaps your day looks like this then:
- 5:30 AM Wake up and meditate
- 6:30 – 8:00 AM Work on supporting others in self-storage
- 9:00 – 5:00 PM Work on growing self-storage business
- After 5:00 PM Family
In each section, prioritize to do the important things first, or at least have them scheduled in to do at a specific time during the time block.
This is simplistic, but you get it. We have created a future calling us forth, but, if we don’t manage it powerfully, nothing, or very little happens.
Create the habit of putting things first in life and in the time blocks you have created, to do the things that truly forward you towards what YOU created as YOUR future or what is important to YOU.
So here are the action steps for this week:
- Sunday night, Monday morning, sometime before the work week begins for you, list all of the roles you play and areas that are important to you. You are putting first things first.
- Take those roles and areas and schedule them. Block them in time in your calendar to do and work on. Make appointments with yourself to work in those areas. You are scheduling first things first.
- Then honor those appointments.
- Note: This is most likely Quadrant II activity (see Episode 28)
- Now, in each area, put what is most important and will forward what you are doing to do first. In descending order, list activities to accomplish in that time block.
- At the end of the week, review. See where you had power and where you can improve (if you don’t have areas of this process you can improve, you are doing something wrong).
- Repeat steps 1-4 for the week coming up.
This one habit alone can be responsible for growing your self-storage business faster than you thought possible. You will also become a living breathing example of a powerful, effective human being that others can emulate without you having to say a word. Your life alone is the example.
That begins to draw you to the right people, circumstances, and opportunities to fulfill on what you are creating.
As you grow into your self-storage business, remember, if it is not a “Hell YES”, it’s a “NO”.
