Why doing less gets you more ... [🐝U]

In partnership with

The End-of-Year Blizzard: Busy ≠ Progress

The holiday season does something weird to entrepreneurs.

Blame the cold?
Or the yearly goals we feel the time-crunch in achieving (so we don’t feel like “failures”)
Maybe a little bit of both?

Whatever it is, ‘tis the season to think time somehow slows down & we’re magically going to fit things in …

Spoiler alert … we’re not an overweight person somehow squeezing into a chimney with a bag full of presents that doesn’t get a speck of soot on their bright red outfit.

So why are we planning 6-hour workdays
with 10+ to-do items
during a that includes family dinners, travel, school events, & 0 mental bandwidth?

I’ve been there, done that
& even when I enjoyed the “what”
The “how” I was going about it was all wrong

If it didn’t happen the other 11 months of the year,
Why do we think it’s suddenly going to start happening now that we actually have reasons that take our time instead of excuses?

Inevitably, the week ends with most of the list rolling over…
& the internal beat-down begins.

“I didn’t get enough done.”
“I should’ve used my time better.”
“I’ll just push harder next week.”

BTW, those are all things I say to myself too …
No one has a monopoly on these feelings.

For me, it usually shows up as eroding confidence
I don’t feel lazy .. I feel disappointed
Not because I wasn’t busy…
But because I know I didn’t focus on the right thing.

But here’s the part most people miss…
The problem isn’t that you didn’t work hard enough.
It’s that there was no clear order or focus to begin with …
Which is exhausting & quietly discouraging

& when order & focus are missing, effort is scattered
especially at the end of the year when our time & energy is already limited.

Why “a little bit of everything” always backfires

This is usually where our good intentions become self-sabotage

Long to-do lists feel responsible…
But they’re usually fear dressed up as discipline

They feel like commitment.
They feel like momentum.

They’re not.
Just the opposite!

When everything is a priority, you end up doing things randomly
→ a little here
→ a little there
→ whatever feels easiest in the moment

You stay busy…
But nothing actually moves forward.

Checking things off becomes the goal instead of progress.

More time makes it worse, not better

I’ve seen this play out over & over
with clients
on mentor calls
& in my own to-dos

… like a “light” end-of-year that was supposed to allow for time to develop my property
but somehow also included more social media posts & time to grow newsletter income streams

It’s easy enough to plan big, open-ended workdays with lots of time…
& the work stretches to fill it
or worse … we get distracted & somehow start more things that don’t get finished

When deadlines are wide open & expectations vague, our work stretches out
Not because it needs to … because it can.

That’s “Parkinson’s Law" in action.

I’ve watched a task that should’ve taken 45 minutes stretch across an entire afternoon
… not because it was hard,
But because it didn’t have edges.
No clear start.
No clear finish.
Just space for doubt to creep in (& rabbit holes to dive into head first)

Contrast that with what happens when the time is shorter & your focus on what’s needed now is clear
→ fewer tasks
→ defined outcomes
→ a visible finish line

People actually finish things.
They end the day with energy.
& (this probably matters most) they feel confident again.

Not because they did more.
Because they did the right thing.

There was focus, clarity, intention

Every once in a blue moon, I nail the write & schedule the newsletter ahead of time
More times than not (like today) I’m writing & scheduling just in time
not because I didn’t care,
but because I underestimated how much mental energy (& distractions) all the “invisible stuff” takes up when you let it.

What I don’t usually admit is that some days I end those nights frustrated NOT with my schedule, but with myself.
Because I know better
& I still chose what felt good & easy instead of what mattered now.

You don’t climb Mt. Everest staring at the summit

Imagine climbing Everest for a second.

You don’t wake up one day, decide you’re climbing it…
& start ordering gear on Amazon as you go.
But that exactly how most of us try to grow a business.

it’s either that or we get stuck preparing & never actually do.

There’s a very specific order:
→ physical conditioning
→ the right equipment
→ experienced guides
→ logistics, timelines, contingencies

& even then, your climb doesn’t happen in 1 heroic push.

You reach basecamp.
You acclimate.
You assess conditions.
You decide the safest next move.

Yes, you absolutely know the end goal.

But when you’re climbing, you’re not staring at the summit.
You’re watching your footing so you don’t trip & fall.
(& some days, just looking where you step is the only win that matters)

Building your business works the same way.

Skipping steps gets us stuck in an avalanche

This is where things break down … fast
& when the snow gives out from under our feet
We get buried in an uncontrollable free fall down the mountain

We try jump ahead to:
→ step 7 (visibility)
→ step 8 (systems)
→ step 9 (scaling)

… because it feels easier, more comfortable, something we can “check off the list”

It’s not real.
It’s that mirage of water in the desert you see when you’re dying of thirst, regardless of what direction you look in.

It feels productive but there’s no stability
& it’s that steady ground that keeps us upright on our climb

Without finishing
→ step 1 (clarity)
→ step 2 (foundation)
→ step 3 (consistency)

Then we’re forced to backtrack.
Redo work.
Update things they rushed.

& eventually we see the lack of clients, income, progress as
“This doesn’t work.”
“Maybe I’m not cut out to be an entrepreneur.”

These thoughts always show up late at night, when the house is quiet, the laptop’s still open, & I’m replaying the day wondering where my attention actually went

Everything does work.
Just not out of order.

What happens when kids try to run before they can walk … or even stand on their own?

Your momentum comes from short climbs,
not exhaustion

A few clients had this simple realization recently.
For them, it’s changed everything.

1 told me a story of how her husband runs long-distance races.
His rule?
Refuel before you feel depleted.
If you wait until you’re hungry, you’re already behind.

If you wait to drink water when you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated.
& you’re supposed to stop eating before you feel full

All that applies to building our business too:
→ 30–45 minutes of uninterrupted focus
→ 1 clearly defined task
→ stop before you feel like you need a break

Your result?
→ less stress
→ more progress
→ better energy (& confidence)
→ stronger follow-through

That’s not laziness.
That’s strategy.
& it’s permission to stop beating yourself up!

This is also the core idea behind the book Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg.
It’s NOT massive change
Forget white-knuckled marathon discipline

Focus on small actions that are easy enough to repeat
especially on days where family commitments & wacky weather need our time

When your action is tiny & specific you’re more likely to start
When it’s the right next step
you’re building confidence & momentum

Eugene Schwartz famously worked about 3 hours a day … in focused, intentional chunks of 33 minutes & 33 seconds.
Not because he lacked ambition or motivation
But because he understood how focus compounded
& how to refuel before needing it

Tiny, repeatable efforts … done in the right order … create real momentum.

Others are still stuck feeling like they “have to do it all … now”
They’re not ready to let go of the full days & long to-do lists

or worse don’t have the clarity in the steps to get to their summit.

Fewer tasks don’t help if your in a blizzard

There’s 1 more trap to watch for.

Shorter to-do lists are great…
If your path is clear.

What does that look like?
Where do you need to focus - specifically - to get to that next basecamp?

This is where clarity matters more than time spent

If your book is “too short”
It’s not about just doubling the word count.

When you haven’t had clients … or even a discovery call
Forget taking another program or writing another blog

How can you identify what the biggest benefit your prospects get from your features if you’ve never talked to anyone or tried sharing information to see what resonates?

Mentors (& guides) aren’t magic either

Having a mentor doesn’t mean they carry you up the mountain
& you definitely should NOT blindly follow every instruction

It means you know what you need help with & find an expert to guide you
Then you
listen → attempt → adjust

Just having a guide isn’t enough.
Using them intentionally is what creates movement.
Otherwise, a mentor just becomes another thing on your to-do list that you don’t use.

The question that actually matters … right now

it’s NOT:
“What else can I squeeze in before the year ends?”

But
→ What’s my next step?
→ How do I take it so I move up instead of fall down?

Sure, something is always better than nothing.
Especially during the holidays, when your attention is already being pulled in a dozen more directions.

But focusing on the right thing pulls you out of the mental mudpit faster than brute force ever will.

What’s your next move?

What’s your next needed step you’re going to focus on?

Not the 1 you skip ahead to so you can check something off the list & feel like you accomplished something.

The 1 that’s actually going to give you momentum.

You can hit reply & share the step you know is next
Even if it’s not the 1 you want to do
& if you’re not sure what that step is, let’s talk it through.

No pressure.
No hustle.
Just clarity.

Because building momentum before the new year doesn’t require burning yourself out during the holidays.

Small specific next steps … in the right order … beat big vague marathon sessions every time.

It just requires putting your foot in the right place.

Make it a great “intentionally tiny-habbit-filled “ week!
EG

PS:

Want to get the most out of ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is a superpower if you know how to use it correctly.

Discover how HubSpot's guide to AI can elevate both your productivity and creativity to get more things done.

Learn to automate tasks, enhance decision-making, and foster innovation with the power of AI.

Download the free guide.

Introducing the first AI-native CRM

Connect your email, and you’ll instantly get a CRM with enriched customer insights and a platform that grows with your business.

With AI at the core, Attio lets you:

• Prospect and route leads with research agents

• Get real-time insights during customer calls

• Build powerful automations for your complex workflows

Join industry leaders like Granola, Taskrabbit, Flatfile and more.

👉Try Attio Pro for free

PPS:
Every email is based on what you ask for … the more something’s asked for, the faster it finds its way to the top of the to-write-about pile
📣 Tell me what you want to read about … here

🔗 Connect with me on LinkedIn … here

📈 Want to talk about better marketing results for your business by being yourself?
Find a time that fits your schedule.