Any business can use this one. It’s very simple. But powerful.
I gave it the name OTR-strategy, just so that I won’t forget it again.
OTR stands for One Thing Right.
The goal of the strategy is to do one thing right every day.
Hold on! Before you start ‘hating’ the strategy because of its simplicity, let me show you what it can do for you.
Ok.
So, you have to do one thing right, and that one thing ought to be something that lasts in the business. It could be a process or a system. It could be a vision statement or setting goals.
In short: The goal is to do something that won’t come back and haunt you again.
Most people’s day looks like this. They plow through a pile of work. Shoveling papers, answering emails and what not. The entire day. Every day.
The productivity is often measured of how big of a pile of work you got rid off that day. But this is really an illusion. How much stuff you go through ultimately won’t make that big of a difference, because it doesn’t offer you any form of leverage. The next day there’s going to be a new pile.
Here’s how to use the OTR strategy for leverage.
Get rid of something that won’t return.
- Got a low margin activity that is sucking time and energy? Write a process map and outsource the damn thing.
- Write that Autoresponder series so that it’s done. You can’t measure effectiveness before you got it installed.
- Install the analytics software, so you can track your key metrics.
- Don’t know your key metrics? Set them according to your goals.
- No written down goals? Set your longterm goals to match your vision and also quarterly for continuous feedback.
- What! No clear vision? Write a vision statement, so that you know which direction your company is heading so that you can identify opportunities and distractions.
Note, that’s stuff you can do in six days. Take Sunday off. Rest.
What happens in a year? Imagine: What would it do for your business having 250 things done. Hundreds of systems with proper tracking. Hundreds of processes mapped out so you can both outsource and maintain quality control.
I do hope you see the magic. Imagine how much of that pile would be gone. Stuff that you don’t have to do again. Ever. This frees up your time for high-margin activities and time with your family.
