Dan Kennedy is famous for referring to his top productivity trick as “The G.E. Spot” — which he affectionately refers to as “The Good Enough” spot. This is a simple but elegant time management technique you can put to use in your business to get more stuff done, faster. Let me show you how…
Why You Need A GE Spot
Most tasks you’re struggling to complete in your business aren’t getting done because you’re stalling, procrastinating, and otherwise putting them off. The idea behind the GE Spot is essentially that perfectionism is the #1 enemy of success. Or, as I’m sure you’ve heard before, you simple need to realize that “version one is better than version none.”
When you decide to work on a task only until you reach the “Good Enough” point, you give yourself permission from the outset that your standards are lower than normal. This isn’t about cutting out quality and turning out a crappy product. Instead it’s about realizing that reaching that “100% quality” level is simply a waste of your time and energy when 80 or 90% is still very good.
Perfectionism Is Your Enemy
If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you’re probably a perfectionist and a control freak. You have a vision, and you want things done right every single time. But chances are pretty good that your standards are actually much higher than they need to be. And when you realize that your high standards are actually bottlenecking completion, you can clearly see how devastating this can be to your progress.
Imagine your goal is to complete your next product launch by the end of this month. You make a list of everything that needs to get done, and you get to work. Initially, you make progress and begin ticking things off the list. But as your deadline approaches you begin encountering obstacles in your path.
Rather than focusing on the looming deadline, you begin to focus on the obstacles at hand. If you’re like most entrepreneurs, the obstacles you’re focusing on are not as critical to your launch as you see them. More often than not, you’re focusing on tiny little problems or fancy technical components that actually have very little to do with the “success” of your launch.
Sure, your opt-in form could be better. And I bet that free report your writing could benefit from another 2 hours of copywriting work.
But will your extra time actually produce an equally better product? In other words, are you trying to create a finished product or a PERFECT product?
How To Put The GE Spot To Work For You
Now that you understand the general principle behind the GE Spot, let’s put it to work right away. Here’s what you can do:
1. Choose an important project that’s been sitting on your list for too long already.
2. Make a list of the 10 things you need to do to consider this project done. (No more than ten!)
3. Set a deadline that’s realistic but still challenging. (You want to sweat a little.)
4. Find someone to hold you accountable and tell them your plans.
5. Get to work and keep your commitment.
The key here is to NOT change your deadline regardless of what happens. Focus on producing whatever you can and call it DONE. If it helps, keep telling yourself that this is going to be the crappiest X you ever complete (book, product, business plan, whatever!).
In the end, I think you’ll be impressed by even your most “mediocre” work. 🙂
