116: What’s Keeping You Up At Night? On Business Mosquitoes

“If you think you’re too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room.” That’s a gem I found in MBS’s book, How to Begin, from Body Shop founder Anita Roddick. It came to mind last night while I was being plagued by a particularly elusive mosquito my husband dubbed “Maverick.” (Yes, after the Tom Cruise movie.) In my sleep-deprived madness (and MAD-ness) I decided to search for the meaning—and the business metaphor—behind this tiny but pernicious little beast.

Thus, after a midnight brainstorm, I bring you this solo episode on finding (and eradicating!) the mosquitoes* in your business. 

*Don’t get them confused with the Butterfly Effect—tiny moments (supposedly) sparking massive change, or Splatology—low-stakes time clutter accumulating until you can’t see through the windshield any longer.

🌟3 Key Takeaways—Business Mosquitoes are:

  • Persistent interruptions that interfere with much more important goals (i.e. sleep, peace).

  • Often hard to see, and harder to catch (until they’re perched on the headboard resting fat and happy after feasting on you)

  • Relentless in waking you up to deal with the problem (unless you resort to bury every inch of your body under the covers, the proverbial head in the sand)

📝Permission: Put boundaries in place that prevents others from interrupting your peace!

✅Do (or Delegate) This Next: Identify your biggest business mosquito: What’s keeping you up at night? How can you put a solution in place that doesn’t just squash one, but prevents many more “bites” in the future? 

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Jenny Blake

Jenny Blake is a career and business strategist and international speaker who helps people people organize their brain, move beyond burnout and create sustainable careers they love. She is the author of PIVOT: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One (Portfolio/Penguin Random House, September 2016). Jenny left her job in career development at Google in 2011 after five and a half years at the company to launch her first book, Life After College, and has since run her own consulting business in New York City. Find her on Twitter @Jenny_Blake and subscribe to the Pivot Podcast

http://PivotMethod.com
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117: Tiny Marketing Actions with Pamela Slim

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115: Successfully Taking Over as CEO from a Founder (MBS) with Shannon Minifie