Last week, in my first ever update since quitting my job (let’s call that update #0, since it wasn’t exactly a weekly update), I reassured my dear readers (that’s you!) that I’m still alive, and shared with you some of the issues I’ve been struggling with since quitting my job (namely, deciding on what to do with my life now that I don’t have a job).
In this update, I’d like to present you with the list of projects I will be committing myself to for the time being.
But before I share the list with you, I’d like to say a word or two about productivity and focus:
Most productivity (and career) experts will tell you that a “short list” of more than one project can scatter your focus and lead you to work on a suboptimal level. If you truly want to achieve great things, then you must focus completely and wholeheartedly on a single project. Anyone transitioning into entrepreneurship knows how difficult it is to get a side business going with a day job to drain your energy and creativity.
In many ways, this piece of advice is sensible, and I can definitely see the advantages of focusing on a single project.
But I don’t think such an approach will work well for me. If my main problem since quitting my job was narrowing down my options, reducing my decision down to a single option is akin to motivational suicide.
Working on two projects at the same time can accelerate the progress you experience with a single project. How? Because alternating between projects can help you maintain your motivation and prevent you from experiencing boredom and frustration. The mini-accomplishments you experience in one project can encourage you to experience similar accomplishments in the other project. If you were stuck with a single project that isn’t going anywhere, you would soon hate your life and everything in it!
Many people who start a business while working a day job find that the extra work they put in to their embryonic business actually gives them more energy and motivation during their day job than not having a business to look forward to at all!
I believe working on several projects at the same time can be very rewarding, and I will be sharing with you some of my observations about this issue and ways I plan to succeed with this approach.
I should also make it clear that the level of balance I will be experiencing in the months ahead won’t be ideal. Starting a business (and not having a job) is an emergency situation, which calls for a personal state of emergency. This means that it’s sensible to go temporarily out of balance while trying to make necessary progress in my Professional life area.
For now, I will present you with my list of projects, but will leave further discussion about my decision for choosing these projects for next week:
Spa Business: My sister has been running a spa for over a year now. I haven’t been actively supporting her in this endeavor, but will now be more involved in running the business with her
Customer Experience Consultancy: One of the issues I feel extremely passionate about is improving the way businesses treat their customers. Little attention is given to how customers perceive companies based on their overall experience with these companies. I have many ideas about this issue, and plan on starting a consultancy business to help companies better serve their customers, and help customers enjoy life without having to experience the frustration that comes with poor service!
Personal Growth Map: This blog is a high priority for me. I love the field of personal growth and I love writing about it. I intend on writing more over here and producing products that bring clarity to this field, especially with regards to life balance and genuine growth
Online Shopping Site: I am working with a friend on creating a shopping site that allows people in Kuwait to compare prices between different stores and finding products that more accurately match their needs. Most e-commerce sites in Kuwait are limited to single stores, and do not offer the services we would like to introduce
Teaching/Training: One of the most common recommendations I get from people is that I should go into teaching. I don’t plan on teaching in a school, but I’ll be applying for teaching positions in universities and training institutes, where the working hours are flexible and few.
This is my current list of professional projects.
I’ll be telling you why I chose these projects and how I plan on moving them all forward in future blog posts!
5 replies on “Weekly Update #1: The Short List”
Hi
I share your thoughts on more than one project being of benefit. Whilst at art college we were encouraged to have more that one project on the go, when you focus on two different works of art for example you have fresh eyes when you return to one or the other, you see the whole thing differently in a new light so to speak which spurs more creativity. I am currently in your situation and trying to discover my own path, having a very creative mind I struggle to settle on one direction which has been a problem for me in the past as I tend to have lots of little things on the go, but non of them going anywhere if you know what I mean. From my personal development reading the advise is to concentrate on the all consuming passion that we each have and make this our main focus.
Hi Sue,
Thank you for offering me a peek into how art schools approach creative projects. It’s nice to know that the approach I’m taking is recognized for its advantages in promoting creativity. 😀
Smart and creative people have a hard time tying themselves down to a single pursuit. They are comfortable with ideas and realize the enormous potential they have and is possible in this world. Sometimes their ideas outpace their efforts to keep up. You want to paint and sculpt and design clothes, etc. Leaving one passion out feels like you’re leaving part of you behind, which is a decision that’s difficult to live with.
This is what I struggled with.
What I’ve come to acknowledge is that success will lead to success, and if I can focus on a few pursuits now I’ll be in a better position to follow other pursuits in the future, and possibly have more of an influence since I’ve actually accomplished something people will recognize and I would have learned from. I can’t do everything at the same time, so I won’t bother trying.
The items on my list have a thread tying them all together, and that’s my passion for seeing companies focus on the needs of their customers and offering services that make the customer’s experience enjoyable. For now, this is my “all consuming passion” and I’m keen on pursuing this passion in the projects I’ve chosen to undertake.
Hi Haider
Thanks for your reply and words of encouragment.
Looking forward to future posts.
Customer experience, we don’t have such a thing! It’s badly and poorly implemented if anyone claims to have such thing. What I feel they do is “cover up” their mistakes.
In any business, there has to be some bad customer review, but the thing is any angry customer can turn into a loyal one, if their complaints were addressed and managed.
Once I had this problem with United Networks, after calling for days to remove their stupid service and them giving excuses like they are talking to a stupid person, I went over there and demanded to see their manager, and what do you know, he’s in a meeting!! And I requested a form to write y feedback and I knew they were going to throw it but I did anyway and now even if they offer me free Internet, I’d refuse.
I can go on and on, if you need study cases I can provide one.
And if you need a secret agent to go test customer service, I can do that too 😀
.-= BloggyLife´s last blog ..New School Year! =-.
What I find extremely irritating about companies claiming to care about customer experience is that they really don’t. It’s one of the least of their concerns.
I’m having problems with VIVA at the moment. I emailed them twice about connectivity problems, but they never got back to me about that (even though their autoresponder said they will get back to me in 2 days’ time). I called them twice (when I actually got through), and the second time the woman admitted that my case remained open, even though they didn’t do anything about it or bothered to follow up with me about it!
I might actually take you up on your secret agent offer! 😉