Are you working on the stuff that matters?

One of the biggest problems I’ve observed with musicians, business professionals, entrepreneurs and even students, is that they are not focusing on the activities that are going to move them forward faster, or move them ahead at all, for that matter. 

Instead, I see random action in multiple areas which ultimately, creates more work with less results. Their areas of focus are out of alignment with their goal! So in essence; how hard you try has absolutely nothing to do with your success. If your focus is on the wrong stuff, how you work on that stuff is irrelevant. It’s like trying to swim against the tide.

I confess that I’m just as guilty at falling into this trap as the next person. I have the kind of personality where I know what I want and will always have that idea in my head, however getting there often becomes a convoluted mess if I don’t take a step back and ask myself what the best and most efficient actions are to get to the end result with my limited time and resources.

The problem with the society is the faulty thinking that it succumbs to. You know the deal.  The more time you put into something, the more successful you’ll be.  The harder you work, the more success you’ll get. These worn out statements are simply not true. Putting a lot of time into something doesn’t guarantee success at all. And, why is it that some people can put forth the least amount of effort but are highly successful? Hmmm….

How about this one: practice makes perfect.  This statement is illogical for two reasons. One is the obvious – no one is perfect. Perfection is a fallacy and the people who strive for it, are typically miserable and unhappy. Their expectations are unreasonable and will never find happiness, because there is NO SUCH THING as perfection! Secondly, practice won’t work unless you practice the right swing, the right batting position, the right chord progressions, the right dynamics, the right play patterns, the right style techniques and so on. Merely spending your time practicing will not get you anywhere, unless you are working on specific actions that will lead to the ultimate goal. Anything else, and you are just spinning your wheels.

The 80/20 Rule

There is a principle in management known as the 80/20 rule, or historically known as The Pareto Principle. This principle is universal and can be used in both business and life.

What is the 80/20 rule? Author Richard Koch defines it as this: “roughly 80 percent of results stem from 20 percent or fewer of causes.” The goal is to do less to achieve more. However, to do this, you need to focus on the 20 percent of activities that are going to yield 80 percent of your results. By narrowing your focus, you save time, energy and become more effective.  The problem is that many are working the opposite. They are placing their focus on what I call the trivial 80 percent and getting virtually no return on their time and resources invested.

The key is finding mega productive ways to increase your success, wealth and prominence. You want to choose activities that will offer (as Koch puts it) ”a higher reward for less energy.”  Everything else you either need to avoid, or put on the backburner. That’s hard to accept, but let’s face it. You can’t do everything at once. Too much irrelevant stuff on your plate has only served to  hinder your progress up to this point. Much of what you toil with is psychological. Let it go!

So the question is, how do you figure out what the best actions are that will give you a larger return with the least effort?  How do you find and align your best focus areas to increase your momentum? Obviously, this is going to depend greatly on your situation and what you want!  However here are a few examples of what I am referring to.

1. The unique 20% of available gigs are going to yield 80% more money. IF it is your objective to make more money, perhaps you might want to think about getting away from nightclubs and book private parties and corporate events – gigs where the money is greater. The opposite of this, is by far the bar scene, where the gigs are plentiful but the money sucks.

2. 80% of your songs are going to be mediocre at best. 20% are, or have the potential to be market ready. Place more focus on refining and pitching that 20%. 

3. Roughly 80% of your fans come from a narrowly defined demographic or niche. This is where your focus needs to be.

4. If 80% of your online promotion activities are only yielding a 20% increase in your fan base or music sales, it’s time to change your approach! You are more than likely not tapping into your demographic or niche as mentioned in number 3. Just because MySpace may be a popular site for artists, doesn’t mean your fan base is a part of that culture. Just something to think about it.

5. 80% of your results come from 20% of your activities. What are the three areas you can focus on to increase your overall momentum towards your goal? For example, perhaps your goal is to get more gig opportunities. You need to focus in on the areas that will get you to that goal quickly and ignore the activities that will yield minimal results.

For some reason, whenever it comes down to it, artists often lack focus. Planning, goal setting and focus articulation are downplayed, as if it isn’t important. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you feel that your career and life are out of control, chances are, you could benefit from indentifying the very areas that are not working and replace (or omit) them to become more effective and create real movement. Isn’t your career worth it?

Related Posts:

The Top 5 Unforeseen Music Career Busters

Further Reading:

Living The 80/20 Way-Koch, Richard. Nicholas Brealey Publishing, London. 2004. 196 Pages.

Living the 80/20 Way explains how to improve the key elements of your life and take back your time. Getting more by doing less is possible. Richard Koch and Living the 80/20 Way will show you how to: -Make a good life, not just a living. – Dissociate effort from reward. Focus on the outcomes and find the easiest way to achieve them with the least amount of effort. -Do away with time management and start your own time revolution. – Get rid of your to-do list and create a not-to-do list.