Hey there,

As a business owner, it’s easy to feel like every week there’s a new platform you’re supposedly missing out on, a new marketing tactic everyone is talking about, or a new tool that’s going to change everything. A new expert telling you that this is the thing you should be focusing on.

And if you’re anything like me, your first instinct might be: Maybe I should try that too.

The problem is that once you’re three, four, five, or ten years into running a business, you start learning the same lesson over and over again: You can’t do it all. More importantly, you don’t need to.

There’s a very American and capitalistic mindset that says if you just work hard enough, stay disciplined enough, and optimize enough, you can make everything happen simultaneously.

But I’ve found that consistency is the real name of the game.

When I feel myself getting pulled in ten different directions, I come back to three questions.

This sounds obvious, but it’s surprisingly easy to lose sight of. A SMART goal won’t solve every business problem, but it does force you to define success. Are you trying to get more leads? Build authority? Increase revenue? Launch something new?

Because if your goal is to get three new clients this month, spending six hours learning a brand-new social platform might not be the best use of your time.

The clearer your goal is, the easier it becomes to say no to distractions.

I know plenty of business owners who thrive on video. They love showing up on camera. They love the energy of it. I am not one of them.

For years, I thought I should force myself into strategies that drained me because they seemed popular or effective. Now I pay attention to where my energy naturally goes.

If a marketing activity consistently makes you dread opening your laptop, that’s useful information. The best strategy is often the one you’ll actually stick with.

Before you jump to the next thing, look behind you. Where did your last five clients come from? Which content pieces sparked the most conversations? Which marketing activities consistently bring in leads, referrals, or opportunities? These are data points you shouldn’t take for granted.

The good news is that focus doesn’t have to mean boredom. You can still experiment and stay curious without abandoning what’s already working. Instead of chasing an entirely new strategy, try putting a twist on an existing one. Turn a blog post into a newsletter. Repurpose a LinkedIn post into a podcast discussion. Test a new angle, audience, or format while staying rooted in channels that have already proven themselves.

Sometimes you’ll find novelty in the most familiar places.

In fact, this isn’t the first time I’ve written about novelty in familiar places. In my January newsletter, I wrote about embracing curiosity and allowing myself to explore new possibilities without feeling pressured to act on every single one.