Is Faux Action Hurting Your Business?
Are you taking action in your business but don't seem to be generating any more content/money/clients or making progress? You work a lot, so why do things feel stagnant The answer may lie in the type of action you're taking (or not taking). Every business has "real" or "fake/faux" business actions. What? Any action is good action, right? Not always, and there is a time and frequency for each. Let me explain.
Faux Action feels like you are making progress. It's fun action to take and isn't hard to show up for. It usually doesn't require much from you because it isn't scary or stretching you.
Faux Action Examples:
Designing a logo
Selecting your brand colors
Choosing a website name
Stalling progress until after you take/finish that course
Responding to emails or comments on your posts (this one is important and can be a growth action, but be careful with how much time you spend doing this)
Growth Action (as I call it), on the other hand, moves your business forward and gives you a return on investment.
Growth Action Examples:
Creating and posting a promotion to attract more clients
Sending a proposal or reaching out to potential clients
Creating a content calendar for the next month
Asking a current client for a referral
Let me give you a personal example. One of my favorite faux-action guilty pleasures is learning. I will research a lot or sign up for a course, which feels exciting and like I'm making progress in my business. It will likely give me a return on investment, but what makes it faux action is the necessity of the information, how often I do this, and if I immediately apply what I learn. I like content that helps me be a better writer, but the best and the first action I could/should ever take is to write. It's safe and easy to sit back and learn ways to be a better writer. It's another to mold an article or blog into something worth reading. One action is passive, and one is active.
Read and pin this graphic for later to keep yourself in check. Jump down the page to learn how to take more growth action and limit faux action.
Faux action that is easily mistaken for growth action.
Are you guilty of any of these, like I have been?
Take More Growth Action and Limit Faux Action
Ask yourself if it feels uncomfortable (even just a little bit). If it does, you're taking growth action.
If you've identified a few faux actions as necessary, put those items on your calendar last. Make sure you're taking care of growth actions first.
Ask yourself if completing the task will generate income, awareness, efficiency, clients, or exposure. If yes, it's a growth task.
If it's a "creative" task instead of a core business function, put some time between the thought and action. For example, if you decide that you need to update your website description, add that to your to-do list and revisit it. Sometimes these tasks are like changing blue to dark blue. In the end, it really doesn't matter or contribute to your bottom line.
Ask yourself if you are consuming more than you are creating.
Allow yourself to work on faux action items (like choosing your website font) after you have completed a growth action item (like sending five pitching emails).
Not sure if what you're working on is faux or growth?
Let me know in the comments below what you're working on, and we can figure out how to make it growth if it is faux.
