What helps us get unstuck in moving forward is to figure out what the first and single step is that we can take to get started.
One foot in front of the other
Chaotic, ambiguous, and unsure are three of the many ways I’ve heard the current environment, we’re all now operating in, described. Unknowns are all around us and leaving no part of life - health, economic, social - unscathed. We’re each left to sort through the rubble of our individual and collective paths with little data, historical precedent, and more distance between us. We’re all being forced to figure it all out, really fast.
I LOVE to solve jigsaw puzzles, and one of the things I stare at, about every 10 seconds, while solving them is the box because the final picture of the puzzle I’m solving is there to guide me. We don’t yet know what the end of COVID-19 looks like, and trying to predict what the world will look like on the other side of this is likely a waste of time. So, how can we keep moving forward when the path is so unclear because everything is changing all of the time?
The answer is to put one front in front of the other and take one single step at a time. Although this is age old wisdom, I’ve learned from watching student entrepreneurs at The Trust Center @ MIT, those navigating their professional goals at Crabwalk, and if I’m really honest about my own habits, that this is NOT easy to do in practice.
We’re achievers - we want to move fast, show progress, feel like we’re accomplishing something - which means that we’re often trying to skip ahead.
It’s great to want to move fast! But, sooner or later you will miss steps, forget why you’re doing what you’re doing, and ultimately get lost in your journey. That happens when we do anything out of order.
But, how do we do this in practice?
A quick framework to keep yourself moving
Define a clear goal
Audit what you already have
Get specific about what’s stopping you
Create simple actions
Support yourself in following through
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Three examples of real humans…
EXAMPLE:
I am a startup founder
You had AWESOME plans for 2020. Your MVP is ready to go and now all you need is $$ to get it in the hands of your customers. What if the funding landscape has changed? What if customers aren’t ready to buy? What will I tell my investors if I can’t hit my goals?
The context…
We’re a B2B SaaS startup. My team just finished our MVP and we’re ready to go! We just need $2M in seed investment to get that done.
Let’s take a step back and reframe that...what is the goal?
Okay, the goal is to get our MVP to market with a pilot group of 20 customers by June 30 to meet the milestones we agreed upon with our angel investors.
I bet you’ve already made progress. Let’s take a moment to give you credit.
You’re right, I have already: created a list of 40 customer leads, talked to other founders who are trying to manage through this new reality, committed to a 15 minute daily meditation to fight my anxiety, been reading my investors’ twitter feed like a bible to figure out what they’re thinking,
What’s stopping you from getting there?
I’m technical founder so I was going to hire a salesperson; that’s why I need $$
Well, I have a list of 40 leads, but I only have warm intros to 5 of them
My business model is B2B. Are these companies going to even be able to pay me in this current environment?!
I’m also nervous to tell my investors that I’m not sure that we’ll be able to hit this milestone…
What could help you get unstopped from conquering each of the above?
I’m a technical founder so I was going to hire a VP of Sales; that’s why I need $$
I can….learn how to sell by reading books + watching online content, ask my brother-in-law who is a VP of Sales what type of help I really need, pay attention to junior sales talent that is becoming available due to other startup layoffs
Well, I have a list of 40 leads, but I only have warm intros to 5 of them
I can...figure out where I have 2nd degree connections on LinkedIn, hire someone on UpWork to help me find more warm leads, ask my accelerator’s alum group who has connections
My business model is B2B. Are these companies going to even be able to pay me in this current environment?!
I can...revisit my follow on markets and see if there is a better beachhead market option to sell to today, adapt my value proposition to the new environment, test my new value proposition, survey the Slack CEO group I’m apart of
I’m also nervous to tell my investors that I’m not sure that we’ll be able to hit this milestone…
I can...get the opinion of investors who I trust and am friendly with but are not my current investors, come up with alternative milestones for my investors, get this fear off my chest by calling my best friend and telling her that I’m scared
Alright, you’ve got a new set of goals! Let’s make sure we set you up to achieve them. We’ll use one as an example.
Reframed Goal: Determine what resources I need to be able to sell 20 pilot customers.
EXAMPLE: I’m a job seeker
I put in my 4 years at my current job and was super motivated to make 2020 the year I move on to somewhere else that will net me a bigger pay check. But now I’m totally freaked out and paralyzed. Is getting a new job anytime soon realistic? I think I might want to move to a marketing role, but what’s the difference between a brand + growth marketer?!
The context
My 2020 goal was to leave my current company and transition to a new role. Is that even feasible at this point?
Let’s take a step back and reframe that...what is the goal?
Well, I’m really unhappy at my current salary level and it just feels like I need a restart.
I bet you’ve already made progress. Let’s take a moment to give you credit.
You’re right, I have already: told my family and close friends that I want to make a change, started to update my resume, saved some job recs on LinkedIn that look interesting
What’s stopping you from getting there?
I’m totally freaked out since most of the economy is at a standstill. Is this goal still realistic?
I don’t actually know what I want to do next. I think I might want to try marketing, but I don’t know what the roles mean. Like, what’s the difference between a brand manager and a growth marketer?
What could help you get unstopped from conquering each of the above?
I’m totally freaked out since most of the economy is at a standstill. Is this goal still realistic?
I can...understand what companies and industries are likely to be hiring in the current environment, ask advice from my college roommate who is a recruiter, be honest and acknowledge that I might not have clarity around this for a couple of months, think of alternative ways of making more $$ and get a restart
I don’t actually know what I want to do next. I think I might want to try marketing, but I don’t know what the roles mean. Like, what’s the difference between a brand manager and a growth marketer?
I can...ask 10 friends if they’d connect me to a marketer they work with for a 20 minute phone call, google a ton of marketing roles and map out what the different titles + job descriptions are
Alright, you’ve got a new set of goals! Let’s make sure we set you up to achieve them. We’ll use one as an example.
Reframed Goal: Understand what “marketing” roles there are and if that’s a potential area I’m interested in transitioning to
I am ready to go back to work, but my kid’s are home and driving me insane
I have a 4 + 6 year old, and am finally ready to dig back into my career and launch the business I’ve been conceiving of for years. Now that my kids’ school is cancelled, this feels infinitely harder. How will I find time? How am I going to find help to build my website? I’m SO OVERWHELMED!
The context
I have a 4 and 6 year old so I am ready to dig back into my career! I have a business I’m ready to launch. But, COVID-19 has closed my kids’ school and I don’t have childcare. This now feels infinitely harder.
Let’s take a step back and reframe that...what is the goal?
Well, I really want to launch the website because that’s a big milestone to me. I need to design the site, write copy, and figure out how I’m going to build an audience.
I bet you’ve already made progress. Let’s take a moment to give you credit.
You’re right, I have already: bought the URL, announced this goal to my spouse, written down some initial points of copy. Oh, and I have a product I’m ready to sell!! I have done more than I thought...
What’s stopping you from getting there?
How will I find time?!
I have no idea how to build the site but a friend told me that they used Squarespace and it was pretty easy.
I’m just SUPER overwhelmed right now
What could help you get unstopped from conquering each of the above?
How will I find time?!
I can...work with my spouse to figure out when they can lead child care, see if there are any remote classes I can sign my kids up for, designate movie time a few times a week so I can have so space without child care, ask other parents in my network how they’re finding time for themselves
I have no idea how to build the site but a friend told me that they used Squarespace and it was pretty easy.
I can...ask the friend who has used Squarespace if she can give me a tutorial
I’m just SUPER overwhelmed right now
I can...make it a point to meditate every day, vocalize that to my spouse, ask my best friend and my mom for moral support, be kind to myself by reminding myself it’s normal to feel overwhelmed right now
Alright, you’ve got a new set of goals! Let’s make sure we set you up to achieve them. We’ll use one as an example.
Reframed Goal: Acknowledge that I’m SUPER overwhelmed and figure out how to feel better in those moments
The recap
To recap, these are uncharted waters and most of us are going to have moments where we feel scared, out of control, and unsure of how to move forward. That is normal, and you are not alone in those feelings.
The way out is to go one step at a time.
Define a clear goal
Audit what you already have
Get specific about what’s stopping you
Create simple on actions
Support yourself in following through
What will not work is making yourself beholden to your plans, expectations and assumptions in the pre-COVID world. The road is now less clear, and more unsure, and the key is to stay objective, agile and adaptable which this framework will lead you towards.
Want to download the workbook for this framework? Download the guide.