Last week I wrote about hitting the half way mark of the year. Whilst it’s a great time to reflect and re-adjust, it’s also important not to lose the momentum you’ve built up over the last 6 months.
I’m not advocating to not take time off, that’s a key ingredient for being the highest leverage version of you. Many of us are starting to take our summer holidays now so naturally we’ll be taking a much needed break to recharge. However, what I am advocating is the importance of not losing momentum.
Over the next couple of posts I thought it would be fun, and helpful, to share some ideas about using the summer and holiday time to gain a competitive advantage instead of losing momentum.
One of the Darren Daily posts this week reminded me of a key learning from the Compound Effect- a seminal book I read back in 2008 (I’ve got Claire Darwish to thank for introducing me to that one). The lesson used the analogy of a steam train and the enormous amount of fuel and force required to get the locomotive moving from a standing start. However once in motion and at a good pace, it requires much less fuel and force to KEEP that momentum up. [Getting the power of momentum working for you is what Darren refers to in his book as ‘Big MO’.] Darren Hardy teaches us in his book that the danger of losing momentum is that it can take a month just to get you back to where you were and so over the year it can add up to several months of lost progress.
This is where having a business partner and a team is so powerful- whilst I’m currently on holiday enjoying time with my family, Chris is renovating our 3 bedroom investment- see pics attached. What you’re seeing here are the unsexy bits before kitchen and bathrooms go in ie the place has been re-wired, new spot lights cut in, all the nasty artex ceiling sheeted and skimmed over etc. This property is going through our full ATM model (acquire – transform- monetise) that we coach on and right now Chris is forcing max value through the transformation phase of upgrading and remodelling. One pic here shows the creation of a new ensuite where for space efficiency Chris has designed it with a sliding pocket door.
Meanwhile our Operations Manager is expertly running our serviced accommodation business – managing a mix of contractor and tourism bookings across the portfolio and all the associated hospitality operations to make that run smoothly. I’ll take this opportunity to acknowledge all her hard work and say a massive thank you for your daily efforts and enthusiasm.
So you might be thinking what am I doing to keep momentum going, am I just lazing in the sun? The answer is – I am doing that a bit each day . In fact writing this has been some good leveraged time- I’m by the poolside with the kids splashing in front and when I finish writing I’ll be joining them.
What else can be done to keep up momentum on holiday? Here are some of the key things I’ll be doing if it helps give you some ideas:
# Most importantly -create rich memories for my family by indulging our senses in activities, games, sights foods and drinks
# Maintaining health by running the beach boardwalk and listening to great podcasts and books (holiday audible is High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard)
# Complete my 7 figure review for the previous 6 months
# Think big and have intentional conversations with my wife and kids about learning, values who we want to become and the kind of life we want to design
# Strategic thinking and brainstorming about business growth, profitability goals for half 2
# Create content that is hard to create when working IN the business being reactive
# Talk capital allowance structures with our CA advisor
What else do you do to keep the momentum going over the summer days?