About this time of year as we finally emerge from short days and cold nights, many of us suffer from a sudden onset of the shoulds. You’ve probably experienced them.
Bordering the fine line between healthy obsession and mental illness, the shoulds usually look like this:
“My website should be updated. It should have some new content. Maybe I should be updating more often. I should do a bunch of videos. Or at least I should make overdue fixes to existing stuff. I should really look at ways to make it faster.”
“I should tweak my SEO strategy. Or maybe I should try that A/B testing program I’ve been thinking about. Should I re-strategize my email campaigns? Actually, I should spend more time on analysis. Yeah, but first I should fix that technical glitch.”
“I should fix that service issue right away though—that should get the most attention. Maybe I should entirely rework the way we think about customer experience. I should really drink more water and get more sleep. I should eat better.”
Before you know it, you should all over yourself. You sit there, practically paralyzed, overwhelmed, exhausted. The optimistic attitudes usually associated with spring cleaning and renewal are suddenly sour. What could be a healthy and productive time now looks like ten pounds of junk in a five-pound bag.
But at the risk of adding a few more shoulds, here are two things you should remember:
- Perfect is the enemy of progress.
- A good plan now is better than a great plan next week
Getting started with a slow and steady strategy will move you in the right direction. Websites are never “done.” SEO is never “done.” Good nutrition is never “done.” But, as you make small changes, and measure them, you will be working toward a continuous improvement for your customers, your business, and your life.
In your business, if you need help sorting it out and turning the most important shoulds into a prioritized strategic action plan, we’re here to help.
