Three-minute read. Or less.

Welcome to week twenty-four of Three Wins, where I walk you through my process of launching an online course in 2024.

Even if you are not launching an online course, this will help you think about whatever you may launch. 

Last week, I had one of the most brilliant conversations I’ve ever had. I also tried to help a top sports team with a little something. And, I spoke to someone who is one of the best speakers in the world.

It’s a small shed In West Wales. But there is lots going on.

Next week I am going to Downing St to talk to fellow makers. I will report back.

Shall we?

1. If you are the bottleneck, it’s your fault.

Context:

 I am writing a book.

I am super focused on making it the best I know how.

I am also the bottleneck for my team.

They want my attention.

And I am so focused on having no distractions.

I am trying to do my best work.

So…

I have a plan.

Rather than ad hoc snippets of attention from me…

I will answer all the questions in one sitting with the team.

The Americans call it ‘Office Hours.’

It saves you from ping-pong emails that waste hours of your precious life.

Note to team.

My job is to help you do the best work you’ve ever done.

Not the most work you’ve ever done.

My job is not to make you tired or stressed; my job is to keep you out of meetings; my job is to keep you away from your inbox.

To do the best work you have ever done, you must work differently.

-      You must do less things.

-      You can’t rush trying to do your best work.

-      Doing your best work will change everything for us and for you.

Therefore, your attention must be concentrated on the deep work which produces your best work.

The enemy is busy, the email inbox, and trying to do too many things.

As you know, I am living this life.

I am doing the 3 hours of focused work each morning.

I am not answering emails – sorry.

I am saying no to almost everything I can.

• But I am also the bottleneck for you.

That is why I will put time aside twice a week to do ‘office hours’ with everyone.

It is the most productive way I know to answer all your and my questions.

You can forward all your questions to ‘office hours.’

This will save on back-and-forth emails.

Back and forth texts.

I want to free your time up for deep work. I know I am part of the problem.

I hope I can be part of the solution, too.

• Our inbox teaches us to fractionalise our attention.
• Our phone teaches us to fractionalise our attention.
• Social media teaches us to fractionalise our attention.

Unless we learn to focus for long periods of time on the problems we are trying to solve, we will live a life without ever doing our best work.

So, this is not a gimmick.

Nor is it a quick fix.

This is what it will take to do your work that will set you apart from everyone.

F. busy.

A win.

 2. Hard stops and scary deadlines.

This will sound counterintuitive. 

• I finish at 6 pm each day. Regardless. 
• If I am on track or way behind, I have a hard stop either way.

Here’s the thinking:

 - You want to teach your brain to focus on the time allocated. 

 - The brain isn’t going to get more time. 

 - It has enough time if it gets its head down and actually does the work.

Hard stops teach the brain to focus. 

A win. 

3. Work with people who make you think bigger.

I have begun the process of getting the book to the editor. 

Before I can even get it to him, each chapter takes around two hours to get all the spelling and grammar cleaned up. That is almost 24 hours of corrections.

Needless to say, I am behind on where I thought I would be.

I am delivering one chapter at a time.

I spoke to Mike about the opening chapters and he asked me had I had thought about the look of the book. He said I should get a photographer to come to the shed and just taken abstract photos.

The moment he said it, I could see it.

I had just been too stuck in the weeds of doing it to even think about how it was going to look.

Isn’t it brilliant when you work with someone, and they say one thing that changes everything.

Thank you, Mike.

A win.

As always, I hope this was useful in some way.

Talk next weekend.

Have a good week.

David.

Next up on the farm. Makers and Mavericks. West Wales. May 4^th. One day to rethink your business.