As a business owner, there are truly hundreds of things you *could* be doing at all times. When you step into entrepreneurship, tons of things start demanding your attention, so it’s up to you to discern what you’re actually going to spend your time and energy on on a daily basis

This is one of the most common mistakes we see business people making – they’re spending their precious time on the less important things while *thinking* they’re being productive.

So, what SHOULD you be focusing on? Short answer: needle moving activities.

Here at GUIDE Culture, we use that phrase a lot and just recently it’s become very clear that some people aren’t exactly sure what that means.

Put simply, a needle moving activity is a task or action that produces income or moves you significantly closer to a big goal you have.

The truth is, all tasks aren’t created equal – there are $10 tasks (tasks that need to be done, but don’t require YOU to do them) and there are $1,000 tasks (tasks that absolutely need your time and attention).

The KEY is making sure that you’re getting the $10 tasks off your plate to make room for the $1,000 tasks. So, how do you do that?

Step 1: ditch your traditional to do list 🗑

(I know, all you type A’s and list lovers out there are probably panicking right now – don’t worry, we have something better!)

The problem with a traditional to do list is that it includes ALL. THE. THINGS.

From ordering groceries, to answering emails, to soccer practice, to folding laundry, to cleaning the house, to calling your mom.

All things that yes need to get done, but aren’t necessarily moving you in the direction you want to go when it comes to your business.

Step 2: implement a Game Day List ✅

This is a daily list that has 3-5 NEEDLE MOVING tasks on it – tasks that will move you closer to a goal and ultimately put more money in your bank account.

This could be following up with potential clients, writing a sales email or podcast episode, creating a webinar or masterclass, etc.

A to do list is distracting because when you see all the things that you *could* be doing, you will naturally choose easy or fun thing first.

For example: running errands (aka going to Target & getting Starbucks) is probably more enjoyable than writing content to get people to buy your program – but as the professional, you know which is more important.

The only way this works is if your Game Day List truly is needle moving, so here’s 3 ways to tell:

1️⃣ does this move you closer to a long term goal? (want to be featured on Good Morning America? I don’t think they care about your office set up)

2️⃣ does it feel like something that COULD be put off today, but you know you’ll be glad when you get it done? (ex. writing a podcast script or an email to pitch an IG takeover)

3️⃣ you might feel some tension around working on a project that’s “harder” than something you could do quicker (like checking and cleaning out your email)

When you write a task on your Game Day List, filter it with those 3 things and you can know that you’re doing it correctly!

To get started with the Game Day List, CLICK HERE for free 5 Days of Daily Deposit (the journal that includes the Game Day List format).

For more support on this topic, make sure you’ve joined the Winner’s Circle Facebook Group – a collaborate community that’s committed to building habits that create winning leaders one deposit at a time.