Ed Gandia explains how to beat project overwhelm by starting with one easy gateway action. He uses Reed Hastings and Netflix as an example of how small first steps build momentum on big initiatives.
Welcome to the High Income Business Writing Podcast, helping you propel your writing business to a whole new level. And now, here's your host, Ed Gandia. Hey there. Welcome to another episode of the High Income Business Writing Podcast, the number one podcast for business writers and copywriters who want to earn more and less time doing work they love for better clients. With over 1 million downloads from listeners just like you across 101 countries, this episode is much shorter than usual. Rather than my typical 45 minute format, today I'm sharing a quick tip with you. This is part of the Audio Insights I publish for my private coaching clients every weekday, and I thought you'd find it helpful. So here we go. Hope you enjoy it. One of the most common stumbling blocks in getting a new project kickstarted is overwhelm. It could be a big client project or new service you're trying to offer in your business, or maybe a new skill you're trying to develop. Or maybe consuming a new training resource and implementing the material from that training. Whatever it is, I'm sure you're familiar with that feeling of not knowing where to start the process. Even the first few steps often seem daunting. So what, what do we do? Well, typically we do little or nothing. We procrastinate. Before we know it, days, weeks or months have gone by and we've done little to move that project forward. There's a story of Reed Hastings, the founder of Netflix, and how he envisioned a whole new way of consuming entertainment. Not only did he realize that the Blockbuster Video model of having to go to the store to rent and to return movies on time was a broken approach, but he also had a much bigger vision. He could see a not too distant future where consumers could stream movies and shows through the Internet on demand. Now, keep in mind, we take it for granted now, but he had this vision back in the late 90s, early 2000s, and back then. This is a revolutionary idea, which means that it had a ton of moving parts, some of which these parts didn't even exist at that moment in time. I mean, if you think about it, the technology and bandwidth to make seamless online streaming happen, that required a stretch of the imagination back then. And of course because of that, most people would have been overwhelmed by this idea. They may have never gotten started because they would have gotten lost in the details and priorities. But Hastings recognized that the whole thing had to start with the DVD mailing model. He wanted to go further. He wanted the big vision of online streaming, but he knew that that time wasn't right for that. The technology wasn't available. He knew the place to get there. The path to that model was through the DVD mailing model, and eventually it could evolve into something bigger. But even then, it had to start with one simple action. What was that action? He had to make sure that a DVD would make it from point A to point B without any problems, without breaking or getting damaged as it went through the postal system sorting equipment. So that's exactly what he did. He bought a used DVD and then went to a greeting card store to buy an envelope in which the DVD would fit. He. He stuffed a DVD inside, went to the post office, and mailed that DVD to himself. The next day, the DVD was in his mailbox, undamaged. And that was the moment that Hastings knew his idea was viable. That's the moment he realized, okay, this could work. I tell you the story because it's a great illustration of the concept of breaking down a project into simple, doable, approachable steps, especially when it comes to the first couple of steps. There are a lot of things Hastings could have done to get his idea kickstarted, but he identified the easiest and simplest way to get started. He mailed himself a dvd. How unsexy is that? Especially when you're thinking about building a massive company, a new movement. But he knew that it had to start with something really simple and easy. I call these small and simple steps gateway actions. The only rule of a gateway action is that it must be simple and easy enough to take 10 minutes or less to complete. The idea is that to start something big, such as a big initiative or project, you need an easy way to get in the flow. You need to be inviting. Because if the first few steps seem fuzzy, unclear, difficult, or time consuming, the chances of you doing them are really small. But if you can break down the first milestone into just a few short and very simple steps, you're going to be much more likely to jump right in. Especially if you can identify the first one of those steps to get started with. 1. Once you're in, staying inside that project and building momentum is much more likely. The very first step must be the easiest and the simplest. That's your gateway action. That's the very first step in a journey of a thousand miles. Well, that's it for today. I hope you enjoyed the episode. And just a quick reminder to grab your free copy of my latest book, Earn More in Less Time. The Proven Mindset, Strategies and Actions to Prosper as a Freelance writer. You can get your free copy@dtobelauncher.com where you will also find the detailed show notes to this and all my other episodes. Enjoy and have a great day.
