There is work and then there is work.

We all can be busy until the cows come home. We can organize our email folders, make sure the telephone numbers in our address book are all formatted the same way, our documents all use the same font and line height, our business cards look just perfect… or we can work on the things which are truly important for our business: Make sales calls. Talk to customers. Figure out how to make money. Write invoices.

Focus on the right things. The things which matter. The things which get you closer to your milestones. And ignore everything else. Tweet This Quote

All too often I see entrepreneurs focus on the wrong things. The things which are fun (and often easy). But sadly not the things which move the needle forward.

Here’s the litmus test: Imagine coming home from work in the evening and telling your significant other or best friend what you did today. Would you be proud of what you achieved? Would it make you proud to say the words: “Honey—I am the best entrepreneur who ever lived. I finalized our business card order today and cleaned up my desk.”—or would it rather be: “Honey—today I crushed it. I called ten people, signed two new deals and we pushed the new version of our app live.”

Focus on the right things. The things which matter. The things which get you closer to your milestones. And ignore everything else.


This originally appeared on Pascal’s blog.

Pascal Finette

Author Pascal Finette

Pascal is the Managing Director of Singularity University's Startup Lab. He is also an entrepreneur, coach, and speaker who has worked in Internet powerhouses, such as eBay, Mozilla, and Google, and Venture Capital—starting both a VC firm and accelerator program.

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