Projects vs. Habits
As I sit here looking over a growing to-do list (why is that they seem to get longer before a trip?), I am noticing that some of the things on my list are projects.
- Build a website.
- Script a podcast.
- Build a spreadsheet.
There are other things on this list that are not projects, even though they may seem like it at first blush.
- Build a sales funnel.
- Restructure my productivity system.
It occurred to me that these two items are not projects to be completed.
These two are are a series of habits that I need to install into my life.
Building a website is a project to be completed.
Writing a daily blog post is a habit.
Differentiating between a project and habit helps determine how I will clear these things from my list.
A project is a series of steps that culminate in a finished product. A habit is a series of things that must simply be a part of what I do regularly.
A sales funnel is a habit, not a project, because a sales funnel is a series of actions that lead a person to the point of buying a product. Those actions need to be as automated as possible. Automation can be electronic (automated email, a website with great SEO). A habit is a non-electronic automation. My daily/weekly/monthly actions (coffee with a prospect, a direct ask to buy) that complete the sale.
A sales funnel is a series of automation (or habits) that lead to a purchase.
So, is this a project? Or is this a habit?
For projects: Schedule several pomodoros to focus and finish.
For Habits: What do I need to do to make this obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying?
James Clear’s excellent book “Atomic Habits” has helped clarify my thinking on this subject in many surprising ways. I commend this to you.
Now to clearing this list.
