What do you do when you don’t know what to do?
Nothing?
Wait until the little voice inside your head says ‘do that’?
Perhaps a TikTok inspiration?
I’m an action guy, so I lean into doing SOMETHING. But over the past few weeks, I’ve been working through a harder question...
How do I know that the ‘something’ I choose is actually productive?
There are things that need to be done - but the list isn’t always clear.
It just feels like I should be doing something.
Or maybe I know I should be doing something, but I’m not sure what that is exactly.
When I feel that, I know it’s time to shake the trees and see what falls out.
I work with founders who end up in this same spot. They push pencils around their desk (not literally - but the result is the same).
Empty work.
Things that fill the day but don’t move the needle.
That feels different than shaking a tree.
When you shake a tree, you’ve used some discernment. You know a tree in this forest needs attention. You want outcome X. The first tree might give you a pine cone. The next might release a monkey. Neither is X - but both tell you something about which tree to shake next.
That’s different than just being busy and calling it productive at day’s end.
The real work isn’t in filling your calendar. It’s in actually trying things that help you find your next path.
Would love to chat through this if you’re looking to make some decisions. I can help you find the tree.