If your project doesn’t have a deadline, make one up

It’s easy to prioritise projects that have deadlines — you know exactly when they’re due. But how do you motivate yourself when a project doesn’t have a deadline? Try making one up. Pick a date that you want the work done by, or set aside a certain amount of time for it each day or week. You can also create accountability by enlisting positive peer pressure. Tell a colleague what your deadline is (even if you picked it), and send them updates regularly. For additional motivation, incentivise yourself. For example, you might decide that after spending a morning on the project, you’ll treat yourself to lunch. Or you could let yourself work from your favourite coffee shop — as long as you finish the project’s next step. If those incentives aren’t powerful enough, try penalties. Decide that if you don’t complete the task as planned, you won’t be able to listen to your favourite podcast or watch your favourite TV show tonight.

(This tip is adapted from “How to Motivate Yourself When You Don’t Have a Deadline,” by Elizabeth Grace Saunders.)

Help people understand your data by making it relatable

People can’t use data to make decisions if they don’t understand what the numbers mean. To help colleagues wrap their heads around a data point — how big or tiny it is, how important it should seem — compare it with something concrete and relatable. When you’re talking about lengths of time, frame your data in terms of flights between cities, TV episodes or how long it takes to microwave a bag of popcorn — whatever your audience will know. When you’re talking about size, use places and things that are familiar to listeners. For instance, if you were trying to show a San Francisco audience what 1 million users really looks like, you might mention the San Francisco Giants baseball field, which has 41,915 seats: “uur users would fill the stadium almost 24 times.” Articulating figures this way can keep the narrative from getting lost in the numbers.

(This tip is adapted from “3 Ways to Help People Understand What Your Data Means,” by Nancy Duarte.) Is it okay to use filler words like ‘um’ and ‘ah’? (You know, sometimes)

Most of us think filler words such as “um,” “so” and “like” diminish our credibility (and just sound bad). So we try to avoid them in our speech. But there are times when they can be helpful — if you use them strategically. First, they’re useful when you need to be diplomatic. If you want to soften your message, perhaps to give someone delicate feedback, a hedge word like “just” or a phrase like “we may want to consider” can be an effective cushion. Second, filler words can help you hold the floor. If you’re in a meeting where people interrupt you, a well-placed “so” can ward off interruptions while you transition to your next thought. And lastly, a “well” or “actually” can help you break into a conversation. Just make sure you aren’t cutting someone off mid-sentence.

(This tip is adapted from “Why Filler Words Like ‘Um’ and ‘Ah’ Are Actually Useful,” by Allison Shapira.)

Family businesses have to define what success looks like

Privately held family businesses have a lot of freedom to define success. Yet many founders and owners aren’t clear about exactly what they want their company to achieve, which leads to conflicting priorities and unclear decision-making. Ask yourself whether you are most interested in growth (maximizing the financial value of the business), liquidity (generating cash flow for use outside of the business) or control (retaining decision-making authority). Achieving all three goals is difficult, if not impossible, so you’re better off focusing on one or two. Think carefully about why you started the company and which of the three goals are most aligned with your objectives. And don’t forget to revisit your choices as things change, whether they’re external factors like the economy or internal factors like a shift in senior management. What worked well in one environment can be a disaster in another.

(This tip is adapted from “Every Business Owner Should Define What Success Looks Like,” by Josh Baron and Vlad Barbieri.)

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, October 14th, 2019