Fly on the E-Commerce Cyberwall

The Danger of Being Too Flexible
Being flexible is a good thing. Isn't it?

Yes, being flexible is good. But what we oftentimes mistake for flexibility can be a dream-killer.

Let's say you've set aside a few hours to work on your business. You have a bunch of things you'd like to accomplish rattling around in your head. And when it comes time to get down to work, you sit down to figure out which of them you'd like to do first.

Flexible, right?

But let's take a look at what can happen with this "flexible" approach. You sit down and think, "What do I feel like doing first?" You ponder a little, waiting for one of those projects to jump out at you as today's top task.

While waiting, you decide to check email. A couple of emails spark some interesting ideas. You come up with a new project that could help your business. So you decide to do a little research on this idea.

A few hours later, you've tucked away a lot of ideas for this new project in your head, where it joins all the other projects you were trying to decide between when you sat down.

Total results of your day: none of the projects you were deciding between got done. All that happened is that you added another potential project to tomorrow's list.

This is not the way that businesses are built. Progress depends on having a plan and carrying it out. No, that doesn't mean you become a slave to your DayPlanner. It means you choose the direction you want to go instead of waiting for a direction to choose you.

This example pretty obviously showed "flexibility" gone amok. But there are many more subtle ways that you can look for your business to set the direction for you. Some of them even can give the feeling that you're accomplishing something.

But in the end, if you don't know where you want to go, you won't go anywhere. Plan the direction you want your business to go; don't just react to where it takes you.
Jeff