Are you thinking big or thinking small?

Beware of thinking too small. Small thinking leads to small actions, which in turn leads to small results. The problem with this is that you trick your mind because taking action feels good, even though the results stemming from those actions are minimal.

For example, you might clip coupons. I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with clipping coupons. You can definitely save money by doing this and there are a lot of people who know how to do this in a way that is so efficient that they hardly pay anything for groceries! But, if you’re not one of those select few, don’t allow yourself to be tricked into thinking you really moved the needle by saving a few dollars. There is a hidden dark side of the coupon clipping equation that you may not be considering…did you buy products that you normally wouldn’t have just because it was a good deal? Or, because you’re so happy you saved “x” dollars, did you splurge in other areas of life (negating the savings you worked so hard for)?

Another way to think of this would be, “how could my time have been spent better for the same or greater results?” If you’re an hourly employee, could you have worked an extra couple of hours? You probably would earn more with overtime pay than you saved by clipping coupons. Could you sell something that you never use (and gain the benefit of decluttering your house at the same time)? Could you call your cable company to reduce your monthly bill in a substantial way or change your cell phone plan? Those are one-time actions that could save considerably each month!

Don’t spend an inordinate amount of time on things that don’t move the needle. Think of the 80/20 rule (Pareto’s Principle)…80% of the results come from 20% of your actions. If it’s not taking much time for you, or if it’s something that you really enjoy doing, then go for it. Every little bit counts. But if it’s taking up your weekend (finding coupons, clipping them, driving to ten different stores for the best deals, etc.) AND you feel drained by doing it, then stop. Focus on doing less, but gaining more. Focus on BIG thoughts and BIG action steps to get BIG results. Eliminate what’s not necessary, automate what you can, delegate what needs to be done (but not necessarily by you), and then you will have more time to take action on the most important aspects of your life.