Marketer par excellence Seth Godin recently advised his readers to resist the urge to slack off this week and next and instead “focus like your hair is on fire” to complete a project that has been languishing.
In the US, the next two weeks are traditionally the slowest of the year. Plenty of vacations, half-day Fridays, casual Mondays, martini Tuesdays… you get the idea.
What if you and your team went against type? What if you spend the two weeks while your competition (and the forces for the status quo) are snoozing–and turn it into a completed project?
It’s a great idea. Unfortunately, this week and next are among the busiest weeks of the year for those of us who work in higher education. We’re in the throes of orientation week for freshmen, today is a big media event for our campus, we’re in the middle of a search for a director of admissions, our department is interviewing for one position and still recruiting for another, and next week is the first week of the fall semester. Plus I’ve got to finish get started on a feature for our alumni magazine, and it’s due on Monday.
So, if you have the luxury of some time off right now, enjoy it. Then make it a point to revisit Seth’s idea during the quieter season of higher ed. When might that be? For me, it seems to be the dead zone between Christmas and New Year’s.
Andy writes! 