🥊 Get out the pocket!

“In the pocket,” is a phrase used in boxing and MMA.

It means you're close enough to hit...and be hit.

This strategy can be used in a variety of circumstances.

The catch is that it is a strategy of constant high pressure.

Many of my clients come to me because they are constantly “in the pocket.”

They feel like they can't breathe.

They feel this way because every breath literally feels like a breath for survival.

This past week a told a client he needs to drop all but 2 of his clients.

How did I know this?

I went through his email inbox and calendar to find where he was spending his time.

More than 80% of his time was spent on 2 opportunities.

This is great for those 2 clients, but what about the other 8 paying him? He is not performing as expected for them.

This creates a vicious negative cycle in his personal network.

First, it eats at him internally like poison. Like many high performers, he wants to be the best. At some point, his willpower will lose out. Those other paying clients will not be satisfied with his work. He will then try to replace those clients with new ones and the vicious cycle will repeat itself.

The gap between how you say you spend your time and how you actually spend your time is vast.

Take a few minutes to look at your email conversations.

Take a few minutes to look at your meetings.

Then...

Reduce your commitments.

Reduce your obligations.

Get surgical with your focus.

Don't spend your life "in the pocket."

It will increase the value of your personal network.