Leave it up to Seth to talk about herbs and have an analogy for how it’s similar to your marketing efforts.  Thyme is a great herb and it’s cheap, but not a lot of people buy it to add to their meals.  They settle for salt and pepper and maybe some parsley.

I’ve watched quite a few chefs work their magic, including 3-star Michelin chefs.  They always have that extra little trick or method/expertise that the ordinary home cook doesn’t think of or have that takes their dish from ordinary to well, a 3-star dish.

Even if the home cook thought of it, time gets in the way.  Of course these home cooks are thinking of the short-term benefits of their time.  Those precious minutes can be used for other things on their long list of To Do’s for the day.

The question that Seth is posing and we have to think about is: how much extra time does it take to swing over to the produce section and pick up fresh thyme or basil?  What about finding a new sauce to put on your steak or ribs?  None at all when you start to consider how much of an impact it can have on your food.  Imagine having the best-tasting steak, one that rivals your favorite restaurant’s steak, every time you cook it.

How cool would that be – simply because you took the time to experiment and find some secret ingredient to use?

What are the “secret” ingredients that you’re missing from your own marketing?  What’s that little extra you could be adding to your life that you are too busy to find or buy or get advice on?  What little change in your diet could result in losing 10 or 20 pounds immediately?  (hint: reduce your sugar intake).

The simple little things really do make a BIG difference.  Invest the time ONCE to find out what they are and reap the benefits for life.

Generally I stick to a pretty strict routine in the morning – from getting up all the way through to breakfast – so I stay on track with getting a few of my Most Important Tasks done every day.  Routines are a great way to not reinvent the wheel every time you do something, so you’re more efficient.  But there’s a downside to strict routines that came to my attention this morning.

I was cranking away this morning and I was thrown off routine a bit completing a task that took longer than expected, so I went to breakfast a little later than normal.  I ended up bumping into a colleague I rarely see based on our different schedules for grabbing breakfast and lunch.  We had a great chat (I want to say it was a “lovely” chat but that sounds a bit odd for a work chat) and we quickly caught up on all things during the past 2 years.

Yes, it’s silly to say you can catch-up on everything that’s happened to us in the past 2 years in just a brief conversation, that’s why we’re having lunch soon.  I’m excited to put time on the calendar to continue the chat.  These kinds of chats and lunches are critical to staying sane at work.  Working full out while you’re at your job is a recipe for disaster – burnout, stress, disappointments, etc, etc.

Breaking Up the “Same Same” Routine
As I mentioned, I love doing routine stuff.  I find the best way to do things and I stick with it unless someone suggests a better way or I come across it on my own.  I’m sure my friend has her morning routine that works perfectly well for her and I just happened to bump into her routine because I was running late to breakfast.

It got me thinking about the importance of breaking up the “same same” routine that we always have during the day.  Whether it’s going to lunch later/earlier or taking a different route around the building, there are multiple ways to bump into former team members, as well as people you only briefly knew.

Breaking up your routine and recharging connections from the past is a smart move.  You get the chance to re-live past assignments, catch-up on the latest gossip and just plain have some fun.

I know this is just a little tip, but I know if you give it a shot, you’ll be happy with the results.  At minimum you’ll reconnect with old colleagues and schedule a few more lunches during the month, which is a great result for avoiding the “same same” blues.