‘Park downhill’ if you want people to act

My colleague Cathy shared a great tip about productivity recently:

‘Park downhill – I never end a workday in the middle of something hard. I leave an easy, clear next step so I don’t stare blankly at my laptop in the morning.’

Good advice, right?

But it doesn’t just work on us. It works on other people, too.

If we end our email, presentation or report with a clear, easy next step, people are much more likely to do what we want.

Sounds obvious, but all too often we make things too difficult. We ask for 9 things at once. We give 15 recommendations without prioritising them. We overwhelm people.

It’s like leaving our readers parked uphill on a 60 degree incline. In an ancient Ford Fiesta with dodgy clutch control.

It’s just too hard for them to get moving.

So ask yourself: what’s the one small step that’ll get things started?

Focus on that first. The rest can come later.