Too Much Shit to Do? Here’s How to Get the Right Shit Done

Too much shit to do?

Welcome to running a small business.

You’re prospecting, following up, managing your database, creating content, answering emails, learning AI, dealing with administration, serving clients, trying new marketing ideas... and somewhere in the middle of all of it, you’re supposed to actually do the work that makes you money.

The problem is that every new idea comes with an execution cost.

Starting a podcast sounds simple until you account for everything required to consistently produce one. The same goes for video, farming, newsletters, client events, social media and almost every other strategy we add to our businesses.

Before long, your simple to-do list has turned into a giant spider web and you’ve accidentally created five jobs for one person. 

In Episode 400 of The MindShare Podcast, David Greenspan breaks down how to simplify that spider web and get focused on the work that actually deserves your time.

He shares a practical Execution Audit to help you determine what still needs to be done, what can disappear, where technology can make execution easier, what somebody else could take off your plate, and what absolutely needs to stay with you. 

Because getting more done doesn’t always mean doing more.

Sometimes you need to figure out how to get the right shit done.

What You'll Learn

• Why every new business idea comes with a hidden execution cost.
• How entrepreneurs accidentally create five jobs for one person.
• Why being busy all day doesn’t necessarily mean you moved your business forward.
• How to conduct an Execution Audit and determine what actually deserves your time.
• When it makes sense to stop doing something instead of continuing simply because you started it.
• How to use AI and technology to make execution easier without turning the technology itself into another job.
• How to identify the tasks somebody else could take off your plate.
• Why getting help doesn’t necessarily mean hiring a full-time employee.
• How to think about the actual value of buying back your time.
• What you should outsource versus the work that still needs your relationships, expertise and judgment.
• Why creating capacity is essential if you actually want to grow.
• What 400 episodes taught David about execution, consistency and the difficult-to-measure ROI of showing up.

00:00 – Welcome to Episode 400
400 episodes later, David reflects briefly on the milestone and why this episode isn't going to become a highlight reel.

03:00 – Everybody Has Ideas. Execution Is Where Things Get Complicated
Why the idea itself is usually the easy part — and how quickly everything required to bring it to life begins piling up.

06:00 – The Hidden Work Behind the Idea
Using podcasting, farming, video and other common business strategies to expose how one seemingly simple idea can turn into an enormous list of tasks. 

09:00 – You’ve Accidentally Built Five Jobs for One Person
The spider-web problem: prospecting, marketing, administration, content, technology, client work and everything else competing for the same limited amount of time. 

12:00 – Every Yes Comes With an Execution Cost
Why saying yes to an idea also means saying yes to everything required to consistently make that idea happen. 

15:00 – Busy Doesn’t Always Mean Productive
How “bullshit work” can fill an entire day while the activities that actually grow the business continue getting pushed aside. 

18:00 – The Execution Audit
A practical way to look at everything you're currently doing and determine what still deserves your time, what isn't working and what may need to disappear. 

21:00 – Using Technology to Remove Friction
Where AI, automation and technology can help — and why learning the tool itself shouldn't become another full-time job. 

24:00 – “I Can't Afford Help”
Why not being able to afford a full-time employee doesn't necessarily mean you can't get help, and how to start thinking differently about buying back capacity. 

27:00 – What Should You Actually Outsource?
Why the goal isn't to outsource your relationships, expertise or judgment, but rather the work surrounding the work that only you can do. 

30:00 – The ROI of 400 Episodes
David looks at the podcast itself as an example of something whose ROI isn't always easy to measure, but has opened doors, created relationships and supported the growth of MindShare101. 

33:00 – Get the Right Shit Done
The final challenge: simplify the spider web, create capacity, protect your highest-value work and stop allowing all the little shit to constantly win the fight for your attention. 

Your problem may not be that you aren't doing enough. You may be trying to do too much.

Every new strategy, platform, marketing idea or project adds another layer of execution to your business. Eventually, the work that only youcan do starts losing time to everything surrounding it.

Do the Execution Audit.

Figure out what matters.

Remove what doesn't.

Use technology where it genuinely saves time.

Get help with the work that doesn't require you.

And protect the activities that actually move your business forward.

Your highest-value work shouldn't constantly lose the fight against all the little shit surrounding it.