Recently we saw Dr Jason Fox speak at the Small Business Big Marketing event at the Small Business Festival.
In his keynote speech, he discussed the dangers of default thinking and – in his words – the journey into the dangers of the “Kraken of Doom” when you depend on default thinking.
So what is default thinking?
Default thinking describes the decisions you make on autopilot, and the processes you use to save time. Useful examples of this include your standard coffee order, your usual route home and your newsletter template. These are things that help you save time and brainpower by reducing decision fatigue.
But default thinking can be detrimental when you’re using it for important decisions, and can be devastating for the success of your growing business. Dr Fox described the arc from startup through growth and maturity, into decline and the Kraken of Doom.
He says that between the ‘growth’ and ‘maturity’ phases is where you become dependent on your default thinking – perhaps saying, “If this process has proved well so far, why would I do it differently?” – which then results in your business plateauing.
How to avoid default thinking
Dr Fox explained the importance of crafting rituals for momentum – the jobs you can do today, tomorrow and next week to make progress in your business or personal goals.
He used the example of a friend who wanted to get in the habit of going for a run every morning before work.
Each day
Sit down every morning – before you check your email – and identify the things you can do that day to make the most progress towards your goal.
In the case of the morning runner? Put on your kit and get out there!
Each week
Reflect back on the week, and figure out what got in the way of you achieving any tasks you didn’t get done. Then think of how you could remove any friction that’s been stopping you from reaching your goals.
The running friend noticed that it was too easy to bypass putting on their running clothes, and put on their work outfit instead. The solution? By sleeping in your running gear, there’s one less step to achieving your goal in the morning.
Each quarter
Choose three new (or updated) big projects that you could reasonably achieve over the next three months. Write them down, and keep track of them!
Dr Fox reminded us that the opposite of success isn’t failure; it’s apathy. There’s no such thing as failure, he said, just disproven hypotheses. So don’t be afraid to make your goal audacious or scary – just give it a try.
The dangers of default thinking for your website
In terms of your website, default thinking can lead you to:
- rely on out of date web copy, even when it’s no longer describing your services accurately
- describe your business or services in the same way again and again, without considering if there are more effective ways to introduce what you do to your potential customers
- DIY everything and possibly miss out on conversions because your content only explains and doesn’t persuade.
For a fresh perspective, try a Shuttle Rocket copywriting package. Whether you’re updating your web copy or adding to your library of blog posts, let our team of expert copywriters communicate your business in a new way.