Hey Reader,
You've probably heard of an MVP or "Minimum Viable Product." This is essentially the simplest version of your product, offer, or service.
We usually discuss an MVP when we're talking about launching a new product and dealing with perfectionism or procrastination. It's about getting it out there, in its simplest form, so you can test it and get feedback from your audience, and then go improve it.
So that's your MVP. I want to talk about your MVW.
Your Minimum Viable Week.
If you're an EDUpreneur, there is a good chance you're back in your classroom or school...or very close to being back. (or maybe you've been back for a couple weeks already!)
I'll never claim to know what it's like to be teacher tired, but after 11+ years of working with amazing teachers all over the country, what I know for sure is that your life is probably pretty hectic right now. And I think I can safely assume the amount of time you have for your business is plummeting...or is already in the negatives.
This is when your MVW is crucial for not just the success of your business, but its survival.
The truth is, we tend to plan and build our business around our best weeks. Our best schedules. Our best selves.
Those times where we have the energy, the time, and the inspiration. Nothing unexpected pops up, interruptions are minimal, and we're in a good groove of creating and growing.
But the reality is, that's not what our typical week is like. It's not what our life is typically like.
I know I've designed a lot of things around "Ideal Jeff."
Ideal Jeff gets the right amount of sleep.
Ideal Jeff wakes up feeling refreshed and ready to go.
Ideal Jeff has a lot of uninterrupted time to work on things.
Ideal Jeff stays focused and on track.
Ideal Jeff creates consistently.
Ideal Jeff follows all his plans and sticks to his goals all week.
Ideal Jeff is...well, he's kind of an asshole.
He's unrealistic, a bit unreasonable, and makes me feel bad about myself. And honestly, the dude is severely unprepared for when things go wrong...and things will absolutely go wrong most of the time...all of the time.
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I never liked Ideal Jeff. So I fired him and replaced him with Real Jeff.
Real Jeff needed a business that can survive the weeks where he is tired, distracted, uninspired, dealing with personal stuff, traveling, or just feeling lazy.
Real Jeff needs to know what his Minimum Viable Week looks like, so he can have those weeks and still feel good about his business.
So what's a Minimum Viable Week?
A MVW is a version of your normal week, but trimmed down.
It's the simplest form of your normal week, that will actually move something (even the littlest thing) forward at least a little bit.
Let's say during a normal week (not an ideal week...a normal week) you typically write a newsletter, create 5 social media posts, record a podcast episode, and maybe follow up with a couple clients or new connections.
What happens when you have half the time of a normal week?
What do you still get done? What gets moved to next week? What gets skipped all together?
Those are not always easy questions to answer, and they're even harder to answer in the middle of one of those weeks.
This is where the MVW comes in handy.
Having that MVW helps you avoid spending that entire week feeling guilty about the 5 things you're not getting done. Instead, you can focus on the 2 or 3 things, knock them out, and high-five yourself for a successful week.
Identifying what things belong in your MVW allows you to adapt to those bad weeks and use the even less available time and energy to actually get a few things done, versus feeling crappy about not getting enough done...and then getting even less done.
If we look at the example above for a normal week, your Minimum Viable Week might be just getting the newsletter and social posts done. Or maybe just the newsletter and podcast. Or just the follow ups.
There's no right or wrong answer. Just the right answer for you.
The goal is to have clarity on what things take priority and what things can wait.
I think we can get stuck in a world of believing that "consistency" means doing everything we said we would do...every single week...regardless of how crazy life gets.
But I don't think it's about doing absolutely every thing every week. I think it's more about knowing the minimum amount you need to consistently do in order to maintain things.
None of us are perfect and none of us can operate at 100% all the time. That's just not how people work. It's not realistic. And it is certainly not realistic for an educator trying to build something during nights, weekends, and planning periods.
So, when you find a little bit of time this week (or next), I encourage you to see if you can figure out your Minimum Viable Week.
Ask yourself, "If I only had [Insert whatever half of your normally allotted time is) this week to work on my business, what would I absolutely need to get done in order to keep things either maintained or moving a little bit forward?"
You should be listing one, two, or MAYBE 3 key things.
When you have those bad weeks, those tired weeks, those weeks filled with all the distractions and interruptions, don't spiral into the guilt and resentment.
Take a breath, give yourself grace, and just go for the MVW. And then high-five yoruself for the win.
Before you go...
I'd love to hear about your MVW. Hit 'reply' and let me know what yours might look like.
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~ Jeff
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I appreciate you.
Jeff Gargas
COO / Co-Founder, Teach Better Team
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P.S. When you're ready, here's how I can help:
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