Early in my career, I noticed I could always tell when I was making real progress. How? I’d find myself drinking a lot of cold coffee!

Don’t laugh. You probably do something similar. Maybe with tea. Either way it looks like this.

• You make a coffee and bring it to your desk.
• Then, because you’re so engaged with what you’re doing, you lose track of time.
• You grab your coffee and start to drink it, immediately noticing it’s no longer hot.
• So, you guzzle it down quickly and make another.
• If this happens again, you’re officially on a cold coffee productivity streak.

Your progress during these cold coffee streaks is off the charts.

Hot coffee work

Conversely, you can’t build a successful business when you’re doing hot coffee work. Hot coffee work doesn’t capture your imagination. It’s work that looks productive but isn’t. It’s work that drags on. It’s work that keeps you busy but ceases to inspire you. And importantly, it’s work that doesn’t stretch you. Remember, you can’t grow without stretching.

That’s why cold coffee work is essential!

How to know when you’re on the right track

You’ll notice that other people get excited when you tell them your plans. They’ll lean forward to listen to you. In many cases, they will want to get involved.

And you’ll find yourself with the same motivation, energy, optimism and passion that you had back when you started your business.