We all love the low hanging fruit. It’s easy to grab, it makes you feel good, and it’s really visible. The problem with it is that it doesn’t stick around for too long. We pick through it pretty quickly and then what? What do we do then? What do we do when progress slows down and improvement starts to become incremental and instead of exponential?
When the low hanging fruit is gone, that’s when the real work starts. That’s when each improvement isn’t 10x, or 5x, or even 2x. That’s when the gut check happens and we’re really put to the test. Anyone can grab that low-hanging fruit but it takes real hard work to keep going after it’s gone.
And it’s a good thing when you run out of the low hanging fruit! It means that whatever you’re working on doesn’t suck as bad as it used to. You’re on the right track when the next step becomes less and less obvious.
The difference between good work and great work is how you respond after all the low hanging fruit is eaten up. You can keep chasing that lower stuff, but eventually, you’ll get distracted end up on a different tree entirely. You can whine and complain about how your progress is slowing down and things are getting too hard. Or, you can summon up the courage to climb up higher.
It’s ok to go after the low hanging fruit, but just remember that higher up, the fruit tastes even better.
Comments