The Power of Making Room

“I’ll save this for BAM.”

When Sharon said those words, I smiled.

We were talking about something she needed to work on for her business, and rather than adding it to the never-ending list of things she hoped to eventually get around to, she already knew when she would work on it.

She'd save it for BAM.

That simple statement captured exactly why I created the Business Accountability Meetup: BAM™.

Not because business owners need another meeting.

Not because we need another networking event.

And certainly not because we need more information.

Sometimes, we simply need to make room to do the work.

Knowing Isn't the Same as Doing

As business owners, leaders, and professionals, most of us aren't short on ideas.

We have notebooks full of them.

Saved social media posts.

Podcasts we've listened to.

Courses we've purchased.

Advice we've received.

Projects we've started.

And plenty of things we keep saying we're going to get to.

The challenge is often moving from intention to action.

I've experienced this myself.

It's easy to spend so much time working in the business that the things that could help us improve the business keep getting pushed to another day.

I'll update that webpage later.

I'll organize those contacts later.

I'll create that system later.

I'll follow up with that person later.

I'll finish that project...later.

And somehow, later keeps moving.

Make Room for What Matters

That's one of the lessons BAM has reinforced for me.

Sometimes getting something done doesn't require more motivation.

It requires making room.

Put it on the calendar.

Protect the time.

Remove the distractions.

Decide what you're going to accomplish.

Then work.

At BAM, we spend some time learning and collaborating, but a significant portion of our time is intentionally reserved for execution.

People bring the unfinished project.

The laptop comes out.

The phone gets put to work.

The spreadsheet gets opened.

The email gets written.

The task gets completed.

There's something powerful about being in a room with other people who are also committed to making progress.

Accountability Changes Things

There's another reason the room matters.

People.

When we work alone, it's easy to renegotiate commitments we've made to ourselves.

No one knows if we said we'd finish something Tuesday and moved it to Friday.

Then Friday becomes next week.

But accountability creates a different kind of expectation.

Someone else knows what you said you were going to do.

Someone may ask how it's going.

Someone can offer an idea when you're stuck.

Someone can celebrate when you finally finish.

That's why I believe accountability isn't about someone policing your progress.

It's about having people who help you protect it.

And that brings me back to something I say often:

Purpose is People™.

Even in business, we weren't designed to do everything alone.

Progress Doesn't Always Have to Be Big

One of my favorite parts of BAM is celebrating what gets done.

Sometimes it's a major project.

Sometimes it's one email that's been sitting in drafts.

Sometimes it's finally making a decision.

Sometimes it's setting up a system that will save hours later.

Progress is progress.

And when something gets finished, we celebrate it.

BAM! It's done!

There's satisfaction in those words because unfinished projects carry weight.

Every open tab, unfinished task, and “I need to get to that” occupies a little space in our minds.

Finishing something creates room for what's next.

What Have You Been Saving for Later?

You don't have to be a business owner to understand this principle.

Maybe there's a conversation you've been meaning to have.

A project you've been postponing.

A goal you've talked about but haven't scheduled.

A decision you need to make.

Something you've been saying you'll do when you “have time.”

Maybe the question isn't:

“When will I have time?”

Maybe the better question is:

“When will I make room?”

Reflection

Take a look at your own unfinished list.

Choose one thing.

Not ten.

One.

Decide when you're going to work on it.

Put it on your calendar.

Tell someone who will hold you accountable.

Then give yourself permission to focus long enough to finish.

Because ideas are valuable.

Intentions matter.

But eventually, we have to move from intention to action.

And when you finally finish that thing that's been waiting for your attention?

You already know what I'm going to say.

BAM! It's done!