When I first picked up The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss, I had low expectations. I anticipated a book written by an arrogant, lazy, self-centered man who prioritized his own personal gain at the expense of others. Moreover, as someone who genuinely loves what I do, I couldn't relate to Ferriss' desire to work as little as possible.

But as the saying goes: 

“Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

Hidden Gem: Ask Smart Questions To Get Ahead

Over the years, I found myself revisiting Ferriss’ book in different phases of running my two thriving nutrition businesses—one catering to B2B clients and the other to B2C customers.

While I don’t blindly adopt all of Ferriss’ ideas or viewpoints, what struck me most was his knack for posting thought-provoking questions—to his clients, to his employees, and to himself.

1 Question, Big Results

Ferriss taught me one important question that yields a disproportionately high return on my time and energy. This question helps me:

• make more profit

• work fewer hours

• tackle an overwhelming to-do list with clarity

So, what is this game-changing question that deserves a place on your own to-do list?

Am I hunting antelope or field mice?

In other words, if I had a mere two hours per week to work on my business, what would I prioritize?

Let’s put this question into action.

1. Assess Your To-Do List

Pause for a moment and take a look at your current to-do list. If you don't have one written down, quickly jot down an impromptu list of tasks that feel urgent or burdened with the weight of "shoulds".

2. Next, Go Hunting

Imagine yourself equipped with a bow and arrow, having just one arrow left. Lock your focus on the antelope standing right there on your to-do list—it’s your prime target. With only one shot, it needs to count. Don’t waste that arrow on a field mouse.

What is the one single action item, that if executed today, will have a disproportionate return over everything else?

That’s your antelope—go after it!

3. Think 80/20

The 80/20 principle, also known as Pareto’s law, suggests that 80% (or more) of your desired outcomes result from 20% (or less) of your efforts. Star the 2-3 most important tasks on your to-do list that if completed, would yield the greatest returns.

Examples of Antelopes

Here are a few examples of what antelopes might look like for my B2C company, NutritionRx:

• Closing Leads:
Follow-up with each person who has expressed interest in our $1,599 Nutrition Transformation Package. Demonstrate care and our on-going commitment so they feel comfortable and excited to work with us. 

• Website Updates:
Fix our outdated website to make it more user-friendly. It took about a month of editing, but the following year our website traffic was way up, we doubled our number of new clients, and added some handy online booking features that people loved (and reduced our administrative workload). Big win!

• Staff Training:
Prioritize mentoring and staff development, establishing systems that guarantee a flawless 10/10 customer experience. The result? Numerous 5-star Google reviews that continue to attract new business to our website.

• Building Know, Like, and Trust:
Regularly produce valuable content such as blog posts, social media updates, podcast appearances, YouTube videos, and nurturing our email list. We also regularly share social proof and client testimonials—essentially any action that consistently adds value and allows potential clients to explore our services until they are ready to work with us.

Small, But Mighty Actions

One last tip. Antelopes don’t always have to be big, overwhelming, or time-consuming tasks. Sometimes it’s the small efforts that yield substantial returns.

I like the phrase:

“5 minutes matter.”

• Take 60 seconds to send a personalized voice memo to a lead to help close the deal.

• Spend 30 seconds to update my social media bio with the best link to reach us.

• Carve out 2 minutes to transfer a surplus of profit into an investment account during months of exceptional business performance, enabling the money to grow over time.

• Block out 15 minutes to view credit card statements and review monthly charges for ongoing subscriptions. Unsubscribe where appropriate and save money—e.g. unused meditation apps, monthly subscription boxes, streaming services, mobility programs, audio books, meal delivery kits, digital file storage, and more.

• Invest 5 minutes to draft an email template that answers a frequently asked question.

• Take 2 minutes and send a check-in message to a client that needs a pick-me-up.

Small effort.

Short time commitment.

Big ROI. 

That’s because hunting the antelope on your to-do list has a big impact.

Your Challenge

1. Review your own to-do list.

2. Identify your antelope.

3. Take aim, and accomplish that task by the end of the week.

4. Repeat this exercise weekly.

5. Watch how your life transforms as success comes easier and faster.

Remember, it all begins with the ability to distinguish between an antelope and a field mouse.

❤️🐻🌈

Jen Broxterman
Registered Dietitian
Prosper Nutrition Coaching

Thanks for reading. Here are a few additional ways I might be able to help you.

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Jennifer Broxterman, MSc, RD

REGISTERED DIETITIAN & SPORTS NUTRITIONIST
• Award-winning Foods & Nutrition University Professor
• Successful entrepreneur of owner of NutritionRx
• 16 year CrossFit affiliate owner with my husband
• Founder of Prosper Nutrition Coaching & lead nutrition coach