Michael Gerber writes in his book The E Myth that business owners should take time to work on their business, not only in the business. I could feel him breathing over my shoulder today as I began my final preparation for a speaking engagement this Sunday.

“You should take the time to write down all the steps you’re taking so that you don’t have to re-invent the process each time you speak,” whispered the voice. “You never know which doo-hickey you need to connect the laptop and the projector. If you write it down and label them, it will take you longer this once, but then, the next time, it will be 1, 2, 3.”

The first job was locating the doo-hickey. I have a ‘technology’ drawer where I keep cords and connectors. That’s helpful. But I wasn’t sure which one goes with the MacAir I bought a year ago. After trying three different ones, I found the right one in the backpack where I store my LED projector. That meant I didn’t have to make a special trip to the Apple store to buy a new one. Are you recognizing any of your own patterns here, or is it just me?

Once I got everything connected, plugged in and turned on, I still wasn’t getting the image I wanted on the screen. There’s a sequence you have to follow, and I can never remember whether you have to turn the computer on only after it’s connected to the projector or vice versa. For a moment I considered having the attendees crowd around my computer screen instead and have them watch the video I want to show that way. Ever want to take a shortcut??

Eventually, with the help of a youtube tutorial, I got it all working. Heeding Gerber’s wisdom, I now have a step-by-step sheet saved in my SPEAKING folder so that next time, it’ll be 1, 2, 3.

Want to hear what else I have to share with Soul Proprietors? Join me this Sunday at 1:15pm in New Jersey.