Knowing When to Stop
In January 2025, I started something new: my “Weekly One Minute Tip” on YouTube.
The idea was simple. Each week, I would take the topic of my blog and turn it into a short video. It would give people another way to hear my message and allow me to reach those who might prefer watching a video instead of reading a blog.
Over six months, I made 26 videos. My most-viewed video received 307 views, and my Facebook friends were very supportive. There was just one problem. I didn’t like doing them. In fact, I pretty much dreaded making the videos. I had to psych myself up each week to record one.
Now, I am a big believer in sticking with things. Results often take time. We shouldn’t abandon something simply because it is difficult or because we aren’t immediately successful. But there is also a time to stop.
After six months, I looked at the data. Were the videos driving more people to my website? Were they resulting in more “Get to Know You” appointments? Were they helping generate new business?
The answer was no. So I stopped making them (and, importantly, no one noticed that I had stopped).
How do you know when stopping something is a smart business decision rather than simply giving up?
I think there are two important questions to ask.
First, do you enjoy doing it?
Compare my videos with this blog. I love writing my blog. I look forward to deciding what I want to write about each week and putting my thoughts into words (and, also important, the blog drives visits to my website, and people regularly email me about the topics).
The videos were completely different. I had to talk myself into doing them. And chances are, some of that lack of enthusiasm probably came through.
Enjoyment, however, cannot be the only measure. There are plenty of things in business that we may not particularly enjoy but that produce important results. If something works, perhaps the answer isn’t to stop doing it but to find a better way to do it. Can you simplify the process? Delegate part of it? Use technology or AI to reduce the workload? Change your mindset about the task?
That brings us to the second question: Is it having an impact?
This is where data matters. If you start a new marketing activity, process, program, or initiative, decide from the beginning how you will measure whether it is working. Then pay attention to those measures and adjust them as you learn more.
We all have limited resources, especially time. Time spent continuing an activity that produces little or no return is time you cannot invest somewhere else.
So the next time you find yourself wondering whether you should keep going, ask two questions:
Do I enjoy this?
Is it producing meaningful results?
If the answer to both is no, letting go doesn’t make you a quitter.
It may simply mean you know when it is time to stop.