The LinkedIn Edge

17The BTN Method

In James Clear's book Atomic Habits, he talks about a strategy for making a habit stick: never miss two days in a row.

In other words, if you mess up on Monday—if you skip your workout or drop the ball on your new daily LinkedIn habit—you give yourself permission to let it go. But get right back on track by Tuesday. You should never miss two days in a row and allow those mistakes to pile up and push you right back into the bad habit you are trying to change.

Clear's advice reminds us that we're all human. We're going to slip up. Life happens—kids get sick, you get sick, clients call with emergencies, your boss piles extra tasks on your desk, or your flight is delayed and you're stranded in an airport—sometimes you “just have to eat that piece of cake.”

When this happens, give yourself a break. It's okay that you messed up once. Forgive yourself but just don't let it spiral downward by stringing together multiple days of misses together.

The BTN Methodology

But there is another strategy that works even better for staying on track with both fast and slow prospecting activities, makes it easier to bounce back, still allows for human fallibility, and over time yields far better results. If you want to build unstoppable prospecting habits and supercharge your performance and income, adopt the BTN method.

A few years back, Jeb was meeting a good friend for dinner. They hadn't seen each other in a couple of years. Chris was the CEO of a large company—constantly ...