The Next Most Important Thing

In “The Next Most Important Thing,” Kelly, Beth, and Peter dig into real-world prioritization for veterinarians and small business owners. Beth shares her father’s mantra—“do the next most important thing”—and how it guided her through start-up overwhelm. The trio connects this to triage thinking, resisting “shiny object” distractions, and the “Eat That Frog” idea of tackling the hard task first. They discuss proactive planning for seasonal slowdowns, delegating effectively (the #1 small-business success skill), and separating roles: working on the business vs. in the business (W.O.N.J.I.). Beth and Kelly unpack time blocking, weekly Top-3 alignment with managers, and measuring where leadership vs. clinical time delivers the most return. Practical takeaways: rank tasks by impact, delegate outcomes (not just chores), and commit to one role at a time.