Majoring in the minors
Is this why your business isn't growing?
I first heard the phrase “majoring in the minors” from James Smith a while back and it stuck with me.
It’s a little phrase that calls attention to something that once you realize it, you can never go back.
In yourself.
In your habits.
In the weeks that somehow feel full but leave you wondering why nothing meaningful moved. Like, at all.
It’s the phrase that sums up why so many online business owners live the same year over and over and over.
Wondering why they work so hard and nothing changes.
"Majoring in the minors" means spending the majority of your time, energy, and focus on things that aren't the right work.
It’s getting caught up in small details that feel productive but avoid the work that makes the difference.
Work that gives you the hit of “I’m doing something” without the discomfort of being exposed, judged, or possibly failing.
It looks like:
Tweaking your branding when what you really need is revenue.
Building a funnel when no one has bought your offer yet.
Building out beautiful Asana boards for projects you’re not working on yet.
Working on your client welcome packet when you don’t have any leads.
Researching endlessly, learning endlessly, planning endlessly but not shipping anything imperfect into the world.
Instead of pouring energy into the major, important actions that build momentum and grow your business, you default into safer work.
Why We Major in the Minors
If you've been stuck in this pattern, the thing I want to point out here is that (in my experience) everyone does this, until they don’t.
At some point, you realize that you are focusing too much energy on the work that simply does not matter and it’s keeping you stuck.
While I do want to be a little tough lovey about it because I really wish I had this realization sooner, I also want to offer a lot of compassion because there are very real human reasons why we do this.
Here’s why we naturally default to the minors:
Psychological Safety
Minor tasks feel emotionally safe. They don’t expose you to rejection or judgment. They keep you hidden — but productive enough to feel like you're making progress.
Instant Dopamine
Small wins (like tweaking colors, organizing your notes) give fast gratification. Major moves take longer, feel messier, and often feel worse before they feel better.
Desire for Control
You can control how perfect your Canva design looks. You can't control how someone will respond to your offer.
Fear of Visibility and Failure:
Major work requires being seen. It requires risking “getting it wrong.” It requires trusting yourself even when there’s no instant validation.
Perfectionism in Disguise
Endlessly refining, organizing, tweaking — it all masquerades as professionalism when underneath it’s often fear of releasing something imperfect into the world.
It’s easier to tweak the packaging than to offer the real thing to a real human.
Again, I have so much compassion for this because I know how hard it can be to overcome. I know because I’ve done it. And I still do it with some things.
I once spent 3 months and $10,000 building a funnel for an offer I hadn’t validated yet. Throwing money at things is also something we do to avoid the real work.
Needless to say, the offer flopped and so did the funnel.
Staying Busy with the Wrong Things Is Expensive
Majoring in the minors is insidious because there are so many hidden costs. It doesn’t just stall momentum, it changes what feels possible for you.
After weeks of doing ‘everything right,’ you still feel behind. So you lower your expectations, question your clarity, and start wondering if it’s even worth it.
How do you think that impacts your decision-making, the content you create, the conversations you have?
When you waste time and energy on work that doesn't change things:
You start thinking something is wrong with you instead of realizing you're solving the wrong problem.
You never get actual feedback because you're not exposing your actual work to the actual market.
You start feeling more exhausted and less hopeful.
You wonder why no matter how much you check off, you feel further away from what you actually want.
It’s not about how hard you’re working. It’s about the work you’re doing.
What Majoring in the Majors Looks Like
Majoring in the majors is a completely different game. It’s not glamorous. You never feel "ready." It’s scary and vulnerable.
But, everything you ever wanted is on the other side of majoring in the majors. It’s where you start to see that you are no different than your biggest business heroes.
Majoring in the majors looks like:
Offering the service you have today, not the one you'll have after six more months of tweaking.
Launching the simple beta offer with google docs instead of the full course built out on Kajabi.
Sending the email that asks for the sale.
Publishing the messy, honest post instead of the one that says nothing of substance.
Major work moves you because it exposes you.
And in that exposure, you get data, you build skills, you get better.
And yes, it’s uncomfortable at first.
But the more you do it, the less of a chokehold discomfort has over you.
Are You Majoring in the Majors?
Before you finish your workday this week, ask yourself:
What is the highest-leverage move I could make today — even if it feels harder than what’s on my to-do list?
Where am I overworking to feel safe instead of moving where it matters?
If I only finished one thing this week, what would actually move my business forward?
What discomfort am I avoiding by staying busy?
What imperfect action could create momentum right now?
The minor work will always be there. But the major work is what builds the business and life you actually want.