"Catch the wave", "go with the flow", "follow the crowd" - these are all cliches that, in my opinion, hint at an important principle that can help you achieve success not only in business, but also in life.

Westerners are generally very individualistic and may baulk at the idea that it's good to do the same as everybody else. And whilst I agree that in many cases one should be guided by your own principles rather than the whims of fashion, when it comes to commerce you're far more likely to succeed if you can recognise and capitalise on the prevailing trend. Whether we like to admit it or not, we humans are a herd animal and tend to be far more alike than we are different.

So in business, if the market is demanding fluffy round pink widgets, you're far more likely to succeed by presenting consumers with a competitive offering that gives them what they want, rather than trying to convince them that they should rather buy smooth square metallic silver widgets. Yes, there is room for speculation, and you may be lucky and get in on the ground floor with the smooth metallic widgets - but your chances of success are much lower.

I find this principle applies to personal productivity too: if I have several tasks I need to do and am particularly motivated to tackle a particular one, then all else being equal, I should tackle that one first. Catching the wave of enthusiasm means I will likely complete the task quicker and to a higher standard than if I chose one that I didn't want to do at that point. Of course one should not use this as an excuse to avoid the dull or unpleasant tasks on our list; there comes a point when we simply have to knuckle down and do what needs to be done.

But in general, if you can manage to ride some of the waves in your situation, the leverage you gain from this will help you achieve your goals and get where you want to be.