We’re getting close to that time of year when many of you begin to panic that time is running out.
Right after Labor Day, you realize that you still have a lot of things on your “to-do list” to accomplish before the end of the year. Some of the things on your list are valid and important while others can best be described as make work or busy work. Only you know the difference.
Your work habits go out the door, you enter crisis mode and forget about
the importance of continuing to work on just the key tasks.
Here are several steps you can follow to make these next several months productive, setting you up for continued growth into 2020.
- “Close the door” periodically each week, setting aside an hour strictly for yourself to work on a key task to get it done the right way. Or, you can use this time to clean out the clutter that has gathered on your desk which is contributing to your distractions and frustration. Instruct your team that other than an emergency, you’re not to be disturbed.
- Some of you think that during this crisis period, multi-tasking is your salvation. Nothing can be further than the truth; multi-tasking is your hell waiting to consume you. Many of you have heard me say that multi-tasking is being “multi-dumb” since it allows you to screw up more than one thing at the same time! Establish your priority and begin to focus your energy on the most important one first, then the next one and so no. This is your best chance of making significant progress.
- Stop being a perfectionist. You end up paralyzing yourself and spend most of your time “studying all the sides of a circle” (think about that for a second). Your job is to make decisions, sometimes on incomplete or imperfect data. Taking action at times is the only way to continue to move forward. You can always adjust as you go rather than waiting for more information.
- When you begin to feel overwhelmed, rather than freeze in your tracks, stop and assess where you are and ask yourself these questions: “Am I working on the right things now that will get me closer to my goal?” And what is one thing I can do, just one thing, to eliminate the overwhelm and put me and my task back on a positive track?”
Related:
Do You Try or Do You TRY?
