Did you get up this morning and have a result you were working for today? Or, do you have a goal you set to be completed this week? Did you make appointments with yourself during the week, and keep them so that you met your goal? Do you begin with the end in mind?
My guess is that you do this- sometimes. You create a plan and you work that plan until it is done. You might come back to it over and over again until it is completed. Generally, it is around something urgent. “Got to get this proposal done for the client by Tuesday”. Not, “Going to figure out a new market for this underselling product by Tuesday.”
The important, strategic, not urgent work for which only you are qualified gets pushed to the side. Why is that?
Some of it is that it feels really effective to check something off our list. Some of it is that the environment we have created for ourselves is a huge distraction from getting any thinking, creative or project work done. Or, our anxiety over short-term issues talks up all our mindspace.
Steven Covey wrote a book in 1989, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Great book if you haven’t read or re-read it recently. The second habit was: Begin with the end in mind. Sounds obvious, but when we look at what we have accomplished after the fact, we sure don’t feel satisfied.
This week pick one important, not-urgent, strategic issue or opportunity and block off specific hours in your calendar to work on it. Check back in on it Friday afternoon. If you got it done, give yourself a big pat on the back and pick the one for nexr week before you go home. Remember, begin with the end in mind.