Productivity?
It’s almost 2019 and there are a glut of articles about being more productive. I’m not going to add to that but instead maybe I’ll subtract. I’m thinking we need to do less, not more in 2019.
One of my annual reads is The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan. That link will open a sample of the book for you to check out. In it they address many of the productivity myths and how they are actually counterproductive. Things like multi-tasking and will power being at will call.
It all comes down to doing what’s important and deciding to let the rest go or give it to someone else to do but how to decide? What happens if you don’t decide but instead just work harder, faster, smarter or any other rationalization you can come up with? I know folks who work really hard and get no where. They do good things every day and still get no closer to the goals they have. How do you decide?
In the book they ask a question.
“What’s the ONE THING I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”
That’s the focusing question. The rest is about priority and doing what you know to do.
Now, don’t misunderstand me and think there is just one thing you can or should do in life. I don’t mean that but there are only a few areas of life that we can focus on. I’d suggest they are Spiritual, Family, Business, Financial and Personal (health and well being).
Can you come up with an answer to the focusing question in each of those areas and then dedicate the time to them so you get them done before you do anything else?
I believe we can and I believe if we don’t then we will struggle more than necessary. Life throws things at us and it’s our job to decide what to do with them. How do we spend our time and money solving life’s challenges?
What’s the one thing I can do right now to have a better relationship with my spouse? That might be a Family oriented question. I always said the best way I can teach my children about love is to show them how much I love their mom. Focus there and maybe other things will be less urgent.
What’s the one thing I can do right now to improve my business? Maybe it’s making those phone calls daily to past clients and friends in my database to forge better relationships. Focus on those things only you can do and delegate the rest.
What’s the one thing I can do right now to improve my financial situation? Maybe it’s balancing the accounts and making sure I’m not over spending on the wrong things.
Focus small. Find the areas that have the biggest impact on your life and make sure you do them well.
It’s almost 2019 and we get a new year to do something different unless what you’re doing right now is getting you everything you want. I’ll bet there is room to improve in lots of ways.
Read the book and let me know what you think. I’d love to hear from you.
Thanks for listening,
Jerry Robertson
678-616-1578 Direct