Most of us say that we have too many responsibilities - too many urgent items on our "to do" list. An overwhelming professional workload that seems impossible to balance with our overwhelming personal workload.
Sound familiar?
Usually, the root problem lies in saying "yes" to the wrong things. As leaders/role models we want to be action-oriented "make it happen" people who take on challenges and get results. Examining the most successful people, we find a counter-intuitive situation: They get more accomplished by saying "no"!
Yes. Saying "no" to the less important tasks (as urgent as they may be) frees up time to invest in the more important tasks.
Clearly identifying your priorities (Values, Vision, etc.) and measuring every request with the questions: "Will this task play a significant role in getting me to my most important goals?" helps spotlight what to start saying "no" to.
Here's an activity I did often with my executives at Disney: Imagine having an 8th day a week - what would you do? (Many responded with "Spend more time with family", "Work out", "Do more strategic planning", "Develop myself & my team", etc.) Then we would do an activity where they prioritize their responsibilities from top most important (not simply urgent) to least important. They were then tasked with delegating or deleting the bottom 15% of their list. THAT became their "extra day of the week". [Trumpets sounded, a shaft of light comes down from the sky onto them, they tingle all over...well, you know what I mean...] They were then guided to filling in that new found time with the wish list they generated earlier.
Try this exercise yourself and start saying "no" to the less important things that steal precious time from you accomplishing your very best.
Think about it. But more importantly, do something about it...today!
No comments:
Post a Comment