What makes me slightly irritated when I am working is when a sudden urgent ask comes up disrupting my flow. Or when I am in the flow and suddenly, a report that I need to complete is not available in the file location where it is supposed to be.
I always schedule my tasks. I have a list of priorities that I have on a daily basis and schedule them throughout my day. This way, I don’t miss anything and I get to complete it. It also gets me going as I also don’t want things to pile up because I don’t like cramming. It just creates a toxic feeling for me.
The day I wrote this, we had multiple client calls and I always have my day structured on what to do first and what to do next. I was reviewing the data and preparing my talking points when I realized I needed additional data to support my message. This data is available, always, except today, which now makes it almost always, and it stopped me in my tracks. When I asked my team about the file where I could get the needed data, they said it was saved in a different folder. Guess what, I got a little irritated.
Another thing that happened is that a person keeps sending me a chat message following up for a summary of the progress of the transition project we are implementing. He even called me during a meeting I was having. I didn’t pick up. I ignored his messages. Why? Because what he is asking for is being sent daily by the team. All he had to do is read it and create his own summary.
In Simon Sinek’s book entitled “The Infinite Game, he talks about how those with infinite mindsets are resilient, and that they are ready to adapt to the changing environment because the goal is not to win, it is to keep playing the game. (I haven’t finished the book as of this time so please join me in finishing it.)
To me, before we can be resilient and be able to keep playing the game, the regular things we want to do must be stable. You can’t be resilient if you are not breathing. And breathing is automatic. It happens without us thinking. It makes us stable. And when we are stable, we can adapt to anything.
What do you think will happen if you attend to every urgent, every ad-hoc, every forsaken concern that vies for your attention? You get to finish their thing and you get stressed out with the mountain of things you still need to do. I had experienced this multiple times when I was just starting in my career and made me work for 12 hours a day.
Now, nope. I got my own thing. You got your own thing. Let’s make things work.
Don’t always give in to every ask and every distraction and whatever comes your way. Always assess if it is something aligned with what you want to achieve. Is that something urgent that if not done will affect your career or even the organization’s well-being? If not, don’t. Focus on what’s important.
Time is a very precious commodity. It is priceless. It is unique and you can only use it once. What you do with your time tells a lot about what kind of person you are as your actions show your priorities and your priorities tell what is in your mind. Words do not have any meaning if your actions do not exhibit it.
What’s important for you is yours alone. What’s important for them, is their problem.
In the pursuit of personal and professional success, it’s crucial to maintain a clear focus on your goals and aspirations. The modern world is brimming with distractions, requests, and a constant influx of information that can easily derail you from your path. It’s essential to develop the ability to discern which of these demands are worth your time and which are not.
Prioritization is the key to efficiency and effectiveness. Not every task that comes your way deserves your immediate attention. Before you decide to act on any request or distraction, pause and evaluate its relevance to your objectives. Ask yourself: Is this task aligned with my long-term goals? Will it contribute to my growth, or is it merely a short-term diversion?
Consider the urgency and importance of the task at hand. Urgent matters are those that require immediate attention and are often associated with achieving someone else’s goals. On the other hand, important tasks are those that contribute to your own mission and vision. It’s the important tasks that deserve your focus because they propel you towards your desired future.
When faced with a new request, reflect on its potential impact. Will neglecting this task adversely affect your career? Could it harm the well-being of your organization? If the consequences are significant, then it may warrant your attention. However, if the task is neither urgent nor important, it’s wise to set it aside and concentrate on what truly matters.
Time management plays a pivotal role in this process. By organizing your day and setting aside dedicated time slots for high-priority work, you can ensure that you’re making progress where it counts. Utilize tools and techniques like the Eisenhower Matrix to categorize tasks into four quadrants based on urgency and importance. This will help you visualize where to allocate your time and effort.
Self-discipline is another critical factor. The ability to say ‘no’ to non-essential tasks is a powerful skill that will safeguard your time for what’s truly important. It’s not about being inflexible but about being strategic with your commitments. Remember, every minute spent on an irrelevant task is a minute lost on an opportunity to advance your goals.
Mindset conditioning is also essential. Cultivate a growth mindset that embraces challenges and learning opportunities. When you view tasks through this lens, you can better assess their value in contributing to your personal development. Tasks that foster new skills or knowledge are often worth pursuing, even if they don’t seem urgent.
Gratitude plays a subtle yet profound role in this journey. By being grateful for the opportunities and challenges that come your way, you can maintain a positive outlook. This positivity will help you attract more meaningful engagements and repel trivial distractions.
In conclusion, achieving your goals requires a deliberate and thoughtful approach to managing asks and distractions. Assess each task’s alignment with your objectives, prioritize based on urgency and importance, manage your time effectively, exercise self-discipline, condition your mindset for growth, and practice gratitude. By focusing on what’s important, you’ll navigate your path with clarity and purpose, leading to personal fulfillment and professional success. Remember, it’s not about doing more; it’s about doing what’s right for you and your aspirations.
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