7 Steps For Working Smart
"It's hard to beat a person who never gives up."Babe Ruth
I am approximately 90 days* into my new, professional gig, and I've noticed that I'm already over-complicating my business. (*The number drops dramatically if you carve out lost days to Snowpocalypse and illness, but who's counting?!)
I have a huge list of goals, a steep learning curve, and the transition to Daylight Savings Time working against me, I reason, so I MUST be constantly productive.
I MUST find the best software for managing my task list. I need the proper tea to keep me awake. I MUST call on every person who has sent me an email. OH - I need to better manage email too! I HAVE to do A. B. C. if I'm going to get X.Y. Z.
On and on I go, "majoring in the minors" like I'm a rookie.
But I know better. I've spent enough years on the front line, blocking and tackling, to know there's no substitute for getting the basics right.
For me, on my best days, my workflow goes like this:
- Show up
- Pay attention
- Prioritize
- Start
- Avoid distractions
- Adjust strategies if needed
- Keep going
Seven steps. All simple and all easier for me if I can keep a vision on "the win" in mind.
Deadlines help. Accountability helps. A regular schedule helps.
(Of course, it's also helpful to ignore the dog with the tennis ball, but that's bordering on ridiculous!)
But, mostly what's needed is deciding, in advance, to work hard and smart.
How do you keep the "main thing" the "main thing"?