WHY IS IT SO HARD TO GET STUFF DONE?

It's common to say that the daily tsunami of electronic data prevents us from accomplishing our daily tasks. But perhaps it starts earlier than that. Too many executives head into the day as unthinking allies in their own inefficiency. Perhaps we have to be sure we've asked ourselves ' what, exactly, do I want to get done today?'

There's a special moment when we drift up from sleep, when our inner voice starts tapping into our consciousness. That's the time when we need to mentally focus on the three or four - or maybe just two - big things we want to get done. Stephen Covey ('Seven habits of highly effective people') calls them your 'big rocks' and he has made the point that 'you have to get your big rocks in first'. Then we need to add some rocket fuel to our thinking about them. For the more we believe we're capable of getting those things done, the less time it will take to do them. So by the time we've got up, showered, got dressed, completed any family duties and are headed out the door, those three tasks are positively imprinted on our brain.

By the time you get to your place of work - maybe an office, maybe your study at home - you're ready to face anything the day may dish out. You've come to understand, maybe after years of experience, that the power of your thinking comes from a determination to banish negative messages from your life. These messages can come in the form of bad behavior by others, or in aggressive emails and phone calls. None of these negative inputs enter your thinking system. Why? Because you've figured out that the quality of your life lies in that splinter of time between the stimulus and your response to it. And because you're so focused, nothing will throw you off your path to get stuff done.

And that includes the clamorous distraction of emails, texts, and phone calls. You've been smart enough to block out chunks of time that allow you to do only the work that you can do. If there's one secret of getting stuff done, it's concentration. And concentration comes from elimination. That means deciding 'do I want to be busy? Or do I want to do work that achieves results?' Too many people are too busy to make money; smart executives are constantly asking themselves 'Is what I'm doing now going to make a significant difference to my company, my clients, my career?' Of course, very few people have the luxury of doing that kind of work all the time. But unless we quarantine some of our time to do significant work, and eliminate the insignificant, key work simply won't get done. How much of that kind of work are you doing today?

There's a FIRESTARTER workshop that addresses the complex issue of 'GETTING STUFF DONE'. To learn more, email: bjfirestarter@optonline.net