Smarter Goals. Sharper Mind. Fewer Excuses

Another productive week passes by. Goals for the week achieved including a big milestone at work; a large platform change for part of the business that had been planned for months.

Still I get the feeling of being busy is not always the feeling of moving forward.

The platform change has been a cause of stress for the management team. Some of this has been caused by small technical issues but by and large, it is because they care and want it to be a perfect implementation for both staff and customers alike. We want to be fair to the team to ensure they have the training and knowledge to successfully use the new system. In turn, we also want to continue to offer great customer service.

Whilst I class the change over as a success, some of the team are still dealing with smaller issues that to them are clouding the change over in their eyes. They are things not affecting customers, but ensuring back of house compliance is where we want it to be.

Which got me thinking. I class this week as a success, we have no doubt done the right thing for the business and the customers. But it is not yet perfect for all of our required steps.

Success is this instance does not equal perfection. The real success is that we have taken a brave decision and done the right thing. The final details in the coming weeks will be ironed out.

The Perfection Trap

We changed software providers a few years ago for another major part of the business and this is time again has proved a success, although came with similar small niggles to be ironed out post change over. At the time I was still aiming for perfection and was stressing over the smaller details that in reality I know do not matter as much to still regard the transition as a success.

Yet I still catch myself obsessing over the details, trying to polish things and grab tiny wins. Replying to every email instantly and using my Outlook like a live chat!

Do you catch yourself perfecting slide formatting for your presentation? Endless research for your proposal instead of concentrating on execution? Strange isn’t it, how ‘Doing everything right’ feels safe but also seems to keep you stuck. That’s how it feels to me sometimes.

“Your Inbox is Not Your Legacy”

A reminder that I need to keep for myself. I also need to remember the Leverage Principle. Leverage beats effort. The 80/20 rule is so basic that I forgot it a lot and then life hands me a polite reminder.

The 80/20 rule: 20% of actions drive 80% of results.

So can you identify a right action that you took personally that moved things forward more than dozens of minor “right” actions?

I set myself a goal of reading more this year. To achieve this, I purchased five books. Only one of which I didn’t really get into and I am happy that I found four that I really enjoyed. The first three I finished quickly compared to my usual pace and I made a conscious effort to leave my phone and iPad upstairs and go downstairs to read for an hour or so.

One day a few weeks ago, I chose to take my current book to work in case I got 15 minutes at lunch to read. It hasn’t moved from my bag for a week. I realised today when packing my gym drinks bottle, that I had spent all year with my books at my bedside having intentionally cleared most other things away. Therefore, my habit has been to put my phone and iPad bedside and the first thing I notice has been my book. This, I believe, has had the largest impact on my reading this year. Amazing how such small habits can have large impacts and it took me a week or so to realise it. My book is going back on my bedside tonight.

Why Choosing the Right Thing Feels Hard

When I occasionally have the fear of failure, which probably happens most than I am conscious of, I resort to ‘busy work’. I make more lists, highlighters and mechanical pencil come out and even perhaps a fresh notebook. Planning is in full swing. Mapping out the full process, what could go wrong and key stakeholders that need to be engaged. My brain loves a checklist because, well, it feels like progress. Whilst it is helping mental clarity, it is not progress. In attempting to plan and list all things required, I need to be better at reducing this step and recognising that perfectionism is just masquerading as productivity. I am not saying no planning is required, but I am leaning towards a reduction here and more effort towards earlier action.

Success comes from strategic discomfort. For me, this is tackling the one thing that matters most. Spending a short time creating a list to help identify that ‘one thing’ is fine, but it is more important to identify this as early as possible and then concentrate on actioning it.

How to Find the Right Thing

A practical and simple process is favourite.

1. Ask: If I could only do ONE thing today that moves me forward, what is it?
2. Block 3-60 minutes for it. Preferably at the start of your day when you have the most energy for it.
3. Push everything else down your priority list.

Success Redefined

It has taken me a while to realise that success is not due to the perfect execution of all tasks. Combined with realising fear of outcome sooner, I want to be more conscious of this moving forwards. Accepting that success lies in the imperfect execution of the right tasks. Letting go of the outcome and trusting the process I think will help with me with this and I hope it helps you also.

Compounding is something that I bang on about to my management team but I feel guilty that I sometimes forget this applies to me as much as everyone else. Small, consistent progress compounds faster than flawless effort misplaced in the wrong direction.

“It is better to climb the right mountain badly than the wrong one perfectly”

Doing everything right makes you look productive. Doing the right thing makes you successful.

Try downloading my Momentum Sheet as a practical tool to help you identify your main goals for the following week and set aside some time to ensure you have a plan to action. I will be doing the same after the gym and ensuring next week is not just productive and crossing off list items, but I am focusing on the right thing. Starting with getting my book back on my bedside.