For The Sake of What?
Sunday October 04th 2009, 2:44 pm
Filed under: Perspectives in Brief

OK, what comes first?  What next?  Shouldn’t priorities filter what pressures there are?  Logical question although there is rarely a logical answer for that.
 
Pressures don’t always fit into the priorities category but they have to get done.  So what should you do now?  What should you do next?  How many times have you had a list of things to do and when they have to get done that gets tossed aside and replaced with pressures?
 
My clients think I’m nuts when I tell them to schedule in their emergencies.  Thing is, the regular stuff, the stuff that you have to be doing to stay afloat, meet deadlines and be a viable organization doesn’t go away. 
 
Successful people know when to do what and what has most impact.  I can say my clients are all unique and ‘live’ in different worlds and yet they all have something in common.  They feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to turn first.
 
How do you decide what to do next? Are you paying attention to the ramifications upon the ramifications upon ramifications if you do something or if you don’t?
 
Ask yourself “I’m doing this for the sake of what?” What are the ramifications, what is the imact, what am I building towards or how am I learning and growing because of this?  What is my impact?  Is it positive?  Negative?  What am I building?  What am I improving if I do —-?
 
These are questions that will help you decide what you should be doing next.
 
Don’t confuse activity with productivity or efficiency with effectiveness. One can be very efficient but not get anything worthwhile done.  One can be busy without being productive.
 
As much as this might sound antiquated, make a list and pay attention to it.  Otherwise the regular stuff will be passed over while you dive into one emergency after another and in many organizations, everything is an emergency.  Is it really?  Should it be?
 
“Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.” - Paul J. Meyer
 
It’s all about choices that build as opposed to choices that make you busy.
 
Make your choices  be great!
 
Donna Karlin
Founder and Principal
A Better Perspective
http://www.abetterperspective.com
ISSN 1913-6307 
 
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