Effective Execution vs. the Illusion of Being Busy

Focus: Personal Productivity, Time Management, Performance Success

Audio duration: 3 mins. 26 secs. 
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Effective Execution vs. the Illusion of Being Busy

Wc: 398 
Transcript - print now

Are you in the “habit” of getting things done….getting the right things done at the right time? One of the marks of an effective professional is the ability to get things done.

At the end of last year, USA Today surveyed several freshman senators and house members to find out what piece of advice they would give incoming colleagues. Interestingly, over half of those whose advice was recorded in the article addressed the issue of time management, scheduling, etc.

Many of you know that Management-in-Minutes™ is in essence a new start-up and for me I’ve had to create new behaviors in order for this new business to get off the ground. I’ve had a complete shift in time usage, going from extensive travel and being in a conducting workshop mode to being in one location, sitting, and doing a lot of planning, thinking, and writing.

This shift has made me acutely aware that I absolutely have to have targeted OUTCOMES...EXECUTION is critical. There are some days when I have felt really busy, and yet at the end of the day thought, “gee, what did I actually get done today?” I’m sure many of you can relate!

So here are some considerations:

1. You can be efficient and not necessarily be effective.
2. Effective is getting the right things done at the right time. For example, you can get a lot done in a week and still have critical activity fall through the cracks.
3. Being effective means one has to take the time to PLAN and determine what’s most important what’s critical or ABSOLUTE.

SO, what’s critical…well it’s the activities that MATTER THE MOST to the business strategy or your role or the goals of your team.

ACTION TIP: One thing that has helped tremendously is to develop something called DAILY ABSOLUTE OUTCOMES. This concept has helped maintain focus and motivation. 

It’s absolute because it is a critical outcome to the success of the business. So the focus is on what’s absolutely necessary - what REALLY MATTERS. 

HOW TO: HAVE in front of you a time sheet that maps out all the working hours in your day divided into half hours – “DAY AT A GLANCE”. Determine your absolutes for the day and literally plug them into your schedule, making appointments with them; committing a certain amount of time to them. 

What you’ll notice…how much time YOU DON’T HAVE!...that will fuel your motivation and create your laser focus.. (By the way…in many cases, it’ll help you say NO…more often as well!)

MY ADVICE – BE KNOWN as someone who gets things done and the right things done at the right time.