Working Strategically

I am sitting here in my office staring out the window, wondering where the year has gone.  There is a chill in the air and the leaves are turning color.  Every year seems to pass a little quicker, my inbox gets a little bit deeper and my to-do list gets a little bit longer.

Like everyone else, I seem to fall back into the habit of working on mundane tasks and activities to the detriment of my strategic plan.  It feels so good to work on those easy things like reading my e-mail, opening my snail mail, organizing my electronic files and so on&  At the end of the day, I look back and see that I have accomplished very little.

Instead of writing my newsletter, submitting a paper for presentation, writing a proposal or finishing my clients report a few days early - I have frittered away my time with activities that produce little value.

Does that sound familiar? 

When I catch myself caught up in the comfortable auto-pilot of task based activities, I ask myself how did I get here and how can I get back to working on those items that are important?  What strategies, rules or procedures can I implement that will give me the greatest chance of achieving my strategic goals?

Here is what I came up with.

1.      Dont read e-mail for the first 2 hours in the office.  E-mail is a great distracter and leads you down the path of autopilot task based activities.  When was the last time you received an e-mail that couldn't wait a few hours before dealing with it.

2.      Dedicate at least the first hour of every day (2 hours are better) to working on projects that are of strategic importance.  For me it is developing a new seminar, writing my newsletter, sending a proposal or finishing a project early.

3.      Dont look at the internet for the first 2 hours of each workday.  Yes, I love to check out CNN or MSN to see what is going on - but it can wait.  In fact, make 5 minutes of internet time contingent upon completing the strategic task of the day.

4.      Set-up artificial rules to keep yourself motivated and focused.  Examples are no lunch until the newsletter article is written; No bathroom break until that 95% complete project is 100%.  Not allowing myself to pay my American Express Card until I finish the new seminar outline.

5.      Setting up personal rewards for finishing major projects.  Taking a Friday afternoon off, a special outing with my family or splurging on the latest gadget are things that motivate me to finish my projects.

6.   Delegate Delegate Delegate.  Yes, I know you can do it quicker yourself, but it is clearly a short-term strategy.  Invest the time needed in delegating every possible task and you will reap the benefits long after the pain of delegation has passed.

7.   Save task based activities for the end of the day.  Spend the last ½-hour or so of every day to quickly handle those mundane tasks that cannot be delegated.  This will free your desk from the distracting clutter that has accumulated and allow you to start fresh the next day.