The above quote by Peter Drucker should be committed to everyone’s memory because in our always on environment, it is often really difficult to differentiate between the urgent and the important. This is a challenge at the top of the organization and the bottom. And, the ability to stay focused on the important against the nagging of the urgent, is almost always the key between success and failure.
Over the years, I have harped on and on about the need to manage and schedule your time effectively to make sure that you are focusing on the things that only you can do in your organization.
This is because if we don’t do this, we end up being dragged in multiple directions by the demands of others.
This is especially true as smart phones have invaded our space and their constant pinging and dinging gives us the illusion of the importance of being constantly connected.
Unfortunately, this need for constant connectivity comes at a high cost.
That’s our focus.
So how do you focus?
1. It begins by stepping back and looking at the things you are trying to achieve:
Are you trying to get a certain position or a certain result? If so, you need to understand that an organize yourself around that desired outcome.
2. You need to set some priorities:
If you have a big, long to-do list…without any idea what is important and what isn’t, nothing is important. So set some priorities.
3. You have to focus on these things consistently:
Thinking about your goals and setting priorities is just the starting point. If you don’t do this again and again, consistently, you aren’t going to get the results you want. It is the constant ability to refocus that sets you apart. And, no amount of constant connection can overcome that simple fact.
So here is the deal…focus on being effective and not efficient.
The difference is life changing.