Significant Activity for Significant Results

Significant Activity for Significant Results

 “Your success will be largely determined by your ability to concentrate single-mindedly on one thing at a time.”   --Brian Tracey

            This quote generates two thoughts. First, I think most of us have that time during a day that we attempt to check off as many items on our to do list as we possibly can in as brief a time as we can. These are generally items of minor significance that require a minimum of thought, action, and time. They are important, but they aren’t overwhelming significant. If they are not overwhelmingly significant, they should not be allowed to consume a significant amount of our daily agenda. In fact, I encourage you to evaluate these items to see if they can be assigned to someone else in the organization. If you are doing what someone else can do, then you are probably taking away valuable time from focusing on those things that only you can do.

             On the other hand, there should be challenges and opportunities in your work day that are so significant and essential to your success that they absolutely require your undivided attention and the full arsenal of your thinking, experience, skill, and enthusiasm; and the sooner you can discern what those items are and commit a majority of your daily agenda to accomplishing them, the sooner you will experience success.

             The 80/20 principle kicks in here. 20% of your activity items usually produces 80% of your results. Are you focusing the bulk of your time and effort on the activities that produce the most significant results?

             David Allen sums it up well when he writes, “You can do anything, but not everything.”