High Priority
I have a project due this week that requires significant focus time. I have the flexibility to get it done without too much stress if I make some progress daily. Today, I want to make some big strides by outlining the entire project and some creative critical thinking for the overall strategy.
Decisions Start Early
As I get a little sunshine from my morning sip of hot coffee, I decide to catch up on the news and ultimately, spend a good 45 minutes reading about the Ole Miss football team.
CeCe is up now, a little early, actually, and mentions that she wants me to move some things in the storage room upstairs, so I decide to knock it out quickly. An hour later, I am back at my desk.
Well, if I don’t go workout now, I will not have the energy later, so I head back up to the gym for a workout. Workout done. But then I see the flag pole I want to put up on the front of the house, so I get the ladder and measure to see what I need to make that happen.
External Time Disappears
Wow, it’s lunchtime. I’m going to jump in the shower, get a sandwich, and start work as I eat lunch. But then a good friend calls and asks me to meet for lunch at the last minute, so I head out to the restaurant instead.
Still, Time to Reset
Now it’s 1:30 in the afternoon, as I enter the house and Oliver is going crazy from lack of attention. So I play with him for 20 minutes. CeCe walks into my office and wants to discuss our travel plans and her calendar. Thirty minutes later, I’m finally catching up on email. This takes a good 30 minutes, and I tell myself that doing this will clear my mind so I can focus on this project. I’m pretty sure my email inbox is a black hole that swallows up all of my productivity.
Finally on Task
Around 3:00 I open up Word to outline my thoughts. But 15 minutes in, my phone rings. It’s a prospect who wants to discuss a workshop on building a magnetic culture with their top leaders.
More Decisions Late
It’s 4 p.m. and I hear CeCe outside visiting with the neighbors and Hampton who you have met on a previous blog, so I step outside to say hello.
At 4:45 I sit back down to look at my project — my energy is gone, and I am my most creative in the morning. After staring at the document for 30 minutes, I closed it and cleared my inbox again.
Reality Hits Hard
Well, I have just completed day one of this week and I have made almost zero progress on my most important project. Stress begins to creep into my back and my mind. This is going to be harder now as I need more focus time over the next few days. I went from getting a head start to being behind.
Why am I sharing this? I bet you can relate and you already see the obvious lesson.
Lessons Learned
Small decisions, small choices that we make, can put us on a track that might be far from where we intended to be. We can have a really unexpected destination due to decisions that do not align with our values or priorities. It never seems like the first one makes that much difference, yet it leads to the second one, and the next thing we know, we are lost in the woods.
My day was lost, and I know each one is a blessing. I really missed the opportunity to learn and grow. I made small choices that kept me off course from where I needed to be.
I hope this helps you avoid a wasted opportunity or day and continue on a journey that keeps you aligned with your values. Small decisions matter and they can bring us to places we do not desire to be.
Rest of the Story
CeCe Do you have a minute?
Me: Sure, how can I help you?
CeCe I want to plant some new plants in the front flower beds.
Me: Okay, I can do that late this afternoon, but I must focus this morning on this project.
CeCe: Never mind, I’ll do it myself…
Tom Hood says “Joey Havens shows the way to build a magnetic firm that attracts, retains, and develops people in a never-ending cause to constantly be better. We need this book and message more than ever.”
Grab your copy of Leading with Significance to find more magnetic insights to help you on your unique journey.
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