Leadership Viewpoint

We hear about the wonders of multi-tasking pretty much everywhere. We are all supposed to have a dozen things going on simultaneously, and everything will be done quickly and efficiently, almost as if there were twelve people, each handling one task. How’s that working out for you?

Of course, we all juggle multiple priorities – they are part and parcel of life today. There is, however, no substitute for the sheer power of focusing on a single, important task and really attacking it voraciously, especially when there has been some reasonable amount of warning and prep time. That’s the reason senior management teams hold retreats, and why we pay lots of money for market researchers to conduct ‘focus groups’. It’s a powerful and effective way to accomplish a goal.

Imagine if you could put the power of focus into the most important issues that you are facing. Envision how much you could accomplish and the incredible relief you would feel. Consider this secret weapon of great time managers. They multi-task the little stuff and focus on their priorities. To obtain ‘focus time’, you must get rid of the little nonsense that eats up your time. My battle cry for those issues is:

Eliminate———–Throw low priority items away.
Systematize——–Great for repetitive tasks like reports.
Delegate————Absolutely everything that anybody else can do.

For the important issues, make the world go away. No phones, no email, no interruptions, and a clear workspace. You may need to enlist the support of colleagues, family, friends, etc. to make it happen. Then give yourself an hour or two to attack the topic. It’s amazing what you can accomplish. Do it regularly and you’ll outperform the vast majority of businesspeople.

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