If you haven’t “done” any Tony stuff and you’re into peak business performance, I’d definitely recommend you give it a go. By using what he calls NET time, No Extra Time, eg listening to programmes in the car, we can develop ourselves and our businesses without spending any extra time on it.
So my diary has been back to back jammed for weeks now, and I’d started to see days as something to get through. Never a good way to be, especially as I genuinely love what I do and want to be at my best every day.
And I realised I’d slipped back into the bad habit of seeing everything as a huge To Do list. Stuff to get through. I’d lost sight of the outcomes and results I was after and why I was even doing it.
Running our businesses based on a To Do list means that days, weeks and months can disappear without moving forwards on the really important things that will make our businesses grow stronger. And it means living in reaction and those routine but strategically important things just get left. (I can’t believe I’m confessing this in public, but I hadn’t even found the time to do my accounts last month, and that was really stressing me out!)
Whereas when I’m super clear on why I’m doing something and what outcome or result I want, I’ll make sure each task really gets the attention it deserves and that I’ll get the outcome I wanted from doing it, not just ticking off another job in Asana. When I remembered the reason for doing my accounts was the financial future I want build, and the need to know where exactly where I am right now, suddenly they got to the top of the list.
Another example; on Wednesday I had 6 back to back meetings from 9.30am to 7.30pm and frankly I was just focussing on getting through the day, back for the Bake Off final, and feeling pretty exhausted at the thought of it. But once I properly focussed on why I wanted each meeting and the result of each one, I approached the day completely differently. I prepared better, my energy was higher, I’d really thought through what I wanted to learn and contribute from each meeting and how those things fitted into my bigger picture. And it turned out to be a brilliant day, full of great conversation, ideas and new connections.
So when you’re planning next week and feeling strangled by your To Do list, step back, focus on what’s important and what outcomes you’d love to have achieved by next Friday – bet you’ll have a better week!