It’s a week before Christmas and there is so much to do. There are gifts to buy, parties to attend, and preparations for holiday guests that must be seen to. On top of that, I still have my regular household chores and work responsibilities to complete. It seems there just isn’t enough time to get it all done.
And yet, I will get it all done. Despite the volume of work before me, and the brief window in which I have to act, I will persevere – just as I have done in the past. And admit it, you too have experienced this phenomenon.
How is it that we manage to get so much accomplished when time is short? When the vacation starts tomorrow…when company arrives in an hour…when the deadline is imminent – we somehow come up big. But how?
Coach Pam Solberg-Tapper says it’s because we take advantage of a system that structures our success:
- We plan. We make a list of the things we need or want to accomplish. Either mentally or on paper, we define the problem in terms of specific actions steps.
- We defer. In other words, we evaluate the tasks before us and assign priorities. We then use this hierarchy to eliminate or postpone those activities that don’t move us closer to the goal.
- We delegate. We find ways to get assistance we need to accomplish what’s left on the list.
- We focus. With a firm grasp on the tasks that must be completed – tasks that only we can perform – we eliminate distractions and get to work.
As a result of this system, which each of us instinctively employ, we magically become super-productive. We knock out more work than we would given twice the time. Which leads me to another question…
Why don’t I do this all year long?
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