Focused Business Action

At times I am fond of using strategies that at first seem to be the complete opposite of what you think you should do. For example, when you are stuck on one step of a project, one option to get moving forward is to chuck it.

Another situation where you might do the opposite of what you think you should do is when you are getting distracted from doing the things on your To-Do List. Instead of focusing on what you do want to do, having a “Not-To-Do list” can be just as effective.  It gives you an opportunity to get the distractions out of the way so you can focus on what is most important (your To-Do list).

When Jim Collins, author of Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t, sits down at the beginning of every year, he doesn’t “write down any strategic objectives until [he has] identified corresponding things to stop doing.” For instance, it wasn’t enough to decide he wanted to read more; he had to first unplug the TV.

In your business, once you have created a plan and set goals for yourself, consider how you’re spending your time. How much of it falls outside of your plan and does not contribute to your goals? If the answer is most of it, a not-to-do list could be your most valuable tool.

Here’s a few of mine that I do my best to follow during work hours:

• Do not check email if I have checked it since my last meal.
• Do not go through the refrigerator to figure out what I’m having for dinner.
• Do not check to see what’s happening on Facebook.
• Do not go check to see if the mail has come.
• Do not check to see if anyone has responded to my tweets.
• Do not call friends just to chat.
• Do not check Facebook fan page to see if anyone has left comments.

Jeffrey Yamaguchi, publisher of 52projects.com, has a Not-To-Do list on his site that is humorous and poignant. It also includes: “Do not read any further…caught you! Stop reading now, and get to work on your project.”

This entry was posted on Monday, July 20th, 2009 by Scott Lewis and is filed under External Action. You can follow the comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment or trackback from your own site.