Leadership & Success - Determine Priorities To Accomplish What Matters Most

Posted on June 24, 2014 by Stephan Thieringer, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.

Business is full of opportunities.

We make it complicated when we tell ourselves we must do everything. So says Greg McKeown, author of “Essentialism.”“We can make a different choice,” he told IBD. “We can discern what is essential and eliminate what is nonessential. The summary is this: If you try to do it all, you will end up with less. If you do less but better, you will end up with more.” Tips:

• Prioritize you. McKeown points to research showing that people check their phones 110 times a day on average — 900 at the high end. If you’re not careful, your life can become a function of others’ requests and ideas. “Instead,” he said, “reach for a paper journal and use it to write down what is going on in your life, what you really want and what you need to stop and start doing to get there.”
• Don’t skimp on shut-eye. With so much to do, it’s tempting to think you can pick up time by cheating the sandman. But you do so at productivity’s expense. McKeown shares the observation in Swedish psychologist Anders Ericsson’s study of violinists, which found that the best ones practiced more but also got more sleep.

• Contemplate. Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn (NYSE:LNKD), locks in his time. “His mantra is known throughout the company as ‘fewer things, done better,’” said McKeown.
Weiner schedules two hours a day for what he calls monk mode. He divides it into four 30-minute segments so that “whatever else he has going on, he has the buffer to respond without getting behind,” said McKeown. “It is a disciplined way to make sure he has space to think. Such space is most valuable because all other contributions grow out of that.”

• Limit access. Being available at all times for any request results in becoming “scattered, distracted and inefficient,” said Stephan Thieringer, co-founder of the Human Innovation Garage strategy firm. Instead, “get crystal clear on these questions: When will you easily be accessible during the day? When will you be for key people only?”

• Evaluate responsibilities. On inspection, you’ll find that some tasks have little strategic value.
“They are not aligned with the organization’s mission or with the individual’s area of responsibility,” said Thieringer. “They take you away from achieving your vision and primary goals. Yet people spend time on them.”

• Constantly test yourself. Some of Thieringer’s favorite questions to pose in order to stay on track:What are the tasks that are not of high strategic value but that you spend a lot of time doing?
What are the tasks aligned with your vision, performance goals, initiatives or development?
Does this task have to be done? If not, what are the consequences?

• Clean your environment. Clutter confuses the mind, Thieringer says. To cleanse the office and get organized, he recommends trashing or donating 27 items per day for nine straight days.

• Look for support. Time has allies. “Identify the individuals in your organization who can help you keep low-priority events off your calendar, who can be a filter for nonurgent tasks,” Thieringer said.

• Check performance variables. Thieringer asks: “What are the specific and measurable results that define success for you on the job?”
He noted that failure to define those metrics means you have no way of determining achievements “and no understanding of whether you’re spending time on what matters most.”

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