Are You Just Too Busy to Get Anything Done?

Are you busy doing nothing? It's so easy to be a busy fool and in business that's an expensive option!  In my experience business owners and managers are doing just this! But we’re so busy I hear you say – but my question is busy achieving what?

Your business must always be about achievements. At school we focus on achieving a good grade, on passing exams, a certificate, or a well done. But why when we get into the business world do we stop focusing on achieving and instead just start doing?

Knowing what you want to achieve has to be the starting point. Set your achievements or goals and steadily work towards them. Each achievement may have a series of mini achievements or milestones; achieve each one of those and you will have achieved something.

So if you miss deadlines or never seem to get that new product launched then sit back, take a deep breath and review what you need to achieve. Then give this 100% of your attention. You should be able to stop just doing things that don’t take you nearer your goal. You need to work smarter, but how?

Take a critical look at what you are doing every day. Set out 3 columns and head them up; delegate, delete and automate. Next, allocate each & every task you do under one of the headings.

The ‘Delete’ list is a no-brainer – just delete these tasks.

The ‘Delegate’ list should also be relatively easy, for example if you are a solopreneur, a virtual assistant is a great resource – use (and pay) only when you need them. If you have a team get them to free up some time by doing this same exercise, then you will be able to delegate to them with a clear conscious.

For the ‘Automate’ list will need you to look and see (and perhaps learn), where technology can solve your problems and save you time. So ask yourself and others around you how technology can help you work smarter and therefore achieve more.

So each night before you leave the office make your very short list of what you are going to achieve tomorrow!

A big thank you to Alexandra Watson - The Happiness Coach for the trigger to write this!

What has been your best tactic to delegate, delete or automate?

PS.

I recently used this with one of my clients and they suggested that I needed to change delete to be a ‘…ate’ word and his suggestion was terminate. Brilliant suggestion as terminate smacks of real permanency – so from now on it’s Terminate, Delegate and Automate! Thanks Brian!!