Hang Loose in Balance
As a result of our business is taking off I have to prioritize my time more effectively. I can no longer do everything I want to do, but must rather focus on my real needs.
How about you? I remember years ago I contacted Guy Kawasaki. At that point he was getting over 700 emails a day. How do you keep up with 700 emails a day? What about instant messaging? Texting on your PDA/phone? Facebook? LinkedIn? Twitter? Whatever else...?
Get real people! Forget Internet bandwidth. You do not have the bandwidth to actively participate in most of these venues.
Here are some suggestions:
Focus on 1-3 key objectives each day, or if that is a struggle, just 1-3 each week.
Respond to every email or phone message. REALLY! Guy Kawaski responded to me in 1-3 words... not sentences or paragraphs. Have the foresight to treat others the way you want to be treated, even if they are in sales. Just keep it brief. If they push it, then politely cut the conversation short or do not respond.
Focus on one key objective each day. (See #1 above.) Once you get good at that, then focus on achieving two key objectives each day. If you can hit three a day then you are maximizing productivity or setting objectives that are too easy. That's your call.
Let it go. Do not stress. Be realistic on what your absolute needs versus what you want to accomplish. If you are getting the most important things done, then you will find a way to delegate, postpone without damage, or drop other activities.
I call this, "Hang loose in balance," because you are still driving to accomplish great things at work but now you can enter into personal activities with less stress. You are letting go of some wants to achieve all of your needs.
Life is way too short! Just let it go.
