As Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, says, “If you have more than three priorities, you don’t have any.”
And while it may seem productive to tick off a long to-do list, it’s not the best the way to make progress against your biggest goals.
Here’s a 3-step process that I’ve used to help me stay focused. You can right-size it for your personal or business needs. Use a single piece of paper and divide it into thirds, then do this:
Step 1: Have a Clear End Goal – you can’t get anywhere if you don’t think about where you want to go. Think in terms of one to five years, and write a highly detailed snapshot of where you want to be in that time frame. Don’t write more than a paragraph or two, but be specific about who, what, where, and how. Include milestones such as new products, services, markets or businesses. Use numbers (e.g., revenues, customers, savings, percent completion, etc.)
Step 2: List Your Top 3s – for the week, month, quarter and year. Write down no more than three top priorities for each time frame. Be ruthless and honest, and make sure they tie back to your Clear End Goal. If they don’t, remove them.
Step 3: Support Your Top 3s – underneath each time frame, add 3 more tasks that support progress and completion of your top 3s. For example, if you need a new website to launch a new business, you’ll need to secure branding, writing and design resources; identify partners; decide on platforms.
And don’t let perfection be the enemy of good. Don’t be careless or chaotic. But do things well, get them done, and move one.
Because when you narrow your focus like a laser beam it can cut through any obstacle or distraction.
Have a great week.
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