The successful professional has to know how to prioritize. For that, you have to have a very clear view of what is urgent and what is important in your business. You have to have a grasp of not only the short-term benefits of taking a particular action, but also the opportunity costs of doing so for the mid-term and long-term. You have to know the difference between “spending” your time on something and “investing” your time for a leveraged payback.
Information comes at you at a fierce pace. Your email allows people to simply forward items with the impression that they’ve just “made it your problem” and, they will, if they have your permission. Your cell phone gives everybody immediate access to you, if you permit them, regardless of whether the time on the call is how you would’ve spent your time if you let your priorities lead the person that dialed your number. You can’t do it all.
Prioritizing not only means deciding what is important and urgent enough that it deserves your attention. It also means deciding what you are not going to do. If everything is hot, nothing is hot. Everybody that is competing for your time will tell you that their cause is the most important. So, it’s imperative that you have the courage to decide, the wisdom to prioritize and fortitude to stick to the critical path.
Information comes at you at a fierce pace. Your email allows people to simply forward items with the impression that they’ve just “made it your problem” and, they will, if they have your permission. Your cell phone gives everybody immediate access to you, if you permit them, regardless of whether the time on the call is how you would’ve spent your time if you let your priorities lead the person that dialed your number. You can’t do it all.
Prioritizing not only means deciding what is important and urgent enough that it deserves your attention. It also means deciding what you are not going to do. If everything is hot, nothing is hot. Everybody that is competing for your time will tell you that their cause is the most important. So, it’s imperative that you have the courage to decide, the wisdom to prioritize and fortitude to stick to the critical path.
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