No Excuses Leadership

Organize Your Work

I have never met an exceptional leader who was disorganized. Now, I’ve met many great leaders who are A.D.D. or high strung. I’ve even met superb leaders who take on way too much responsibility or bite off more than they can chew. But I have never met an exceptional leader who was disorganized.

Simplicity is all about focus. When we’re organized, we’re able to do just that. But there are many leaders, even some of you reading this post, who are consumed by chaos in spite of their best efforts. Like new year's resolutions that don't stick, their best intentions are short lived and they find themselves struggling to simplify their professional lives.  What's missing is a well thought out game plan to organize their daily work.  

With so many ideas to choose from, let's start with just three. 

TAKE ACTION

1) First Things First: What are the first two or three things you're going to do every morning when you start work? Maybe it's getting to work 30 minutes earlier to check your email. Maybe it's writing a inspirational note to a colleague. Maybe it's simply to go over your to-do list for the day. Whatever it is, make it routine.

2) Prioritize Your Work: Organize your work around your most important responsibilities as a leader. Embrace what produces results. Shun what doesn't.

3) Decide with Confidence: When requests from others attempt to take you away from what's most important, learn to say "no". There of course are numerous ways to do this pragmatically. You can use phrases like "I'm really focused on xyz right now, but can I connect with you when I have more time?" or "I'm sorry, I know this is really important to you, but I'm just not the right person to take on this charge." 

BE BOLD

"The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities."

- Stephen Covey -