Monday, April 21, 2008

Adding to the Burden

Have you ever caught yourself making a job harder than it need be?

Some of us employ that technique on a regular basis. Among our misdirected efforts are:


  • Reinventing the wheel. Most of our projects have been done by before. Why do we resist the guidance of precedent?

  • The Ph.D. Syndrome. The swamp of research stretches out forever because more information always appears on the horizon.

  • Devoting far too much time to details. There is a huge difference between attending to important details and squandering time on minor ones.

  • Rushing past planning and prioritizing. That time saved early will be lost in chunks later.

  • Analyzing the execution but not the mission. As the saying goes, it does no good to run if you're on the wrong road.

  • Imposing ridiculous deadlines. Why create extra stress?

  • Underestimating the amount of time required. Estimate the time you think will be needed, then multiply by three.

  • Permitting interruptions. Hide out and get it done.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congratulations, Michael! This post was selected as one of the five best business blog posts of the week in my Three Star Leadership Midweek Review of the Business Blogs.

http://blog.threestarleadership.com/2008/04/23/42308-a-midweek-look-at-the-business-blogs.aspx

Wally Bock

Michael Wade said...

Thanks, Wally!