“When opportunities come, its too late to prepare.” Stephen Covey
Another great thought from Mr. Covey. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I struggle with working on things proactively. If you are like me, I have a long task list and some of those tasks are important things I need to work on and complete. With my head down and my focus on what is right before me I forget to look up and maybe look down the road aways. I start checking boxes. Checking off tasks. Knocking it out of the park. And Then: What happens is while my heads is down and I’m knocking things off my list I forget to work on the most important and impactful tasks. The tasks that make the biggest difference. While my head is down and I am checking boxes I don’t see the new opportunities coming toward me and important things slide to the bottom of the list.
Remember the 80/20 principle. You should try to spend 80% of your time on 20% of the things that are important. Not on the emergencies, not on the easy things, not on the things I like and am really good at. the most important things. (Are these things on your calendar? Are you dedicating time and energy to address the important?)
Stephen Covey reminds us that part of our daily task list should be us. We should spend a few minutes everyday and every week working on growing, planning, dreaming. What books are you reading? What pod cast are you listening to? What are you working on for later this year. Next year? In 5 years? The good book says “without a vision people perish.” So let’s take some time this week to lift our head up and look down the road a few months or years and start getting ready for the opportunities that will be coming our way. Let’s start working in the most important things that will impact our future and success.
Remember, “When opportunities come, its too late to prepare.”