The Crowding Out Principle: “If you spend all of your time on highly productive tasks, by the end of the day, you will have “Crowded Out” all the unproductive activities that might have distracted you from your real work.” Brian Tracey
I don’t know about you, but I have learned that one of my struggles is checking the box. I have lots of things on my task list but they are all not the most important things that I need to be working on, but I like checking boxes or crossing off things that are completed. Not the best strategy to maximize my impact. I have also learned that when I get stressed, I start checking boxes. I don’t even care if it is important or not, the completion helps me feel better. Like I am making progress. It is very deceiving. Getting things done is not the same as getting the most important things done. Actions do not always equal results! I also have realized that this reactive habit starts to create even more stress. Not working on the most important task means they are still waiting on me to get to them. Those deadlines, proposals and meetings are still on my calendar but my preparation is not being done. It is creating more stress!
Brian Tracey’s “Crowding Our Principle” could solve this challenge for all of us. If we took some time to prioritize the most important things we need to work on, then put them on our calendar and let our calendar drive our behavior, we would look up and it would be 5:00 and time to go home and all the most important things would be done. The real challenge is allowing people and situations to have our time. And guess who gives our time away? Correct, WE DO! When someone stops by and ask for help, WE say yes. When a meeting goes way to long, WE give the extra time away. When you get invited to a last minute meeting, WE say yes. When I’m working on the proposal and my email inbox dings, I check it. It is your time, and NO is an appropriate answer to whoever wants your time. Let your calendar, and what you have scheduled to accomplish, drive your response. I can help you, but not right now. I can come to a meeting, but not right now. I’m working on a proposal, so I won’t be checking emails or texts until after lunch. We need to begin to manage those people around us.
So what do we do?
- Prioritize your tasks and put the most important at the top of the list
- Take your task list and put it on your calendar, giving yourself enough time to work on the task.
- Stay focused and guard your calendar appointments.
- Say NO to people that have waited too late, did not plan, want to make their emergency your issue. Agree to help but only by using the blank spots on your calendar. Don’t give away your planning and task spots.
You got this! Let’s start “Crowding Out” the unproductive and interruptions.