Does it move the needle?
Running through my mind: better ways to “Parse Ruthlessly.” Here’s one:
When you’re looking at all the many things you could do with you time / energy / budget / staff / working life, DON’T ask “What are all the choices I have?” That’s too overwhelming. You have infinite choices, and you’ll never list them all, much less parse them (ruthlessly or otherwise).
Instead, dance this little two-step:
- “What are MY . . . BIG . . . Goals?” Emphasis on “My” and “Big.” You can’t have more than a handful of these, or else you won’t be able to keep track of them.
- What MOVES THE NEEDLE on My Big Goals?
Why to ask Question #1: so you don’t waste your time / energy / budget / staff / working life. Your stakeholders (a million shareholders, the team you manage, your kids, yourself, whoever) can’t afford the waste.
Why to ask Question #2: there are infinite choices that MIGHT relate to Your Big Goals . . . but far fewer that will actually make a difference for Your Big Goals.
Constrain yourself to Your Big Goals and the actions that really drive them. Hard to execute, but at least the concept is simple.
What are you doing today to Move the Needle?
~
Photo by flattop341.
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[...] appetites tend to lead me toward what’s interesting, without regard to whether they move the needle. As for Quadrant II? Sheesh — maybe 15% of my [...]
That first comment make so much sense, and you are right you don’t want to waste any ones time as time is money and money is something that we are all holding onto as hard as we can. Great insight thanks for sharing.