Here's how to get out from under...

Draining The Swamp

A prerequisite of Predictable Success® is to be clearly focused on what gets done, by whom, and when.

Yet most of us are quite the opposite - drowning in a sea of commitments, to-do lists, black holes and open loops.

I've been occupied much this week with the issue of 'draining the swamp' - getting on top of that paralysing amount of outstanding work that seems to drain us of energy, enthusiasm and focus.

There's no use pretending that we can get to Predictable Success® in that frame of mind - it's vitally important that we break the cycle and regain total control of our time and other resources.

Here's the first step (I feel a series coming on):

Step 1: Regroup >> Only Do What Only You Can Do

When you're in the swamp of over-commitment and undelivering, the main 'vicious circle' at work is this:

1. We've so much on our plate, it becomes harder to prioritize and differentiate - everything is screaming at us with the same sense of urgency;
   
   
2. As a result, we become less and less clear on what exactly our job is - where our responsibilities begin and end. We become confused and find it harder to differentiate between what would be 'good to do', and what we must do;
   
3. As a result of (2), we become less and less able to turn away even more commitments and requests - we're rapidly losing any limitations on what is 'our responsibility'.

So the first step is very clear: Re-establishing a laser-like understanding of what your real job is.

You will do this by applying a simple litmus test for the next week:

Read that one more time - it takes a minute to sink in.

As you work this incoming week, review the activities you get involved in - how much of it is 'stuff' that only you can do, and how much of it could (maybe even should) be done by someone else?

Are you doing what only you can do?

One rule here: 'Everyone else is too busy' is not does not make an activity something that 'only you can do' - we're talking about skills here, not availability.

Use this form to help you, if you wish, or use any recording process that works for you - just make it light-touch and simple to operate.

Download Predictable Success® Activity Log

Click 'Next' to see what you're going to do with this information.

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