The most common failure in personal productivity.
The most common failure in personal productivity is the misalignment between CEOs’ priorities and their daily habits when it comes to personal organization and time management.
Many directors have clear priorities but struggle to integrate them into their daily schedules. When we ask them if they have a clear vision of their goals, most of them respond with a resounding “YES.” However, when we inquire if they have written these goals down, again, most answer in the affirmative. They admit to setting annual goals regularly. Our response? That’s insufficient for effective planning and prioritization since annual goals are often too general. Therefore, we recommend transforming them into quarterly or monthly goals.
When we ask if their agendas align with these priorities, the majority say “NO.” Those few who initially claim alignment often change their response to “NO” after closer examination of their calendars.
Why does this happen? The reason is that we allow other people to dictate our schedules, when it should be the other way around.
Based on my monthly or quarterly goals, I plan and protect my agenda to better align with my priorities, key meetings, and people necessary for achieving those objectives. This requires deep reflection and focused effort. We refer to this approach as “consistent intentionality.”
Align your schedule with your priorities to create effective planning.
Based on my monthly or quarterly goals, I plan and protect my agenda to better align it with my priorities and key meetings and people related to those objectives. This requires deep work and reflection and is what we call “consistent intentionality.”
The second aspect involves being assertive and saying “NO” to activities, meetings, calls, etc., that do not align with your goals. While some commitments may be unavoidable, most can be politely declined or delegated to another team member.
Saying “no” assertively will improve the quality of your “yes.”
Finally, it’s important to remember that every time we say “yes” to something, we take away quality time from our goals. Therefore, the quality of our “yes” is closely connected to the quantity of our “no.
Discover the consistent intentionality in your calendar and focus on it relentlessly. This is what will set you apart from letting others lead you.
Prioritize your goals and shield yourself from the inertia imposed by others.
