Just like my solopreneur coaching clients, I know that it's
always a challenge to fit in all the activities you dream
of for building your business. With work, family and a home
to keep up, let alone trying to stay fit, who has time to
'give your all' to growing your 'company'?
It's not only our To Do lists that can preoccupy our
attention.
At times I've notice a distracting whisper like mice
chewing in the walls. It diverts my attention to such an
extent that I get barely one-half of my goals accomplished
for hours, even days...This past week, I uncovered its
source!
I've been distracted by 15-plus years of books, binders and
papers that I treasure.
Much like the nibbling of those mice, these precious things
call to me from the shelves in my office: books that
exemplify the best thinking on leadership, management,
teams, and individual productivity.
And there are the 12 shelves of binders and files drawers
of paper. Articles that people have said are 'must read'
and are not yet read. These are 'resource' materials I hold
onto 'in case I ever want to refer to them.' For years,
I've added to them, tucked neatly on shelves, or out of
site behind closet doors and drawers.
When I use them, I'm profoundly grateful that they're right
there, at my fingertips. They hold techniques that have
improved my business owner client's planning and execution
of their business. They offer processes that have improved
my financial advisor clients' work with their partners and
clients.
After years of wanting those resources right where I know
to find them, I did a calculation. I've used less than 8
percent of them. Ever.
I figured out that I spend 10 percent of my time in my
office running over the question of 'keep or toss' very
consciously. And likely another 10 percent of the time, in
the back of my mind unconsciously, I pick at them, look
through them, asking my self that question over and over.
You can probably guess my assessment about all of this. The
information I use the most is material I already know very
well. AND I continue to read voraciously so I know that new
ideas will be available on a regular basis. So this
cherished material is seldom referred to, and a major
distraction.
So, I'm taking a stand to recover all that distracted
attention. Right NOW! I'm going through all of the books
and papers, and using the following criteria for what to
keep and what to let move on:
Criteria 1 - Do I recall ever referring to this?
I've had many people say to me "Oh, don't worry about it
you can find it on the internet." NOT true. If you cannot
remember the topic, or the author, you can hardly go
looking for it to find it again. The more important reason
to keep it is that you WILL use it because you know you
have it.
If I cannot remember having the contents, let alone the
topic, it's going on the 'sort it' pile.
Criteria 2 - Is this something I'm actively interesting in
using?
Don't even ask about the shelves of art materials I have in
the other room's closets. Expensive brushes and paints and
more. I'm sure I'll use them one day, just not now.
However, with materials about business topics the issue is
heightened.
There are lots of topics I'm interested in, and I love the
materials I collected. That's why I kept them. Yet I have
no intention of building a reputation as an expert in even
28 of the 34 topics on my file tabs in the top drawer of
the file cabinet.
So they're being emptied into the 'use it or lose it' pile.
Criteria 3 - Will I use it in the next 30 days?
After this many years of consulting to business owners and
professionals, I know the issues that come up and the
techniques that work well to solve them. What reference
material would refer to that will fill no more than 12
linear inches of space?
Everything else I'm putting in the 'let it go' pile.
They're going to new homes - colleagues and the library -
in the next 2 weeks, so that I can stop ignoring the call
and focus on what I already know and the business I'm
building.
Join me and let's free up attention for our High Payoff
activities now.
----------------------------------------------------
Management expert, consultant, and coach Linda Feinholz is
"Your High payoff Catalyst." Linda publishes the free
weekly newsletter The Spark! to subscribers world-wide and
delivers targeted solutions, practical skills and simple
ways to build your business. If you're ready to focus on
your High Payoff activities, accelerate your results and
have more fun at it, get your FREE tips like these visit
her site at http://www.YourHighPayoffCatalyst.com
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