How to Build Systems that Keep You Focused on What Matters Most

"If you can't describe what you are doing as a process, you don't know what you are doing." ~ W. Edwards Deming

Are you building systems and processes into your work and life that are working??

If not, you're likely to get lost in the minutiae. Or, as Dr. Stephen R. Covey says it, the "thick of thin things."?

To keep your time and effort invested in things that matter, you'll need to create systems that prioritize what's important frequently, and consistently evaluate what things to let go of.

In doing so you'll free up time and use the time you have more effectively.

Let's dive in!

Create an Activity Cycle

"Put first things first and we get second things thrown in. Put second things first and you lose both first and second things." ~ C.S. Lewis

An activity cycle is a checklist of tasks and activities you do on a periodic basis – daily, weekly, monthly, or another time frame important to you. This is about making sure you get to the regular actions that can easily get overruled by the latest fire.?

Here are some of the things on my own activity cycle:

• Daily reading, meditation/prayer, journaling in the morning
• Daily exercise, typically right before lunch time
• Daily planning/review of the day's focus
• End of day reflection on key habits and other personal measures I'm working on
• Weekly planning - scheduling in time and focus on things I want to work on
• Weekly mastermind sessions
• Monthly deeper journal reflection on progress, goals, and areas of improvement
• Quarterly goal and progress reviews

This list isn't exhaustive, but includes many things I work to do on a regular basis.

I highlight these items because they are very important to me.

The idea here is to place emphasis on creating intentional space for these things rather than just trying to fit them in amidst everything else you are working on. Blocking out time on your calendar for these actions is most effective. Thus, if you need to reschedule that time, you’ll be doing it consciously and prioritizing appropriately.

If you want to do something on a regular basis, plan and prioritize it ahead of time.

Protect Your Calendar

"Meetings are a symptom of bad organization. The fewer meetings the better." ~ Peter Drucker

Meetings are a blessing and a curse.?

For some people, the growth and expansion of remote work has meant even more meetings. I hear stories all the time of "back to back" zoom meetings almost every day!

It's time to take your calendar back so you can have some time for your own focused work. There may be some meetings that you can’t get out of, but it’s worth it to evaluate each one and determine if they are worth your time.?

Here are a few questions to consider that might help you filter out some meetings:?

• Are you getting critical insights or making connections that you can’t make in a more efficient way?
• Does the meeting have a stated purpose and agenda?
• Do you know your purpose and the value you add to the meeting?
• If you didn't attend this meeting, what would happen?

Sometimes you can even test it out - stop attending a meeting and see if you missed anything critical. If not, maybe you can take that meeting off your regular list!

It’s tempting to accept and say yes to every meeting invite because you feel obligated, especially when you are a leader. But protecting your time is important too so you have time to think about the bigger picture and work on things that you need to with some quiet solitude.

You'll be glad you did.

Measure Your Progress

"When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates." ~ Thomas S. Monson

What are the metrics of success for you, your team, and your organization? Do you know? How do you know if you are making progress towards your goals?

Every once in a while I enjoy working on a home improvement or physical building project. The process of creation or transformation is fun for me (usually).

The thing I like most about it is that it is easy to see progress at every step along the way. If I'm painting a wall, I can see what is painted, what is not, and what needs an additional coat. If I'm building a piece of furniture, I can see what still needs to be measured, cut, and assembled.

Progress is visual.

Yet sometimes in the world of "knowledge work" it can be difficult to see and be aware of the progress we are making.

Project managers might help with things like burndown charts, progress reports, and other tools, but those probably aren't the only things to measure.

The key is to find the important areas for YOU to measure. Track them, watch the progress, and identify ways to keep making more improvements.

This isn't data tracking for the sake of it. It's tracking the right data and doing something about it, or at least letting it inform you of the next steps to take.

Like seeing the progress of paint on the wall, you'll know where you are at and how much more there is to go!

Take Ambitious Action

Spend 10 minutes right now listing the things you want to do on a regular basis.

When would you do them? What would you need to eliminate in your daily/weekly/monthly life to make space for it?

Consider if there are meetings you can drop, or other regular activities you are spending time on that aren't adding value to your life.

This week, change just one thing to bring you more in-line with your desired system of working.

When you're ready, change one more.

Keep that going.

Accelerate Your Career

I have a number of career accelerating resources available - check them out at https://www.morethaneng.com/resources/ .