Tame the Morning Madness: How to keep First things First

Big picture

Every new year brings with it hopes for improvement. Though it is an artificial marker, the start of a New Year helps us reflect on our lives. This came to mind when I was reflecting on my 2023 foibles and remembered Gary Halbert story when his office printer broke one morning.

Why should you care?

Progress is not just about starting new things; it is also about overcoming your weaknesses. Have you ever watched when Manchester City is trailing by a goal? They will be attacking beautifully with most players forward, and then a loose ball gets to the striker of the other team. The defense should be ready, otherwise they will be two goals down.

Case in Point

One morning Gary Halbert, a famous marketing copywriter, was writing marketing materials for a client. His secretary burst into his office. The printer was not working, an irate client had called about a lost parcel and many other problems.

Gary stood from his desk, shooed the secretary out of his office, locked his door and continued working. The secretary was stunned.

However, when Gary emerged from his office at midday, the printer was working, and all problems gone. The secretary proudly told him how she resolved them by herself.

I wish I could be more like Gary! How about you? Do you wish you could be more like Gary this year?

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Lessons: Things which matter most

When I looked through my journal reflecting on 2023, under "what could I have done differently" the dominant theme was "getting sidetracked by minor tasks".

I feel obliged to honour other people's requests first. Phone calls, emails and in person requests! This is despite being familiar with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's dictum, “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”

A typical example was when one Monday at 830am, a colleague wanted help with his MS Outlooks settings. Unlike Gary, I fiddled with those settings for more than 30 minutes instead of asking him to just call the IT department.

Bottom line

If you were to reflect on last year what challenges slowed you down? What can you do this year to overcome them?