Last week’s heatwave, the World Cup, the latest round of distracting political shenanigans, and a packed calendar have all reinforced one simple truth: if you don’t decide your priorities, the world will happily decide them for you.
I help organisations shift from being crazy busy to ruthlessly efficient.
The irony? Most people already know how to be ruthlessly efficient. They do it every year.
It’s called the day before you go on holiday.
Suddenly you’re laser-focused on your priorities. You get your affairs in order. You’re crystal clear about what deserves your time and what doesn’t.
You rip through tasks at remarkable speed because you want to leave with a clear desk and a clear mind. You move work on quickly because you don’t want to be perceived as a bottleneck.
What’s changed?
Not your workload, your intelligence or your inbox.
You simply gave yourself permission to be gloriously decisive, in control of your time, not a victim of it.
It’s as if you have an iron umbrella around your attention and stop letting every email, Teams message and “quick question” steal a piece of your focus.
You stop procrastinating, like reading an email several times before responding. Instead you make faster decisions, moving down your list without faffing. You switch off notifications to work without interruption. You don’t do other people’s jobs for them either, you keep the accountability where it belongs.
- That meeting? Can’t make it in person, but call me if you need anything from me, I’ll be available.
- That report? Good enough. Send it.
- Perfecting the PowerPoint deck? It’s good enough.
- That favour? I’d love to, but can’t do it until next month.
- Those Teams messages? Someone else can answer.
- The WhatsApp messages? You’ve switched off notifications, they’ll call you if they need you.
- That discretionary project? I simply don’t have time to do it justice, sorry.
You protect your time. You don’t cram in more. You focus on the highest-value activities, the top of your job description. People who do this earn much more respect than their overwhelmed colleagues who can’t say no and end up letting people down.
Here’s a question worth asking yourself every morning:
If I were going on holiday tomorrow, would I work differently today?
My Crazy Busy content is suitable for leaders and team events and workshops, the vital bridge between your strategy and its successful execution. I’ll explain how to cut out systemic productivity drag and increase productivity by up to 40% per head.
Email me to find out more.
Zena Everett