CAD Manager: What am I Not Doing?
I admit that I can sometimes procrastinate. I put off to tomorrow what I might get done today. The closer it gets to quitting time, the harder it is to make things happen and not push them off to tomorrow. ³Never do today what you can put off till tomorrow² creeps in and things get pushed off.
When this happens, it tends to come back and bite you. Sometimes postponing final decisions gives you time to rethink and ponder the options, but once a decision has been made, delaying the execution of the decision can impact the organization and the efforts you have so valiantly pushed for.
I have a sign over my desk that says ³Don¹t just sit there, do something². I am not the kind of person that ducks tough decisions or avoids difficult work efforts, so the sign is not there to get me motivated. It is there to remind me not to postpone action. Delayed action is inaction.
What am I not doing? That is the question before us. Spending time thinking about what is not happening is just as important as thinking about what you actually are doing. What am I not moving forward on? What has been simmering to long and should be launched?
When you think about all of things that you could be doing, do you think about what you are not doing? What are you postponing? What are you avoiding? What are you not making happen?
Here are some tips that might help you make sure that the things that might fall through the cracks are not allowed to do that.
Review your strategic plan
If you are not focused on the items you defined as strategic, there will be an impact. You cannot allow the hustle and bustle of everyday work issues get in the way of the big ticket items. If you postpone the efforts related to the items on your strategic plan (you have one ¬ right?) then you will not achieve the critical milestones that will push your firm forward.
Review your sticky notes
I can sometimes be overwhelmed by the number od sticky notes that might end up on my desk. You may not use sticky notes. You might use other tech tools to track your tasks. Whatever you use to keep track of the items that need to be done every day. Review them to see what might be slipping past the gates. There will be something that others have needed that you have not delivered on yet.
Kick yourself
Every once in a while I have to tell myself ¬ ³get it in gear². Everyone needs a break, but you also need to get back to work. Tell yourself that break time is over and you need to get it in gear. Make some progress. Move forward. Motivation is key to converting the things that need to happen into the
things that you completed. Keep the conversation going within your head so that you are motivating yourself.
By paying attention and not allowing yourself to rest for too long (everyone needs to rest, but not for too long), you can uncover the things that may be slipping off your radar and get them completed.