The Main Thing

"The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing." - Stephen Covey

I have taken the advice of many and switched from a daily blog to a blog that I update every few days. I guess it avoids overload and gives people time to absorb and comment. The last couple of days have been very efficient in terms of work and what I have been getting done. However, when I consider what my short-term focus and goals are, it becaomes clear that these days have not been effective. The distinction between effectiveness and efficiency is an old favorite from the great Stephen Covey. It's the proverbial climbing the ladder fast but then realising that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.

So, I have been getting lots done, but these things are not necessarily the most important things to do in the context of my goals and objectives. Part of the reason for this was that I abandoned my contextual planning and was just churning through to-do lists (climbing the ladder fast). It strikes me that the reason that people do not achieve their goals is because they do not focus sufficient attention and energy on them. This is because they are too busy doing other things and accomplishing other tasks not related to their goals. Today has been radically different, as I have reverted back to my integrated worklist, which classifies my tasks and forces me to dump irrelevant tasks in favour of key ones. I am now keeping the main thing the main thing.