“Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of nonessentials.”
Lin Yutang, writer and translator (1895-1976)
The end of the year is a perfect time to set aside a day or two to reflect on how close we’ve come to reaching our goals. It’s important to block out at least a few hours of uninterrupted time to ask ourselves what worked, what didn’t, and what was essential in terms of our success or failure.
If you wait until January 1 to set your goals for the year, you’ve missed a great opportunity to capitalize on the relative business calm of the holidays. Some time in the next four weeks, prepare yourself mentally for 2012 with a reflection on 2011.
While I like to focus on what went right, I frequently learn much more by spotting what went wrong. If we have the courage to look back on the year with 20/20 hindsight, we often find (uncomfortably) that WE often get in our own way more than anything or anyone else. Over thinking, hesitation, and a lack of clarity block our best intentions.
Here are three questions I ask myself:
1. Where can I simplify systems?
Complexity for its own sake is a waste of energy. If you have a process which gathers lots of data you don’t use or goes through several gatekeepers, ask yourself: What (or who) is essential to this process? If there’s anyway you can reduce the complexity of a system without damaging its essential outcome, do so immediately.
2. What is the net impression to my clients/customers? How do I improve that?
Clients don’t want to hear about your challenges. They don’t want the complex dynamics of bank regulation, market forces, or your latest heartache synchronizing your calendar to your new smartphone. With every experience, it’s only important that you ask yourself: How did the client perceive the outcome? Anything you can do to improve their perception of your efforts goes solidly in the win column.
3. Is finishing everything I start wise?
Growing your business is an increasingly complex challenge in today’s market. There’s enormous pressure to try new technology, approaches, and platforms. In fact, you should try lots of new ideas. You should try them to the point you recognize their potential or lack of promise. As soon as you determine they seem unlikely to succeed, move on. There’s no shame in saying, “Maybe we don’t need to see this through.” As Thomas Edison once famously said of his time working on the incandescent lightbulb: “I have not failed, I have just found 10,000 ways that do not work.”
I hope these questions help you gain a little altitude over your business and help plan for the coming year. People say “focus is the key to success,” and it’s true. One of the first steps toward focus is eliminating the nonessential.
