“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.”
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 – 1894), Scottish novelist, poet, and essayist
What makes day’s work worthwhile? Is it the money we make? A sense of accomplishment? The feeling that we were “busy”?
I don’t feel truly satisfied with the day unless I feel as though I have accomplished at least a few tasks which are strictly investments in the future. Fighting today’s fires is a good and necessary thing, but if it consumes all of my time, I feel that an opportunity to improve my future has slipped past.
I thought this week I’d share three simple techniques I use to make sure I’m always planting seeds for the future:
- Try to “plant seeds” early in the day. As early risers will tell you, some of the most productive hours are first thing, before the rest of the world is going at it.
- Look for projects that pay recurring dividends over time. For example: Incremental improvements in your website will help you generate more leads and serve your clients better. While the expense of those projects may take a while to recoup, the benefits over time are unlimited.
- Recognize that a kindness or conversation is never wasted. You may have five “must do” tasks in a given day, but know that a 30-minute call with a customer– even if it’s just a casual chat– is never time “down the drain.”
Weigh the day’s worth with the number of seeds you plant. No, they won’t all bear fruit, but how else will you get anything to grow?
