Any fool can be busy. Just as it takes no special talent to run around like a headless chicken, it takes no special talent to be consumed by other people’s deadlines.
I have no problem showing up for appointments that have been arranged with others. If I say I will be there, then 99% of the time I will indeed be present. Occasionally I will be let down by my own planning or technology or traffic; but those are rare instances and I cringe with embarrassment at the very recollection of such occasions.
But isn’t it amazing that I can still shrug off a development priority (whether personal or business) with hardly a murmur?
Whether it’s planning, team-development, writing an article, or improving the website; these priorities are easily replaced by the next deadline or the last email.
If we are not vigilant, delivery will always override development. This simple phenomenon accounts for more stress, overwhelm, endless feast-famine revenue cycles, exhaustion, frustration and broken resolutions than just about every other aspect of business life put together.
Recognising the truth of this changes nothing. Signing up for another development programme, reading another book, buying a franchise, embarking on an MBA: none of this helps… if we are not prepared to defend our development time and be accountable to somebody else.
It’s fair to say that if we don’t, nobody will complain. We may not even complain ourselves; we may instead justify the decision in terms of fees earned, people satisfied or goals achieved.
Over the past few years, I’ve got pretty good at defending professional development time. Now I would like to be equally vigilant with my personal development time. Specifically this means one hour every day, and a half day every weekend. I’m counting on you and a few thousand others to hold me accountable.
How do You want 2010 to be different?
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