Quote

The antidote to impulsiveness is forethought.

Indistractable by Nir Eyal

The Practice: Execution, Productivity & Doing

Play excites. What’s play in the realm of productivity? New tools. Finding (yet) another to-do list app and testing to see whether this is THE one.

I’m the bearer of bad news (although you’ve likely heard this before but didn’t listen): the tool contributes significantly less to overall effectiveness and efficiency.

What matters instead, is the system in which you operate and the processes within. Essential to the equation of progress are also consistency, persistence and making progress aligned with your strategy.

Contrary, the time spent on testing the latest app distracts from making progress and delivering the outcomes you desire.

Acknowledge that the tool you’re working with right now works just fine. And that the latest tool is nothing more than procrastination.

The Theory: Strategy, Planning & Learning

Prioritising the pipeline of tasks and projects doesn’t need to be complicated. Ask the following four questions to determine whether the new project you want to start aligns with your strategy:

1. Am I doing the right things?
2. Am I doing them the right way?
3. Am I getting them done well?
4. Am I achieving the desired outcomes?

Notice the importance of asking “Are we doing the right things?” first, before asking “Are we doing them the right way?”.

There’s nothing worse than doing the wrong things really well.