Get Done What You Want to Get Done
How do you get into action on the things you really want to do?
It’s often hard for those of us who are ambitious and have multiple goals and then related projects. We want to get so much done, but we can’t get to it all.
So, how then do you actually get done what you want to get done?
Start by making sure you’re clear on where you want to focus: What’s my intention? What are my goals? What am I trying to achieve and by when? Then also ask: Where do I want to put my attention right now based on this? What is worthy of my attention given my intention? (If you want to read about clarifying your priorities, find out more in our article here.)
Then consider these 10 tips on how to get done what you really want to get done:
Limit what you put on the list. According to Charlie Gilkey, author of “Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done,” it’s best if you focus on no more than five projects at a time and complete those before moving on to others. With that as a target, challenge yourself to focus and narrow to your top 5 projects across your professional and personal life. Where do you really want to put your focus and attention across your life in the next 4-12 weeks?
Take things down a notch. To limit the number of projects on your list, challenge yourself to cut action items completely from the list. What is inconsequential that you can remove completely? Or, consider what you can simplify and get done quickly to free up time for major tasks. Block out a day to crank through a bunch of small tasks to push and get them done and off your list for good.
Be willing to surrender. If you are finding it hard to get a project completed because you lack motivation or it’s just not gelling, give yourself permission to surrender and put the project down for now. We can waste a lot of time and energy trying to push something forward that just isn’t coming together for whatever reason. The project’s time just hasn’t come. Be willing to put it aside and leave to pick up another time when the momentum for it starts to build.
Determine priority order. With what remains and when considering how you can juggle all the projects you have ambition to complete, consider that there is likely a cadence to your work, that some foundational projects should be completed before you take on what’s next on the list. So, think about which should come first, second, third, and so on. Be realistic about the appropriate timing for each.
Know your ambition. With finite time, not everything on our list needs to demand the same level of attention and degree of rigor. So, ask yourself around a project: How good does this have to be given its alignment to my goals and priorities? How good do I want to be? Do I want to lean in here? Depending on your answers, challenge yourself to consider if the project can be done more efficiently given its importance.
Get organized. It may seem dull, but the reality is if you want to get even creative projects done, you need to get organized. Figure out a game plan and definitely chunk projects up into smaller bites.
Do a sprint. Make progress on a project more quickly by running a focused project sprint. In doing so, you’ll time box your effort, while also staying focused. We usually get 80% of our thinking work done on a project in 20% of the time. Accept this fact and work quickly, yet thoughtfully, to make significant progress in a short amount of time.
Get help. Ambitious people often won’t get more done until they figure out how to delegate. It’s not always easy, but challenge yourself to do it. Getting help can look different depending on your needs. It could be hiring a virtual assistant. It could be outsourcing and finding a contractor or company to take over work that isn’t your strength or zone of genius. Seriously consider: what can you offload, delegate, or outsource?
Stay motivated. We can all get into slumps, but if you really want to get done what you want to get done, remind yourself why you took on the project to begin with. What will be different and better because it will be done? How does it move you forward? What drove your commitment to this project? What will it do for you?
Find community support. When remaining on task, it’s helpful to be amongst a supportive community who want to see you succeed. This could be an internal team or people in your network who you’ve developed relationships for collective encouragement. The other benefit of a community is to commit yourself and ask them to hold you accountable.
When someone is ambitious, it’s hard to focus and cull the list of ongoing to do’s.
Yet, if you really want to make progress, you need to focus and/or find a way to make progress more efficiently on the projects that matter. Use these tips to focus your list, free up time for what matters most right now, make more progress in less time, and stay on course. Here’s to getting done what you want to get done!
//
Want to sign-up for Sustainable Ambition™ Forum, our newsletter? Join here!