The BEST EVER focussing questions you will ever ask yourself
Recently I sent out an email asking people what their top business issues are. I got quite a variety of responses but one issue kept coming up consistently – How can I get more time to do all the things I need to do? I wish I had the answer to that one! Well actually I do…sort of. At first I was tempted to start a discourse about the nature of time, reality, consciousness and “the matrix” – but although fascinating and worthy of discussion – it is a bit beyond the scope of this quick newsletter. Instead I decided to give you some “instant pudding” - something that you can use straight away. It is the best (ever) tool I have found to focus your thinking and actions, so that you are getting the best results in line with your vision and with the time you have available. I have searched for years and never found more than 168 hours in a week. Time can’t be accumulated. You can’t turn it on or off. It can’t be replaced. It has to be spent at the rate of sixty seconds every minute. Furthermore, in business today we are expected to produce more with less - better services, quicker response times, more products to market, increased sales, and better value for money. Managers and leaders in particular, are expected not just to plan and prioritise their own work but to be responsible for what their team do. And then there is the Catch 22 – 
Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’…into the future
“The harder (or more) I work, the more money I make.
And the more money I make, the less time I have to enjoy it.”
This is the world that we live in today. The only way out of this loop is to stop being busy and start being productive. And there is a lot that can be done in regard to how we handle the challenges of our time challenged life.
In about 1986 I read a book by Alan Lakein called How to Manage Your Time and Your Life. Why can I remember this so clearly? Because it was from this book that I learned the best time management / time allocation tool I had ever seen – bar none.
Lakein suggested that you should always ask yourself 2 questions:
What is the best use of my time right now?
Is this contributing to my progress?
This literally became my mantra and allowed me to always be working on my highest priorities. In fact, I had them written in every day of my diary (I used paper back then!) so I saw them possibly a hundred times a day. As a result I became incredibly productive and achieved a great deal.
Over time, as my vision has become broader and more holistic, I have added some key additional questions:
What is the one key thing I will complete today that will move my world forward?
If this is the ONLY thing I get done today, will that make me happy?
Is this serving my highest values?
Is this contributing to my higher purpose?
Am I doing what I want to do, or am I just being busy?
Am I avoiding what I know is important by creating new stuff to do?
These questions have taken me about 20 years to learn (I know, I know - I’m a slow learner!). But, now I use them all day, every day. They are programmed into my phone to remind me (hourly). They are printed out on a sign right above my computer screen.
As a result, I now focus on the things that are meaningful to me and uplift me, rather than responding to other people’s agendas. In other words, I am spending my time the way I want to.
I know this strategy sounds almost too simple, but why not try it for just one week and see how you go?
What would you rather be doing? Make a conscious choice now…
By the way, did you recognize the line at the top of this post? It’s from the song “Fly Like An Eagle” by Steve Miller and the Steve Miller Band (1976). You can check it out here – be warned though – it’s hard to get the song out of your head!
If you like these questions it might also be worth checking out the Business DNA In-Depth How-To Guide on time management here: http://quidditybusiness.com.au/business-dna-in-depth-guides.html
