I recently read the book Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. I know it may not be what everyone likes to read but there are many good principles in the book. One of them is about prioritization. But the authors go a little beyond merely setting appropriate priorities. The key to proper prioritization is activation. You have to do something with your priorities.
This is the problem that many people have with to do lists. We set our priorities but we often neglect to tackle the priorities, leaving us no better off than when we started. The secret to priorities is action.
Ok so this really isn’t anything secret. It’s common sense to say the least. But it’s so easy to go through the process of setting our priorities and then leaving things there. Willink and Babin are Navy Seals. They explain how setting and acting on priorities in military endeavors was key to success.
They would look at their objectives. List targets. Set goals. Then delegate the tasks as necessary to more quickly and efficiently reach their objectives.
This can sound like something that doesn’t apply to you and me in the civilian world, but if you really pause for just a few minutes you might see how this common sense approach isn’t really just for a well trained Navy Seal. Consider the last big project you had to tackle.
Maybe you are moving to a new house. Perhaps you’re remodeling a room in your house. Looking for a new career. Planning on a child to be welcomed to your house. There are tons of things we tackle on a semi regular basis that are kind of big deals!
Any of these things can be overwhelming to say the least! I recently took on a kitchen remodel project. We removed walls. Repainted the remaining walls. Refaced cabinets. New counters, floors and appliances. But we didn’t just jump in and start blowing out walls. We had to set the tasks in the proper order. Which needed to be done first? What needed to wait until later?
Now my wife will tell you that she never thought this project was actually going to be tackled. I talked about it for a long time. I’m a verbal processor by the way. For weeks, maybe even months, we discussed the details of the plan. Which walls needed to come down? Which walls couldn’t come down? What did we need to do to prepare for these walls to drop? What color will the paint be? What type of floors do we want? I talked through all of it. Added things to my cart at the store. Deleted them. Added new ones. Over and over the list was edited and evaluated.
Then one day I pulled the trigger. Bought the gift cards. Went to the store. Ordered the materials. Brought them home. And down she came. Prioritization is key! I needed to know what to do first. And what needed another project completed before I started.
But ultimately all of the planning and all of the talking wouldn’t have meant anything if the walls didn’t fall. It wasn’t until I took action that the kitchen remodel actually started.
What’s your remodeling project? What about the plan? Do you have a good grasp on what is first and what needs to wait? What’s stopping you from knocking down that wall?
Priorities without action have no affect at all.
