Five Things You Should Stop Doing in 20122:55 PM Thursday December 15,
2011 by Dorie Clark
I recently got back from a month's vacation — the longest I've ever
taken, and a shocking indulgence for an American. (Earlier this
summer, I was still fretting about how to pull off two weeks
unplugged.) The distance, though, helped me hone in on what's actually
important to my professional career — and which make-work activities
merely provide the illusion of progress. Inspired by HBR blogger Peter
Bregman's idea of creating a "to ignore" list , here are the
activities I'm going to stop cold turkey in 2012 — and perhaps you
should, too.
Responding Like a Trained Monkey
. Every productivity expert in the world will tell you to check email
at periodic intervals — say, every 90 minutes — rather than clicking
"refresh" like a Pavlovian mutt. Of course, almost no one listens,
because studies have shown email's "variable interval reinforcement
schedule" is basically a slot machine for your brain. But spending a
month away — and only checking email weekly — showed me how little
really requires immediate response. In fact, nothing. A 90 minute wait
won't kill anyone, and will allow you to accomplish something
substantive during your workday.Mindless Traditions.
I recently invited a friend to a prime networking event. "Can I play
it by ear?" she asked. "This is my last weekend to get holiday cards
out and I haven't mailed a single one. It is causing stress!" In the
moment, not fulfilling an "obligation" (like sending holiday cards)
can make you feel guilty. But if you're in search of professional
advancement, is a holiday card (buried among the deluge) going to make
a difference? If you want to connect, do something unusual — get in
touch at a different time of year, or give your contacts a personal
call, or even better, meet up face-to-face. You have to ask if your
business traditions are generating the results you want.Reading
Annoying Things.
I have nearly a dozen newspaper and magazine subscriptions, the
result of alluring specials ($10 for an entire year!) and the
compulsion not to miss out on crucial information. But after detoxing
for a month, I was able to reflect on which publications actually
refreshed me — and which felt like a duty. The New Yorker , even
though it's not a business publication, broadens my perspective and is
a genuine pleasure to read. The pretentious tech publication with
crazy layouts and too-small print? Not so much. I'm weeding out and
paring down to literary essentials. What subscriptions can you get rid
of?Work That's Not Worth It.
Early in my career, I was thrilled to win a five-year,
quarter-million dollar contract. That is, until the reality set in
that it was a government contract, filled with ridiculous reporting
mechanisms, low reimbursement rates and administrative complexities
that sucked the joy and profit out of the work. When budget cuts
rolled around and my contract got whacked, it turned out to be a
blessing. These days, I'm eschewing any engagement, public or private,
that looks like more trouble than it's worth.Making Things More
Complicated Than They Should Be.
A while back, a colleague approached me with an idea. She wanted me
to be a part of a professional development event she was organizing in
her city, featuring several speakers and consultants. She recommended
biweekly check-in calls for the next eight months, leading up to the
event. "Have you organized an event like this before?" I asked. "Can
you actually get the participants? Why don't you test the demand
first?" When none materialized, I realized I'd saved myself nearly
half a week's work — in futile conference calls — by insisting the
event had to be "real" before we invested in it. As Eric Ries points
out in his new book The Lean Startup , developing the best code or
building the best product in the world is meaningless if your
customers don't end up wanting it. Instead, test early and often to
ensure you're not wasting your time. What ideas should you test before
you've gone too far?Eliminating these five activities is likely to
save me hundreds of hours next year — time I can spend expanding my
business and doing things that matter. What are you going to stop
doing? And how are you going to leverage all that extra time?
--
CA Ramachandran Mahadevan,M.Com.,F.C.A.,
2011 by Dorie Clark
I recently got back from a month's vacation — the longest I've ever
taken, and a shocking indulgence for an American. (Earlier this
summer, I was still fretting about how to pull off two weeks
unplugged.) The distance, though, helped me hone in on what's actually
important to my professional career — and which make-work activities
merely provide the illusion of progress. Inspired by HBR blogger Peter
Bregman's idea of creating a "to ignore" list , here are the
activities I'm going to stop cold turkey in 2012 — and perhaps you
should, too.
Responding Like a Trained Monkey
. Every productivity expert in the world will tell you to check email
at periodic intervals — say, every 90 minutes — rather than clicking
"refresh" like a Pavlovian mutt. Of course, almost no one listens,
because studies have shown email's "variable interval reinforcement
schedule" is basically a slot machine for your brain. But spending a
month away — and only checking email weekly — showed me how little
really requires immediate response. In fact, nothing. A 90 minute wait
won't kill anyone, and will allow you to accomplish something
substantive during your workday.Mindless Traditions.
I recently invited a friend to a prime networking event. "Can I play
it by ear?" she asked. "This is my last weekend to get holiday cards
out and I haven't mailed a single one. It is causing stress!" In the
moment, not fulfilling an "obligation" (like sending holiday cards)
can make you feel guilty. But if you're in search of professional
advancement, is a holiday card (buried among the deluge) going to make
a difference? If you want to connect, do something unusual — get in
touch at a different time of year, or give your contacts a personal
call, or even better, meet up face-to-face. You have to ask if your
business traditions are generating the results you want.Reading
Annoying Things.
I have nearly a dozen newspaper and magazine subscriptions, the
result of alluring specials ($10 for an entire year!) and the
compulsion not to miss out on crucial information. But after detoxing
for a month, I was able to reflect on which publications actually
refreshed me — and which felt like a duty. The New Yorker , even
though it's not a business publication, broadens my perspective and is
a genuine pleasure to read. The pretentious tech publication with
crazy layouts and too-small print? Not so much. I'm weeding out and
paring down to literary essentials. What subscriptions can you get rid
of?Work That's Not Worth It.
Early in my career, I was thrilled to win a five-year,
quarter-million dollar contract. That is, until the reality set in
that it was a government contract, filled with ridiculous reporting
mechanisms, low reimbursement rates and administrative complexities
that sucked the joy and profit out of the work. When budget cuts
rolled around and my contract got whacked, it turned out to be a
blessing. These days, I'm eschewing any engagement, public or private,
that looks like more trouble than it's worth.Making Things More
Complicated Than They Should Be.
A while back, a colleague approached me with an idea. She wanted me
to be a part of a professional development event she was organizing in
her city, featuring several speakers and consultants. She recommended
biweekly check-in calls for the next eight months, leading up to the
event. "Have you organized an event like this before?" I asked. "Can
you actually get the participants? Why don't you test the demand
first?" When none materialized, I realized I'd saved myself nearly
half a week's work — in futile conference calls — by insisting the
event had to be "real" before we invested in it. As Eric Ries points
out in his new book The Lean Startup , developing the best code or
building the best product in the world is meaningless if your
customers don't end up wanting it. Instead, test early and often to
ensure you're not wasting your time. What ideas should you test before
you've gone too far?Eliminating these five activities is likely to
save me hundreds of hours next year — time I can spend expanding my
business and doing things that matter. What are you going to stop
doing? And how are you going to leverage all that extra time?
--
CA Ramachandran Mahadevan,M.Com.,F.C.A.,
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