Working. On the right thing.
Image by #WOCINTECH Chat
“Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard.”
I came across this quote by Caterina Fake in late 2015 and have referred to it often since. As hard a pill as it is to swallow, I admit that I sometimes spend time working hard at the wrong (or not the most important) thing.
So how do I determine if I'm working on the right thing? I ask myself questions like the ones below.
- What else is on my plate?
- Is this costing me money? Or the opportunity to make money?
- How else can I get this done? Is there a different/shorter/less complex way?
- How soon is this due?
- Will the outcome be significantly different if I don't do it?
- Who will be mad if I don't do it?
- Am I learning anything new by doing this?
- Does this benefit me or someone else?
Depending on the answers to these questions, I decide to either scrap what I'm doing, scale back, pick it up later or push to get it done. As a kid, I'd stare blankly at my father every time he told me that "time waits for no man"-his version of a Chaucer quote. As an adult, I wish that I knew then what I know now about choosing to spend my time doing the right work and pursuing only the things that truly enrich my life.
I should also have listened to him about getting the right amount of sleep every night ...yawn.