Do You Keep The Pace Or Turn It Into A Race?

I’ve been away for awhile enjoying some much needed vacation. The pace of vacation, while busy, was noticeably a slower tempo that the day-to-day schedule I normally keep. That’s the point of vacations, certainly. However, it was rather interesting to note just how different the tempo felt.

Being a former Marine, we often ran 9 miles or more a week as part of our physical conditioning. I had the opportunity to learn quite a few things to increase my efficiency and extend my range while maintaining a given pace. But when I forgot to adhere to the tenants of good form, measured breathing, and mental control I found myself tiring much easier and straining to finish.

I think many of us tend to sprint at work, ignoring tenants of a good work habits and racing to finish simply because of the perceived volume of things we must absorb. I fear that with so much going on, many lose site of what’s important because they focus on what’s urgent; what needs to be a priority for what fire burns the brightest.

Do you end the week looking back to a list of undone tasks and projects? Do you feel your week has turned into a race?

I struggle with this at times, most definitely. But how do you fix it? How do you seek to pace yourself and accomplish what you intend instead of what might be imposed?

Let me be the first to tell you that you do have to build slack into your day to accommodate for emergencies. But being the master of your day is also important. Obviously, your customers dictate the importance of priorities, but only you can be the expert at how best to accomplish each task and project.

Simply put, I am always referencing my decision rubric to help me determine 1) what I must focus on, 2) what might yield the maximum payoff, and 3) what I can drop.

There are no silver bullets here, and it’s not a one-time fix. You will have a tendency to fall off of the horse, especially when things get hectic. But just remember that when attempting to keep the pace the touch down usually comes only after several first downs.

Image courtesy of Jurvetson.

Ken Stewart’s website, ChangeForge, focuses on the collision between the constantly changing worlds of business and technology in an information-centric world. Ken serves on the board of the new Managed Print Services Association, an international industry organization seeking worldwide best practices for the managed print services industry. He is also the founder of Seeking the Son. He is always interested in connecting with you.