Covey recommended staying out of the bottom row, the ‘not important’ tasks. Easy-peasy.  Instead, he said, spend most of your time in the top row, on the ‘important’ tasks. The most successful people he came across spent the most time on the ‘important but not urgent’ tasks in “The Zone,” the top right quadrant.  They focused their attention on the long term, effectively building relationships and cultivating opportunities.

In today’s even faster-paced world, many hard-working, rapidly prioritizing entrepreneurs don’t get anywhere near The Zone. We drown in The Quadrant of Demand, those tasks that are both urgent and important.  I don’t know about you, but I’ve often felt it’s impossible to escape them.

Earlier in my career I assumed I’d always finish everything in my work and personal life that I rated both urgent and important.  But at this point in my life, as a single mom and entrepreneur, I literally can’t.  That’s right:  I can’t.  I’ve had to accept it.  (Haven’t yet come to the point where I’m proud of it.  I’m starting with just admitting it).

So, how do I choose which of the urgent-and-important tasks to do, and which to drop?  Covey took me this far but doesn’t get me to where I need to go in this 21st century super-digitized life I lead.  I’m no good at rotating three-dimensional objects in my head (just ask Johnson O’Connor) but I can tell we need to add a third dimension to his matrix.

That third dimension, that bonus decision-making criteria (drum roll, please) is brilliance-based.  In other words, as we stare at our metaphorical pile of assignments we’ve declared both urgent and important to us, we must ask ourselves “Is accomplishing this activity linked directly to MY brilliance?”  Or, “could only a person with my background, passion, abilities, relationships and priorities do this very thing?” If we answer “no” – here comes the radical part — it might not get done at all.  Ever.  Even if it seems urgent and important.  And – here comes more radicalness – if it is truly necessary in the world, someone else is meant to do it.  Rather than try to do everything by ourselves, let’s let them.

I call this decision-making step the Process of Illumination.  The more we each appreciate our own and each other’s brightness, the more essential-seeming activities we can eliminate from our individual plates.  With less on our plates, we free our energy so we can truly concentrate on what’s in The Zone for us.  I invite you to participate in this simple decision-making process and hope it will decrease your sense of overwhelm.

(Next step then, if you’re not already there, is to charge handsomely for your brilliance. This is a critical step to enable us brilliance-based entrepreneurs to afford team members (part-time or full-time, virtual or on-site) to whom we can delegate.  For those of us who provide services and/or create products, especially women, it can be tempting to think what we do is easy for us and therefore not so valuable. When a friend or colleague asks you to do a favor by providing your creativity for free or at a deep discount, think very carefully before agreeing.  What are the opportunity costs? How will this opportunity to lower your rates affect you, your business, and your loved ones?  You have only 168 hours per week. Is it truly worthwhile?)

I’ll be writing and speaking a lot more in the coming year on how to lead your brilliance-based business and life with joy and ease. If you know of a person, organization, association or event that could really benefit from this topic, please email the connect2 team and let us know.

How do you deal with urgent demands while working on your important projects? How do you stay focused on your most important tasks?  What do you see as your brilliance?  Do you feel comfortable charging top dollar for it?  In the comment area below, please share your secrets (it’s just us online chickens here anyway).  Thanks!

One of my newest clients just told me she’s been jumping from task to task like a pinball machine. What a great image. What a horrible feeling!

Wouldn’t it be nice if each day we could work on only our highest-priority activities?  By end of each week, we’d finish all our key projects! But unexpected-yet-important distractions inevitably get in the way.

1. Make a plan.  What do you want to accomplish in the next year? Break that down by quarter.  Break down this quarter’s plan by month. Break down this month’s plan by week. Break down this week’s plan by day. Estimate your time investment to ensure it’s all doable. Now you have this week’s agenda.
2. Lower the volume on your inner and outer critics’ voices. It’s inevitable that others will question your goals and choices.  Yet this is your one precious life.  Set your own criteria for success.  You can choose to believe you will prosper by leading a purposeful, passionate life in joyful alignment with your priorities. You likely became an entrepreneur so you could drive your own destiny.  Rather than work to other people’s demands, do what your heart knows is most important.
3. Revise your priorities every day.  At the end of each day, or first thing in the morning, look at your planned tasks and prioritize them. Tomorrow you will know more than you know today, so adjust your expectations tomorrow accordingly while keeping your plan in mind.
4. Delegate.  If you have no employees, get a virtual assistant.  If you hate hanging out on LinkedIn, hire a social media manager.  Do not do work that others can do as well as you.  Freeing yourself from your busywork will enable you to provide better client service as well as work on your business rather than merely in your business.
5. Just say “no” or “not now” to urgent requests.  It might be great to be Super-BusinessWoman (cue the theme music!). But you aren’t (because you are a mere mortal), and you don’t have to be, especially at the expense of your health, prosperity, and loved ones.  Each of us has only 168 hours per week.  Saying “yes” to our top priorities necessitates saying “no” to other opportunities. So saying “no” is a practice each of us chronic overachievers must cultivate consistently.  Warning: declining to get involved may reduce your stress, save you from letting people down, and increase your sense of well-being.  (If you truly want to take on a last-minute project, add a rush fee to signal to your clients the value of planning ahead.)
6. Don’t answer every phone call.  Just because the phone rings doesn’t mean you have to pick it up.  Screen your calls so you can stay focused on your plan for today.
7. Close your email inbox.  Emails come flying in and you could spend every minute of every day dealing with them. Set specific windows each day for checking your email, and set up rules to filter and organize them automatically into folders, including junk.  Be sure not to put the connect2 ezine into your junk folder.  :)
8. Release your inner perfectionist.  My motto lately is “progress not perfection.” Eighty percent of the value likely lies in 20% of your effort. Accordingly, this blog post may contain typos and formatting problems.
9. Learn from your mistakes. Mistakes are inevitable. Learn from them and move toward achieving your vision.
10. Build in regular time for relaxation. In addition to setting aside personal time for exercise, sleep, and quality time with loved ones, allow yourself time to unwind on a regular basis. Step away from your computers and handheld devices to do anything that nurtures your soul.  The endless possibilities include napping, reading a novel, seeing a friend and painting your toenails.  These basics can easily fall to the wayside when we’re absorbed with work.  I resisted this lesson too long.

Already practice these and still feel stressed?  I’ve been right there with you!  So tune in next week when I share my attempt to take all this to a brand new level for us twenty-first century entrepreneurs and leaders.

What’s your favorite time management tip?  Please comment below so we can all benefit!

Although I tend not to follow local politics closely, I felt deeply saddened by last Saturday’s news that Middlesex County Sheriff James DiPaola committed suicide.

Sheriff DiPaola was reelected to his third six-year term just last month.  After the Boston Globe inquired about his intention to accept pension payment in addition to his salary next year, he decided he could not accept both in good conscience, even though it was legal.  He said, “I’d always be remembered for this, for double-dipping, that that would be my legacy … I tossed and turned all night. I did put myself first this time, and I don’t want it to end that way… I had a feeling in my stomach.’’ Instead, he announced he would retire next month, after 30 years of public service.

When I read his statement last week, I actively admired the Sheriff’s willingness to step up, admit his mistake, and hold himself accountable for it.  It seemed consistent with his stated philosophy “There is no excuse for crime; there is no justification for violence;
 there is no solution without example.”  But his ultimate choice, less than one week later, fails to be a viable solution or positive example for anyone. I grieve for Sheriff DiPaola and his loved ones.  And I’ve been asking myself, what we can we learn?

The spotlight of leadership can be intimidating.  I have felt that tension myself in multiple roles, including entrepreneur.  (I feel it every time I publish a blog post for the world to see, showing my warts and all).  I sense that at this point in time, each of us is being called to support ourselves and each other with increased compassion.  In my life experience, self-compassion has been much harder to come by than compassion for others.  My compassion for the Sheriff, perhaps as much for who he represents as for him personally, remains high.

At the risk of appearing to oversimplify a clearly complex situation, I thought it might be useful to identify constructive actions for us leaders who realize we have erred.  (And honestly, if you’ve never made a mistake, you’re probably not actually leading.)

Here are 5 DOs and 5 DON’Ts for effectively managing professional mistakes and mitigating negative effects.

When you or your business make a mistake, DO:

1. Acknowledge the error, before anyone else does it for you, and apologize sincerely to your constituency.  By doing so you demonstrate control of the situation and frame the discussion on- and offline.
2. Provide a plan.  Let those affected know how you will fix the situation and the time frame for doing so.
3. Make space for feedback.  Sometimes people will need to tell you how the mistake affected them and others will simply need to blow off steam.  Make sure your customers have a clear channel for communicating.
4. Compensate those who lost out.  If your mistake had any financial implications, cover all losses. In the long-term it will cost you less to do so. Consider offering something concrete to make amends – a free gift or discount may be appropriate, depending on your business.
5. Look to the future and move forward.  Doing so is essential both to rebuilding your self-confidence and assuring your customers the error will not be repeated.

On the other hand, when you or your business make a mistake, DO NOT:

1. Evade responsibility.  A consummate professional isn’t afraid to take responsibility when something goes wrong.  Added benefit:  you will be all the more trustworthy for doing so.
2. Become overly defensive.   You are in the wrong here, and the customer really is right. And even where they aren’t, now certainly isn’t the time to point that out to them.
3. Shut down communication.  Particularly if solving the problem is a lengthy process, don’t disappear on your clients.  Make sure to update them regularly, even if you’re busy.
4. Repeat mistakes.  You are entitled to make new mistakes. Making the same one multiple times means you haven’t learned from previous experience.
5. Harp on the past.  What’s done is done.  After you’ve completed the 5 DOs above, it’s time to move on.

Even well-intentioned leaders face crises, of their own creation or entirely beyond their control.  And every single one deserves compassion.