Over the past few months, I’ve noticed that “slammed” has joined the lexicon of describing how busy someone is. At times, it seems like we compete with each other for who’s most overwhelmed. “I’m so slammed, I won’t be able to accept that ‘Too Busy to Breathe” award for at least six months.”
Some of this busyness is legitimate. Most of us are facing more tasks in a given day than ever before. Of course, a lot of it is also within our control. There’s a lot of advice out there on how to be productive. My good friend and colleague, Laura Stack, offers an arsenal of resources at her website, www.theproductivitypro.com, not to mention her forthcoming book, Doing the Right Things Right. She’s whom I turn to.
But then there’s the impact on daily decisions. I’ve spoken in previous posts about the phenomenon of satisficing, in other words not making the best decisions but the ones that are good enough. While many decisions fall under the category of “life’s too short,” there are those that require reflection, planning, and the counsel of others to make the best choice.
Where’s your balance between “Just make a decision,” and “I need to do this right?” How about those around you? Satisficing is contagious. It can infect an entire culture and drag down the quality of daily decisions across an organization. So, where to begin?
Take a step back when one of these critical decisions presents itself. In my book, Figure It Out, I recommend the first question you ask is, “What does success look like?” This question, by itself, will force you to look at the decision in perspective and determine the focus you should place on this challenge. From there, you can attack the resolution with more clarity and with the intensity it deserves. Regardless of their position in life, everyone faces some decisions that have more gravity than others. The best decision-makers, however, devote the time and focus to making the best choices in each of these situations. How about you?