Can You Relate To This "To Do List" Video?

 

“I have too much to do”!  How many times do we utter these self-defeating words in a day?  Well, GET DOWN OFF THE CROSS MARY, SOMEONE ELSE NEEDS THE WOOD!  You have the same 24 hours a day that Bill Gates had to build his empire, the same 24 hours a day that Martin Luther King had to influence Equal Rights and the same 24 hours a day that Benjamin Franklin had to invent electricity within.  The biggest difference probably being, they each had a strategy and a prioritization plan for successful accomplishment; unlike you.

I cannot begin to tell you how many times I visit under-performing assets and when asked what the cause is for their less than adequate achievement levels, they respond at warp speed, "Too much to do"!  I quickly follow up that response with, "Show me your prioritized list of what you have to do today", and they look at me like I am a three headed monster.  The next line out of their mouth is my absolute favorite, "We have a, to do list, but we don't have time to prioritize".  It is so difficult for me to refrain from saying, “Then you only have time for failure - dumb ass".  But being the professional I am, I conjure up a sweet smile and merely say, "Let's take a look, maybe I can give you some helpful hints that will lead you to a higher level of success".  One day I will get the Academy Award for my acting skills.

Every single person I know, who has ever achieved at an admirable level had a game plan.  They evaluated and re-evaluated this game plan every day.  They made a conscious effort to make sure that the items they focused on each day, brought them at least one step closer to their ultimate goals.

Our industry goals are not that difficult to grasp; increase revenue, decrease expenses and create an awesome atmosphere for residents and employees alike.  From an employment/professional standpoint, our prioritization guidelines should be motivated by these three items .  In other words, you have to use these three goals to prioritize the order in which you execute your work tasks.  For instance, on my task list today I have; 1) collect rent, 2) review budget vs. actuals, 3) submit commissions, 4) organize resident party, 5) clean out storage room and 6) buy a new plant for my office desk.  Item 1 clearly impacts revenue, item 2 clearly impacts expenses, item 3 clearly impacts employee morale and item 4 clearly impacts resident retention - therefore these four items must be prioritized in the top of your to do list.  However, items 5 and 6 do not directly impact any of the three company goals, so cannot be considered a justifiable priority.

The problem is, cleaning out a storage room or going out to buy a new decorative plant may be a fun distraction from something like boring yourself with tedious budget comparisons.  This is where will power, discipline and a prioritized attack plan pays off.  It is a known fact 20 minutes of planning each day provides the average person an additional 60 minutes of work time, gained from being organized.  This 20 minute planning period needs to be a time set aside from distractions and interruptions.  Some people like to do it in the evening prior to going to bed, saying it helps them to sleep better knowing what is in store for them the following day.  Others like to do it first thing in the morning, saying it wakes them up and gets them motivated for the day.  As far as I know, no studies have been done regarding a.m. or p.m. planning, but all studies have concluded that it is an ABSOLUTE NECESSITY and that people who do it are happier, reduce their stress levels and achieve more than those who don't.

So, let's summarize the steps:

1. Start with a 20 minute uninterrupted planning period (either end or beginning of day)
2. Create a to do list for the day
3. Prioritize your to do list by using the three industry goals (increased revenues, decreased expenses, happy employees & residents), and put them in order of greatest impact
4. Protect yourself from fun distractions that stand in the way of accomplishments
5. Focus, dig in and remember - you have the same 24 hours as everyone else

I happen to love and surround myself with optimists if at all possible and avoid pessimists at all costs.  I love when I hear my friends and colleagues say, "I got so much done today, I can't believe it"!  Their accomplishments motivate them to do more, their accomplishments make their careers fulfilling and their accomplishments boost their self confidence.  On the other hand, when I hear people say, "I worked my butt off today and got absolutely nothing done", I cringe at the negative energy that comes from them.  I watch them organize their parade of sympathetic followers, playing their one man band anthem of "Woe is Me", all marching to the village of crosses to crawl upon their repetitive place of comfortable defeat.

Life is short, and we spend most of it at work.  So choose to win, or choose to lose - it's actually up to you.  But the moral of this blog is; the ones who choose to win, more often than not, have a prioritized daily game plan!  So tomorrow morning when you wake up remember, you can pick up a saw & hammer for your cross or you can pick up a pen & pad for your prioritization list, the same tools are available to everyone every 24 hours of their career.