Ever eaten at a buffet?  I have.

Have you ever stuffed your plate so high with the first two things that look good, and then you find something that looks REALLY good, and then there’s no more room on the plate?  Can we just keep piling?  

If only there were a pig around here to blame that ‘oinking’ sound on.  What a sloppy mess we are.

We have the same stigma with workflow.  Every time we get a new opportunity or something that genuinely excites us, we look at our calendar.  It’s a ‘full plate’ yet we find room for the new opportunity.

Learn to SAY NO.  That’s how you’ll know you’re getting better at managing time!  It’s not about doing work, or checking things off your to-do list.  It’s about doing Authorized Work.  

When you begin your work day, look over the scheduled activities (assuming they are scheduled!).  Ask yourself these 5 questions as part of your everyday routine:

1.  Does today’s work support the company vision?  If not, why am I doing it?

2.  Is there a better sequence for today’s work activity?

3.  Do I need someone’s special help / leverage to get the work done well?

4.  Are there any potentially volatile encounters today, either with customers, co-workers, or vendors?  If so, how can I prepare to deal well with that?

5.  What can I do to really WOW someone in an otherwise routine activity?

Just remove the egg rolls, man, because the prime rib is just around the corner!  Don’t over-gorge yourself with work.  You’ll feel horrible!

Thanks to Ron Corzine for the inspiration for today’s post.  His IMPACT blog can be found here.  Great content lately about the art of  slowing down!