Today's Lesson for Wednesday, May 16, 2012
"The beginning is the most important part of the work."~ Plato
Would You Invest A Quarter To Get A Dollar?
One hour of planning can save you at least four hours of hard work. The more time you invest in thinking through your projects the more you'll accomplish in the long run.
Invest your time in planning, before you spend it on acting.
Today's TQ Challenge: Stop and Think Things Through -- BEFORE Taking Action.
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Be FORESIGHTFUL! What's the cost of taking the time to plan? What are the savings when you eliminate a mistake in advance? | |
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Be THOROUGH! For which activities today can you plan ahead, and thereby save time in the long run? | |
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Be PREPARED! What needs to be done today to prevent an emergency in the future? |
By thinking through each project -- both forwards and backwards -- you can visualize the proper sequence of events required to achieve major objective -- in the fewest number of steps possible. You can also prevent time-consuming mistakes by eliminating inappropriate steps, while including others that will be more effective and productive. When you can see what needs to be done -- well before you start -- you can remove the obstacles and bottlenecks to your progress -- well BEFORE they occur!
Think about it. How well and how often do you actually DO Make Plans Factor 5B?
"I visualize the process for each new project from beginning to end, well before I start."
A high commitment (5B rated 8 or better) suggests you save yourself time and trouble by thinking things through before you begin. The time you spend thinking about what you're going to do -- before you actually do it -- dramatically simplifies the work you actually do later. Rather than attack a project head-on, you take time to visualize the process before you begin -- so that you can do it right the first time. By seeing in advance that step C is a critical step and has to be done before steps D, E and F, you're able to complete the entire process in the most efficient and productive way possible.
On the other hand...
A lack of commitment suggests you are someone who impulsively dives into a project before making a plan. You can get started quickly on any new project, but there are times when you quickly reach a dead end. This tendency to push ahead on whatever you're doing -- without first thinking things through -- means you can complete steps D, E and F before you even realize that step C is critical to a successful outcome. As a result, you are constantly redoing your work to correct for mistakes. Projects take longer than expected, and the end results are often far less than desired.
What happens when you choose to do Factor 5B a bit more frequently? You have more power...
You complete your projects faster when you make fewer obvious mistakes. You accumulate performance positives like "Foresightful, Prudent and Efficient" -- immediately moving you towards the results you expect.
What happens when you fail to consistently do Factor 5B? You have less power...
Because you don't plan ahead, you're often forced to take two steps back for every three steps forward. Negatives like "Rash, Careless and Uninformed" start to take their toll on your performance -- quickly moving you away from the success you want.
Now Ask Yourself This...
Is Factor 5B Causing You Problems?
If you believe this factor is a key performance obstacle -- and that it's preventing you from realizing your personal dreams and goals -- then you need to improve it. Learn how to immediately improve this factor of your performance with a specific plan of action...
Additional Ideas For Action...
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