It’s 11pm and I’ve just had a totally unproductive day. It seems like I just keep getting pulled in so many directions that it is hard to get anything done. I’ve spent the last 20 minutes planning my day tomorrow and I hope that I can get my things done.
Sound familiar? For me this cycle repeats daily.
‘We are constantly being tugged on from a thousand different directions, so your ability to be productive & ultimately achieve your big hairy audacious goals has more to do with all the things you DON’T do versus the things you do. Doing MORE is not the answer. Doing less is. Saying “no” to more things so you can say “yes” to the right things is the key to taking you more efficiently & expeditiously toward your goals.’ – Darren Hardy
I get this. I just don’t always know how to it. I know I’m being too nice. As soon as someone needs me I cave. What is worse is that today, technology has made me way too accessible. People can get ahold of me by text, phone, facebook, email, twitter… The list goes on and on. It seems that everyone’s priorities are SO urgent and my priorities pale in comparison. Not to mention the guilt trip I get if I do happen to say “no”.
I attended a leadership conference a couple months ago that spoke about “being your own boss”. The only ‘job’ of a boss is to make sure the work gets done. To be completely honest, I have done a very bad job at being my own boss.
We need to take more responsibility for advancing our own lives forward… Which means being the boss. Otherwise, we let other people and other circumstances take over.
‘If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you will fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.’ – Jim Rohn
Picture this. You were at work, the boss gave you a serious deadline and a friend asked you for a favor what would you do? I bet you would say; “I’m so sorry, I can’t, my boss is on my back about getting this work done.”
So why is it easier to say no when there is a “boss” telling us what to do?
I had an ‘a-ha’ moment. I know that I have a hard time saying no and taking the “blame” for disappointing a friend. When I have a “boss” then it is not my fault. So I decided. Why not implement my own boss? It sounds crazy but if you adopt the mindset of an employee then you can blame the boss all you want. When someone pulls you in a direction other than the one that your ‘boss’ has defined for you, then blame the boss.
Here’s how I did it. I put the “boss” hat on and I define all the goals and tasks for the day. My “employee” self has no choice but to finish what is on the list. I also add 1 more “miscellaneous” task to my schedule. When I am asked for a favor I simply say “I need to check my schedule, just send me a quick text/email to remind me.” I never drop what I’m doing to take care of the favor. I simply finish what I’m doing and then take care of the miscellaneous task.
So I ask you this. Are you ready to be the boss?
