Doing Things, or Getting Things Done?

Too many people (and companies) confuse doing things with getting things done. They feel that, as long as they are busy, they must be making progress. In my experience, though, the busiest people are usually the least effective. They're like hyperactive gnats: buzzing here and there, hovering around someone just long enough to be annoying before buzzing off somewhere else. They work really hard, but don't really accomplish anything. Many even brag about the long hours they work, then complain that they still can't meet all their commitments. To me, that's just perverse. At some point you have to ask yourself, "What's the point of all this if it's not getting me anywhere?"

Here are some signs you're just doing things, without getting anything done:

• Your schedule is full of meetings, the primary result of which is to schedule another meeting.


• Your inbox is full, and it's not spam. You can't remember the last time you answered all your email the same day you received it.


• Your response to most questions is, "I'll check with [insert one of many names here] and get back to you."


• You eat lunch (and maybe dinner) at your desk, or not at all.


• You complain about working 60 or more hours per week, but you're actually kind of proud that you're so important to the company.


• You can't remember the last time you asked yourself, "Why am I doing this?"

Sound familiar?

The sad thing is that we've come to accept that this is the way things are, and that the alternative is manual labor or [shudder] teaching. You may even read this and say, "Well, duh! What do you do, play foosball all day?" I would argue that it doesn't have to be this way. It's possible to do something once and not again, to make decisions that stick, and to feel like you're moving forward in life. When did spinning our wheels become the best way to drive?

Here's my challenge. You show me any day, any project, any process, and I'll bet you lunch I can eliminate half of it without you even noticing it's gone. I'll bet that you'll even get things done faster, if you have the guts.