The Fun Factor

In the movie "Anna and the King" (similar to "The King and I") there is a point where Anna thanks the king for bringing her to Siam and remarked that her life up until that time seemed to be series of roads leading nowhere. "What would Buddha say to that?" Anna. The King smiled and replied, "Roads are for journeys, not destinations."

Do you like to take the "scenic route" on a road trip? The scenic route is the way that's a little longer, a little slower, but much more interesting. Some travelers are all about efficiency: getting to their destination as soon as possible because they hate being in a car. Others, like myself, don't mind being in a car, especially when the view is interesting. Whenever I have time, I like to take the scenic route. Sure, it adds more time and more gas, but it makes great memories.

This does not just apply to travel, but also to other areas of life. There are many important factors in getting anything done, but it's important to remember the Fun Factor. Sometimes it's okay to do something in a way that's not quite as efficient, but a lot more enjoyable. I'd encourage anyone to be open to taking the scenic route whenever possible. The trip (or task) may only take 15 minutes, but you can do it in such a way that you make a good memory that lasts much longer.

Jack of all Trades, Master of None

One of the things I have struggled with for years is to finish the things that I start. It's not that I necessarily get tired of the things that I'm doing; it's just that something more interesting or seemingly more urgent comes along, and I put off whatever I had been doing. I'd guess that I tend to do about 50-75% of a task before something more interesting comes along. When I finish a task I enjoy the sense of completion, and that motivates me to do more, but when I don't finish anything I lack the full motivation to do other things.

Similarly to task completion, in high school and college I was often overcommitted to many different organizations and events. I wanted to be involved in so many things and I wanted to be good at everything. But someone pointed out that I was becoming "A jack of all trades but a master of none." In other words, I was becoming good at many things, but not excellent at any of them. To do something excellently requires some degree of focus. When something needs to get done, I need some solid strategies to stay focused to get it done. Here are a few that I've found helpful:

1. Have a clear sense of the purpose of the task. Not only will this help with motivation, it will help focus the work done on the task. It's easy for me to stray from what really needs to get done and include lots of peripheral things, but this can really slow down the process. It's usually best to get the essentials done first, then go back and add special features at the end.
   
2. Get an overview of the whole task and identify some challenges that may come down the road.
   
3. Break a large task into manageable pieces. Block out large amounts of time to work on each piece.
   
4. Schedule a date to present my work to another person or group. This forms a sense of accountability for doing it.
5. Meet with others who are doing a similar task to share thoughts about it and encourage each other.
6. Remove distractions while working on the task. For example, working on a computer can be much more efficient than working with paper, but a computer has several potential distractions. It's helpful to find ways to minimize these distractions or sometimes avoid using a computer altogether.
   

I'm guessing that everyone struggles with task focus at some time or another. Whether or not you can relate to my exact experiences or strategies, I'd encourage you consider your ability to get things done and some ways that you could possibly improve.

I should also mention that in areas of leisure it's not always advisable for someone to finish the things that they start. A librarian told me once that if you're reading a book for leisure and realize that you don't like it, just put it back and get another one, since there are millions to choose from. If you are determined to finish that book before starting another, you may lose motivation and stop reading altogether, or just be miserable while pushing through it. This librarian's advice is helpful for many areas of leisure, not just reading, because if we feel like we have to check off a to-do list during our free time, that may not be very relaxing. The advice may apply to work sometimes when a person is halfway through a project that they realize is just not the right thing to do. In that case, it would be foolish to continue wasting resources in finishing the project; it would be better to change direction quickly to something that is is more productive.

"Can I Go Home Now?"

Put yourself in the shoes of a manager for a moment (if you are not already one). Your employee comes up to you with a confident smile on his face and says, "I've finished all my work and would like to leave early." What would you say?

There are two options that are common, but not necessarily good. The first is to give the person "busy work" (stuff to do that does not really need to be done, for the sake of keeping them busy). Most people would resent being given work that does not really need to be done. As a result, nothing significant is getting accomplished, and in fact it is counterproductive because of the decline in the employee's attitude. The second common option is to say, "Sure, go home early and have a nice day!" This option could become a problem with employees who get into the habit of leaving early and therefore cut corners to do it more often.

I'd like to suggest a third option: Giving the employees a list of important things to do when their normal work is done. These things should be ones that are always good to do. Here are some examples of what I'm talking about:

1. Make sure everyone on my team is ready for everything this week.
2. Make sure everyone on my team is ready for next week.
3. Spend time looking back at trends or lessons learned.
   
4. Spend time looking around at the current state of the organization. Talk with the people that your organization serves to see if their needs are effectively getting met. Encourage the things that are going well and identify the things that need improvement.
5. Spend time looking ahead. Consider the mission statement of the organization and any master plan that may be in place. Then identify a couple of steps me and my team can be taking in that direction.
6. Do some self-improvement to help myself or others become more effective. This training might include formal training (attending workshops), but more easily reading a book that is relevant to my line of work or observing another person who is doing something well.
7. Look for someone else who is struggling with their load and offer to help them.
   

These are just some examples. They may not work for people in all positions. A manager should give careful thought to what their employees should do. However, there are a couple things that may help the employees take greater ownership in the tasks. First, the manager may let the employee be involved in developing the list. Second, the pronouns should be phrased in the 1st person (me and my) rather than 2nd person (you and your).