For busy small business owners and corporate executives there is always work to do. The challenge is to make sure your ‘To Do’ List is set by you and not filled with other people’s demands. In the midst of all the possible work you could do, how do you keep a clear sense of priority about which of that work is your best work?
What is your Best Work?
Your best work is those tasks and activities that will move your business or career forward. Work that helps you achieve your important goals. Work that matters. Works that makes impact. Work that builds for the future. It could be deep thinking and writing. It could be preparing and planning. It could be imparting to a team member in a mentoring capacity. Only you can determine what it must be. One thing I know – you can guarantee it is not responding to emails, or doing administration, or ticking boxes to make someone else happy.
When do you get your Best Work done?
“You will never CHANGE YOUR LIFE until you change something you do daily. THE SECRET OF YOUR SUCCESS is found in your daily routine.” ~ John C. Maxwell
There is power in an effective daily routine. We all have natural rhythms that help determine when we are at our sharpest mentally; when we have the most energy and when we are best able to focus. Make sure you guard the time in your work day when you are at your best. Don’t give that time to low value tasks like email and responding to calls. Shut the door, turn off your email alerts, and silence your phone. Make sure that time is mostly devoted to enabling you to focus on getting your best work done.
Where do you get your Best Work done?
My best work usually involves thinking, creating, writing and planning. I have learned that this work is best done away from my normal work space which is full of distractions and reminders of other things that need doing. So I have created a thinking space away from my usual daily work space. It is amazing how much more productive I am and how the quality of my work has also improved. My best work became better. It is interesting that Walt Disney found it beneficial to create different spaces for Dreaming and Working and Problem solving.
What is happening around you when you get your Best Work done?
Sometimes if you are ‘in a funk’ or just need a total change of head space it is good to explore totally different ways of working. I have found that I can become less productive when tired and on my own. It serves me well to take my laptop or moleskin journal and head to a cafe. In the midst of other people and noises I find I am able to concentrate and get my best work done. It is counter-intuitive but it works. Some people use headphones and listen to music. Others even create the morning murmur of cafe noise using an app such as Coffitivity.
In Conclusion…
Everyone benefits when you do your best work. Your clients benefit. So do your team. You feel better about yourself. Doing your best work increases healthy self-respect. This has a positive effect on your confidence and emotional well being. You have a greater sense that your work is connected to meaning and purpose. The positive ripple effect flows into your key relationships at work and home. I like to think the planet benefits.
What do you need to change to make sure you are be doing your best work.
