It should be apparent that, in order to do everything now, you have to make an immediate decision about each task that comes up in the course of a day. Do I do it (now), delegate it, or decline it? This requires some thought, because the reader will note that making the decision to do, delegate or decline is something that needs to be done, immediately, as each task arises. The system only works if you can make an instant decision, and to be able to do that, you must be fully aware of a few things.
The first vital thing to understand is your mission, an idea I’ll try to develop more fully in future posts. You will, of course, have several missions. For example, some of mine are to offer the highest quality legal services, to publish and sell my own books, to keep my body fit and strong, and to provide a comfortable and happy lifestyle for my family. But the concept, as it applies here is simple. If a task directly bears on your mission – directly – is it an automatic “do.” No thought necessary. Do it now. Similarly, if a task arises that does not bear on one of your missions, again, no-brainer. Decline, and decline immediately without a second thought.
What of the in-between tasks? Those things that, although they may not bear directly on any mission, simply need to be done; for instance, making a doctor’s appointment, doing the grocery shopping, preparing meals, and thousands of other little things that just have to take place to keep life moving forward. These things are obviously do’s or delegates – the trick is in deciding which. Again, the solution is fairly simple, and admits of being internalized in order to facilitate an instant decision when the task pops up. If it is something that requires a special skill or ability that you have, or something that you do better than any of the people you could delegate it to, do it, right now. Otherwise, delegate. Some examples from my own life may assist in making my point clearer.
The grocery shopping. Delegate. Why, because I have no special skill in buying groceries, and it is a task that my wife or one of my kids could complete at least as well as I could. Therefore, it gets delegated, instantly, and I gave it no further thought. However, if my wife had come to me to tell me the kids were hungry, and that food she bought needed to be cooked, that would have been an instant “do.” In my house, I am the one that enjoys cooking and I am quite good at it. My wife never learned, and doesn’t care to learn. Similarly, if one of the children needs to be driven somewhere (school, a friend’s house), well, my wife is at least as capable of piloting an automobile as I am. Consider it delegated. However, my wife is not comfortable speaking or understanding advanced concepts in English, as it is not her first language. So when it comes to the doctor’s appointments, those are a “do” for me, as it is important to fully grasp what a physician tells you about your health or that of your loved ones.
And for those of you completely on your own, with nobody to delegate to? You’d best re-read my recent post about Putting in the Time.