Do What Matters (and Do It Well)

“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” – Peter Drucker

I (might) take this idea too far sometimes.

I take pride in the idea: “I don’t always do everything I could, or ‘should,’ but whatever I do, I do well.”

I know that, deep-down, more-often-than-not, it’s a way of hiding. A way to rationalize away yucky feelings that crop up when I am not doing things that I know are necessary for things I say I want.

Either I need to adjust what I say I want, thus changing my imperatives, or step the fudge up and do what needs to be done.

But enough about me…

Are you doing things efficiently, that need not be done at all?

To echo Stephen Covey’s wonderful words: are you majoring in minor things? Really well? Really efficiently?

Could be you’re just looking to distract yourself from the necessary, from the hard and challenging?

Similar Posts

  • Why Coaching Works

    At the risk of shameless self-promotion, here is a post on why coaching is a powerful way to create authentic and lasting change: Who you hang out with matters. (The right coach is a wonderful person to “hang out” with once a week or so, and will challenge you to upgrade your associations if necessary.) What…

  • Live Like The Champ

    Do not count the days; make the days count. – Muhammad Ali Counting the days is splitting your time between the past and the future. Usually it’s wishing the days gone by were different and hoping the days to come are better. Living well and achieving is all about being-in-the-moment and making each moment – each…

  • The Decisive Element

    I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis…

  • You Find What You Seek

    A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds. – Francis Bacon Want some “truth?” Whatever you focus on comes to pass. Not necessarily exactly how you envision it (sometimes better… ), but usually close. In most every phase of life you can look at life’s events as see them as “problems” or “opportunities.”…

  • There Are Only Two Forces

    There are two basic motivating forces:* fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot…