Insert Jocko inspirational image here
If there is one value that I believe has contributed to the most meaningful time spent - in work and out - it’s the guiding principle that How you do anything is how you do everything. I don’t know where I originally heard it - but it immediately resonated as a truth with me.
Break it down
Hear me out - from the task that are very important and require intense focus - to the menial, routine tasks that require your attention in order to get them done - how you approach doing them is often consistent over time. Meaning that your system for approaching and solving any problem at hand is a byproduct of your systems. As James Clear puts it, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems”.
That applies here as well - maybe there is a clear overlap with habits and systems of applying yourself to the task at hand. Nonetheless I’ve come to believe that an underlying indicator of success is how you approach problems when it’s not the most exciting task that still needs to be done.
Take us back
Some old wisdom imparted on me in my early days in the Marine Corps was to volunteer for everything and have the fortitude to do it with dignity. No matter how trivial the task - you can either volunteer or be voluntold in the military - so might as well take the “W” and sign yourself up and then produce the best result you can.
That has stuck with me in a variety of productive ways. A given task often needs to be done - so let’s approach it with the best intentions and the best effort we can muster.
Examples from Now
Putting this into action in your career is a on brainer - maybe even essential to performing well. I have my weeks dominated by a variety of different discussions. Remote work means there is a lot of flexibility for multi-tasking. Sometimes that is accepted, but i’d argue better results are driven from muting the outside world and focusing on the topic at hand.
Another example is Open Source groups - often you can get away with only doing the work that you sign up to participate in. You can show up - camera and mic off - and get away with any amount of involvement (or lack thereof). OR you can be an active member of the time - Camera on, participating in discussion. Perhaps the topic isn’t in your wheelhouse… scribe! Offer to grab notes for those unable to make the session and learn something more in the process.
My favorite example is experimentation - whether your employer supports or provides this time is a different story - but when you have the time - showing up and being an active agent for feedback loops can drive ideation quickly in the most meaningful direction - even when the topic isn’t the most sexy or fun.
Other side of the coin
You know you give eah and every task your all - yet you still find your standard slipping for some reason or another - is this a red flag?
Maybe, depending on how you look at it. I like to look at these instances as potential data points to learn from. Why is this occurring? Are you working on solving the symptom instead of the actual problem itself?
Or maybe it is an indicator that you know where your current time and effort needs to be directed and there is a possibility this is a task for someone else to own.
This can be a great exercise for guarding your time - something that I believe we all need to be more cognizant and aware of - in order to ensure you are focusing on efforts that require your full attention and effort.
From here on out
The message: Show up - participate - and focus on the problem. Remove distractions and be an agent of change. It’s cliche I know, but it goes a long way when people are invested in the time you have already set-aside as opposed to multi-tasking and more obviously not being engaged or having the 1000 yard stare.