By David Lund
If you wish you could do more each day and you’re open to looking at things differently, to consider there may be a stronger system to follow, perhaps this one is for you. Also, if you’re a big fan of multi-tasking then YOU HAVE TO read this.
When we have a routine, we have a system that helps us generate tremendous results on the core work we do. We cannot be creative outside of a solid routine that gets the function of what we need to accomplish every day done. When the core work is done we then have a license to create outside of that routine.
Scott Adams, author of “How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big:”
“I never waste a brain cell in the morning trying to figure out what to do when. Compare that with some people you know who spend two hours planning and deciding on every task that takes one hour to complete.”
Our core responsibilities mean we need a routine to nail every day. Injecting ourselves with the information, reports, reviews, approvals, sign-offs, studies, signatures, and insert whatever you need to do every day, not to ever fall behind. When we build our routine, we free our minds to really focus on the tasks at hand, never needing to ask ourselves, “What do I need to do this morning?”
Finding and creating your routine is the most powerful tool you have to be an efficient and organized leader. Never falling behind in your work is like never having a losing streak. You win every day by nailing your core work. This creates and leaves you the time to make the meetings and have the conversations that lead to great ideas, awesome agreements, and growth in your leadership. If you’re always thinking about the mountain of work you need to get done, you’re never really going to have the space to be innovative and the time to build your leadership inside your organization.
Knowing you’re on top of your core function is an awesome feeling, like just completing a 10-mile ride, run or 50 laps in the pool. It gives you energy, confidence, and a sense of well-being. Imagine all of this from a simple routine. I often hear leaders say how busy and swamped they are with work. Look inside this person’s world and you will find they are lacking a solid routine to anchor their lives.
Austin Kleon from his book, “Steal Like an Artist:”
“The worst thing a day job does is take time away from you, but it makes up for that by giving you a daily routine in which you can schedule a regular time for your creative pursuits. Establishing and keeping a routine can be even more important than having a lot of time. Inertia is the death of creativity. You have to stay in the groove. When you get out of the groove, you start to dread the work, because you know it’s going to suck for a while—it’s going to suck until you get back into the flow.”
This is a powerful switch to turn on. Knowing your dedication to your routine is going to pay back, it’s going to give you the time to be creative, to solve big challenges because you have created the clean space in your day and inside your consciousness. As a leader this is priceless. You didn’t sign up to push paper but it’s at the core of what you do. By nailing this routine discipline, you now have access to the good stuff. You have in essence paid your dues and now you can get to what you really came here to do.
To lead and create. Be boring and crank it out in your routine so you can be brilliant and original in your pursuit of innovation, efficiency and creative leadership. Fail to create a powerful routine and you’re forever at the mercy of being another ineffective leader who’s is just too busy. Does this sound familiar?
