How I Get Stuff Done

My sister was asked the other day, “how does your brother find the time to get all that stuff done?” So here’s my best answer and I can combine it as a blog post and tick one more to-do off my list.

By “all that stuff” she’s referring to raising kids and family matters, maintaining a blog plus multiple other websites, producing high out-put on several joint venture projects, putting in a bunch of time on a big DoD project, and still have time to do Wing Chun training, hit my fitness goals, and consume large amounts of data through books and online research. And for the record, I am not a workaholic.

The key points are Passion, Priority, Starting, and Managing the Gaps.

Passion
Be choosy in what you decide to spend your time on. I pick projects that resonate with me on some level and it’s natural for me to look at ways of monetizing my interests. Trust me, I have not always been successful financially in that approach but there are few personal projects I look back on and really regret. By building projects around things that I am truly interested in or curious about means that I’m being productive while being entertained and educated.

I like writing, rock climbing, motorcycle riding, gardening, martial arts, primal fitness and health, and helping others build lives around their passions. So you’ll find a lot of my projects are based off of those subjects and my joint ventures are always with other passionate people.

Priority
Focus on the important stuff; the tasks that actually move the ball forward. There is always a lot of busy work to be found but take a hard look at those items and single out the one that has the greatest impact and do that first. Taking care of the important stuff will get you noticed because you’re actually doing something. My clients love me sometimes to the chagrin of their staff because I focus on the output first and the red tape and paperwork later but I deliver the important stuff and that makes them happy.

I take the same approach on my personal projects and joint ventures and I have quite a bit going on. I keep an ongoing Google Doc that lists all of my current projects each with a bullet list of action items that I’ll jot down whenever they crop up. Based on a number of factors, I’ll round up a few that I truly think will have the greatest long-term benefits and go. This comes in handy especially when managing the gaps.

Starting
Getting going can often be the trickiest part as we stare into the abyss of the unknown where the size and scope can freeze us in our tracks and thinking, “maybe I’ll just go have a tea (or coffee or beer or TV break - pick your poison) and think about this some more.” But if you can get over that hurdle and just start, you’ll be that much closer to getting things done.  I had starting on the brain the other day, read more here: How to Start: The Choice is Yours Don't Be Late.

Managing the Gaps
If you actually added up all of the little gaps in your day where you’re waiting, you’d find a nice chunk of time to actually get stuff done. This is where my easy-access to-do list comes in handy. I can pop it out and see what’s the top priority and how many minutes I have and choose one I can make some progress on. I may keep one task in the background all day and turn my attention to it only when the gaps allow. It’s a great way to knock off a lot of the low hanging fruit and make progress on important tasks. Progress in small bites, yes, but it all adds up to getting things done.

Everybody has they're own way of getting stuff done but this is what works for me.  So, Whit, I hope this answers the question.