Activities vs. Accomplishments

Is there a way to get more stuff done? 

​Yes, cut your actives, masked as accomplishments, by half. 

Some people intentionally hide their lack of accomplishment by hiding behind activities; Some can’t tell the difference between activities and accomplishments. 

It’s astonishing how many of us irresponsibly pat ourselves on the back just because we’re busy. 

“It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?” 

--Henry David Thoreau

​How Can People Run Around for 40 Hours a Week And Still Get Nothing Done? 
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​Meetings held. PowerPoint slides presented. Donuts Eaten. Notes taken.
What’s the reason we do all these activities, yet, by the end of the week, there’s nothing to show for it? 

It’s clear that activities are different from accomplishments. 

Accomplishments require something to measure against. 

Take the Super Bowl as an example. A team can have lots of passing yards, first downs (activities) but if they can’t get the ball into the End Zone or earn more points (accomplishments) in 60 mins than the other team, they lose. 

But it’s not always this clear in business. 

First of all, accomplishments in business take longer than 60 mins to measure. 

Secondly, there aren't always clear standards set up to accurately judge a team's accomplishments in business. 

​How to Judge Your Team’s Accomplishments? 
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You’re likely to have some type of project management software in place (such as Trello or Basecamp). 

Regardless of what you use to track your projects (it can be a simple as a spreadsheet), do the following: 

• Organize all of your projects by status such as “In Queue” “In Progress” or “Complete”. 
• Look at the space for each list. 

The first time I noticed something wasn’t quite right was when I looked at the space I have for each list. 

Too much on the “In queue” and “in progress”, not nearly enough in “complete”. 

If you want to grow your business, pay your bills, move things forward, you need lots of stuff DONE, COMPLETE. Not “doing”. Not “in progress”. DONE. 

Cut Your Activities (Especially Meetings) by Half
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​It’s amazing some people seem to do nothing but hold and attend meetings. 

I admit, being in meetings makes me feel important, but I can hardly get anything done during a meeting. 

The best way to have a meeting may be to have no meeting at all. 

There are other ways of collecting inputs other than meetings. Maybe an email from everyone? 

Sometimes truly, a meeting may be necessary. But not everyone who has two cents (or thinks they do) needs to be there. Some of them can be updated with a simple note afterwards.  

In general. more people in a meeting =  less accomplished. 

Hide from Mr. “Got-a-Minute?”
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You know this person. He lurks outside your office, near the cafeteria, on the path to the bathroom, wherever it's possible to catch you off guard. 

Or he drops in your office several times saying “You got a minute? “ or “I have a quick question” or “I need just a couple minutes”. 

Any time he has a “shower thought,” he emails or texts you.

It’s seems easier to just deal with his “one quick question” than put him off. But really, he’s telling you that your time is less valuable than his and therefore, you can be interrupted from whatever you’re working on.  

I haven’t yet discovered a better way to avoid from Mr. “Got-a-Minute?” than by simply being inaccessible. (Working from home from time to time, anyone?) 

So, have better ways to get stuff done? 

Feel free to share your input below.