Stay Focused on The Big Picture

“If you forget about the big picture, you’ll be a slave to the day to day.”

A slave to the day to day. Does that sound like today? Maybe this week? We all have those times every now and then when we feel like all we do is put out fires. However, unless you’re a firefighter, spending every day in reaction mode isn’t going to get you closer to your big picture goals.

What does slavery to the day to day look like?

• Stuck in reaction mode
• Feeling busy but unproductive
• Task list items always rolling over to the next day, week, month…
• Reluctance to commit to deadlines
• Activities-oriented instead of results-oriented

How can we stay focused on the big picture:

• Vision and goals – Know them and know how what you do supports them.
• Make the connection – Track your activities for the day. At the day’s end, identify the goals your activities support.
• Prioritize – Do the most critical things early in the day. If you don’t get your entire task list accomplished, you still tackled the most important items.
• Focus on results – Ask, “How have today’s activities moved the ball closer to the goal?”