Entrepreneurs are often go-getters; people that can do anything … for anyone … and, yes, sometimes overcommit. I recently read David Allen’s, Getting Things Done and found it one of the most helpful books I’ve read in 2007. A quick excerpt on the five phases of project planning:
You have an urge to make something happen; you imagine the outcome; you generate ideas that might be relevant; you sort those into a structure; and you define a physical activity that would begin to make it a reality. And you do all that naturally, without giving it much thought.
You can probably imagine how much time that takes throughout the day. Your kids ask you to do something, your current project isn’t finished and there’s another waiting …
My takeaway from the book is I’ve learned to immediately prioritize anything I’ve been asked to do instead of everything “moving to the front of the line.” I also made my own “work flow chart” and posted it in my office. You can download a copy of my reiteration of Allen’s Workflow Diagram here: David Allen’s Workflow Diagram
Jack Burris is Partner and Vice President with Franchise Business Review and can be contacted through StartupNation as thefranchiseguy.
