First Things First

urgency is driving you, what important things—maybe even “first things”—are not receiving your time and attention?

self-destructive behavior

blow the smoke off the gun barrel,

The way we see (our paradigm) leads to what we do (our attitudes and behaviors); and what we do leads to the results we get in our lives. So if we want to create significant change in the results, we can’t just change attitudes and behaviors, methods or techniques; we have to change the basic paradigms out of which they grow. When we try to change the behavior or the method without changing the paradigm, the paradigm eventually overpowers the change. That’s why attempts to “install” total quality or empowerment in organizations are unsuccessful. They can’t be installed; they have to be grown.

But, bottom-line

Absorbed in the ascent

We’ve only touched on a few of the items on the list, but consider the difference. Instead of simply managing problems, you’re working on solutions. You’re building people and synergistic relationships. You’re nurturing a Quadrant II mind-set in yourself and others. You’re looking at a schedule and seeing opportunities for improvement. Where others see isolated events, you see systems

Why does my boss need this today?
• What information am I not supplying regularly that creates this urgent need now?
• Is there a system I could set up so that the information would be readily available?

In making your decisions, you’d want to pause and connect with conscience. You’d want to:
• Ask with intent
• Listen without excuse, and
• Act with courage
As you decide what’s most important for you to do, you’d want to think about the conditions of empowerment and consider where you could focus your effort with the greatest positive long-term result.
You might want to begin by questioning the very nature of each activity:
• How did this activity come about?
• Why am I doing it now?
• What are the underlying reasons for the activity?
• What are the ultimate objectives?
• Does this activity contribute to the purpose of the organization?
• Is this the highest and best use of my capacities and our combined resources?

Our struggle to put first things first can be characterized by the contrast between two powerful tools that direct us: the clock and the compass. The clock represents our commitments, appointments, schedules, goals, activities—what we do with, and how we manage our time. The compass represents our vision, values, principles, mission, conscience, direction—what we feel is important and how we lead our lives

For many of us, there’s a gap between the compass and the clock— between what’s deeply important to us and the way we spend our time

Some of us know we’re out of balance, but we don’t have confidence in other alternatives. Or we feel the cost of change is too high. Or we’re afraid to try. It’s easier to just live with the imbalance.

We’ve painstakingly climbed the “ladder of success” rung by rung—the diploma, the late nights, the promotions—only to discover as we reached the top rung that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall

We feel so guilty over what we’re not doing, we can’t enjoy what we do.

The struggle comes when we sense a gap between the clock and the compass—when what we do doesn’t contribute to what is most important in our lives.

Our struggle to put first things first can be characterized by the contrast between two powerful tools that direct us: the clock and the compass. The clock represents our commitments, appointments, schedules, goals, activities—what we do with, and how we manage our time. The compass represents our vision, values, principles, mission, conscience, direction—what we feel is important and how we lead our lives.

But for most of us, the issue is not between the “good” and the “bad,” but between the “good” and the “best.” So often, the enemy of the best is the good.

somewhere between my vision and my daily action, I lose it. How can I translate what really counts into my daily life?

Most of the time, I just don’t enjoy life. For every one thing I do, I can think of ten things I don’t do, and it makes me feel guilty. The constant stress of trying to decide what I should do in the middle of all I could do creates a constant tension. How can I know what’s most important? How can I do it? How can I enjoy it?

throw wrenches into the works.