August FAQ – I Cannot Accomplish What I Want or Need to Every Week. How Can I Change That?

One Friday each month, I dedicate the post to looking at some questions I have heard recently from developing leaders. Sharing those questions and my thoughts for them is a way for me to spread the information to as many leaders and future leaders as possible. If you have a question about leadership, or just a situation you would like some additional insight on, please email me at Effective Retail Leader. Let’s take a look at this week’s question.

I continually get side tracked and don't always accomplish want I want, or even need to in my store. How can I change that?

Distractions reign supreme. It feels as though we cannot escape them, regardless of our intentions. There are numerous “hacks” people will share or try to improve productivity. Few work. I despise the idea of hacks. They are called hacks for a reason. If you want something to work, you need to have a plan, a process, and discipline to get it done. It has to become part of your routine, and it will take work. There are no shortcuts. That is as much a reminder as it is (hopefully) encouraging advice.

The question at hand is likely one that almost every store leader, and even multi-unit leader, faces regularly. There are things you want to get done, or even need to get done, yet it feels like you don’t have the time to accomplish it. Something always gets in the way. The real challenge is that it is not always the same obstacle blocking your path to success. So how can we overcome the challenge and get more of what we want to get done…done?

It is going to sound obvious, but there are two starting points that cannot be avoided. Prioritizing and planning. Be relentless in these processes and do them together. At the start of each day, whether you plan the night before or the morning of, you need to know what is the most important thing to do that day. (By the way, I highly recommend doing the planning the night before.) Knowing where you must start can help you get ahead of the distractions of the day. I always find that when I have my list ready in the morning, prioritized, I can get several things accomplished right away.

Having a plan for the week will give you a head start for each day

Keep your high-level priorities someplace you can see them. The constant reminder of what you want to achieve is a good way to bring yourself back to the task at hand. We all need a reality check sometimes, and when we are distracted, we can forget what we are trying to work towards (because we are distracted…). That reminder can quickly bring you back to what you really need to be working on.

Keep your team engaged in what you want to achieve. Have your leadership team, peers, and even the entire team connected to what the priorities are. Empower everyone to call a timeout and challenge the actions and activities. Are those moving you towards your desired outcomes?

Your Path to Success is Paved With Planning

Recap your day or your week to capture what you have accomplished. Daily and weekly reviews can be beneficial for many reasons. For the purposes of the question here, they are a good way to recognize progress being made or a quick way to realize that distractions ruled the day. Be kind to yourself during the reviews. This is not about beating yourself up if you didn’t accomplish all you wanted. Instead, use it as a learning opportunity to understand what got in the way, and how you might work through that differently in the future. You can then use this information to help build your plan for the next day and the priorities you are setting.

All of this takes time and practice. Staying on track and banishing distractions is an ongoing, real challenge that everyone faces. Building a solid set of routines and discipline around your processes will help, but ultimately, it requires your continual effort to get better with each day.

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Multitasking is a Myth: It Has More Negative Effects Than Just Less Getting Done