Following Through

The following is from an email newsletter sent by Jean Moroney. I highly recommend subscribing to her newsletter. There is a link at the end of this article.

"I'm going to carve out an hour each morning to think about strategy." "I'm going to the gym tomorrow at noon." "I'm going to _________."

It's easy to say you'll do something, and not as easy to follow through. What often makes the difference is one crucial step. Do you think through, very concretely, how you'll do it? This step is more important than many people credit.

To think concretely about how you'll do something is not hard. You simply visualize exactly where and when you will do the task, what you'll need for it, what might get in your way, and what to do then.

For example, when planning your strategy session, you might ask yourself "How will I prevent interruptions?" and "How do I ensure I get to my desk at 9:00 a.m.?"

This thinking process raises "obvious" issues. For example, you might note you should let voicemail take your calls. Or to exercise at noon, you observe you should bring your workout clothes to the job, and keep your schedule clear.

But the point is, although these issues are obvious if you think about them, they aren't obvious if you don't. The logical connection between your goal and the concrete facts of your workday don't get made unless you figure them out. When you skip this step, you hit obstacles and wind up saying to yourself, "I should have thought of that." A more precise lament would be: "I should have taken the time to think through how I'd do this, and if I had, I would have likely thought of that."

Thinking concretely about "obvious" issues has another benefit. It plants mental reminders that help you follow through. The reminders trigger as needed. So, when the phone rings, a little internal voice says to you "let voicemail take that." Or if you're asked to a meeting that might conflict with your workout, the voice asks, "will it be over by noon?"

These internal reminders are vital to success. They give you an alert at the exact time you need one. And you set that reminder by visualizing the concrete circumstances in advance.

So, the next time you're tempted to say, "I'm going to do _______," delay for five minutes to do some crucial mental preparation. Identify, concretely, the most obvious issues that might get in the way. Then you can commit with the confidence that you have laid the mental groundwork to follow through.

Jean Moroney teaches thinking tactics to managers and other professionals grappling with the pace and complexity of business. When they get pulled in multiple directions or caught in details, thinking tactics help them concentrate, re-orient, and think through issues - so they can get a quality job done, on schedule. This article originally appeared in her free email newsletter. To subscribe, visit http://www.thinkingdirections.com or send an email with your name to subscribe@thinkingdirections.com.