The challenge of personal work prioritization hinges on 3 basic questions:
- Should I do this or not? In other words, will investing myself, my time, and my resources into this activity likely lead to the outcome I desire?
- When should I do this? If the answer to the first question is “yes, it’s worth my time,” the next question is one of timing. “When should I do this within the context of all the other activities, tasks, and responsibilities that are also my priorities?”
- How perfectly should I do this? Again, if the answer to the first question is, “yes,” another follow-on question becomes, “how excellent do I need to be in completing this activity?”
Of course, each of these 3 work prioritization questions are important in order to make meaningful progress toward our goals.
Easily, though, the question that gets addressed least is the third.
For folks who care and are conscientious, once the decision is made to do something and once we begin to do it (questions 1 and 2), we almost always try to do it to the best of our ability. We have been taught this axiom since childhood: “If you are going to do it, do it well!”
But that is a myth. And an unhelpful myth at that.
For example, we know that the timing of calendar year end appeals is at least as important as the year end appeal message. Yet, each December, conscientious advancement folk will continue to review, tweak, massage, and wordsmith the appeal message in an attempt to get the “perfect message.” Meanwhile, this focus on perfection overrides the need to ship the appeal.
The appeal that could have been delivered on December 5 is now delayed to December 15. And that 10-day delay causes the response rate to plummet. By December 15, people are focused on finishing work and school for the holiday break, gift shopping for loved ones and friends, attending holiday parties, and traveling to gather with family.
If we had simply shipped a “less perfect” appeal message but done so closer to December 5, our gift results would be far greater.
We may need to do things. We may even need to do them urgently. But don’t always need to do them perfectly.