Invest Now To Get A Better Return On Next Year's 2,000 Hours Of Work

The single greatest factor that determines what we accomplish and how we feel at work is where we direct our time and attention. Unlike most other professions, knowledge work requires hundreds of daily micro-decisions. We decide which meetings to attend and how to participate once we’re there. We decide how long to spend on each email and what work to prioritize. We decide when to cancel personal appointments and when to work well into the evening.

No single decision is significant, but in total, they define the work day, week, month and year. With the start of a new year, this is an ideal time to step back and reflect on the choices you made over the course of 2016. What do those micro-decisions tell you about your focus and your priorities? Did you repeatedly place the urgent in front of the important? Were you able to make significant progress on work that really matters? Did you invest time, your scarcest and non-replenishable resource, wisely and well?

Imagine what would be possible if you could get 20% greater output from every day in the coming year. With a little reflection and a strong intention, it might be easier than you think.

Here’s a three-step reflection process to help you take stock of 2016 and head into 2017 ready to soar:

1. Remind yourself what matters most. Write down:

• The top three ways you create value for your organization. For example, mine are delivering client outcomes, business development, and codifying intellectual property.

• The specific 2016 projects that had the greatest positive impact on the business.

• The regular activities that sustain your personal life. For me, those include holding Tuesday date night sacred and device-free dinners as a family.

• What energizes you. I am at my best when I feel prepared and have a lot of variety.

2. Take a tour of your 2016 calendar. Set your view to “Work Week” and then go back to February 8. Spend a few minutes studying the week and consider these questions:

• What percentage of your time was spent directly contributing to the items you noted in step one?

• How many meetings were you in that, looking back, no longer seem all that relevant or useful?

• How many days of that week seem energizing? How many were more likely to have been exhausting?

• Repeat for the weeks of April 25, September 12, and December 5 (if these weeks are anomalies, choose one week from each quarter that reflects reality.)

3. Based on that examination, decide how to fine tune your decision-making for 2017. Consider:

• What can you do less of next year? What kinds of requests did you accept in 2016 but will not in 2017? What low-value activities can you reduce or eliminate?

• What would you like to do more of? How can you design your days to make that happen?

• What appointments could you schedule with yourself right now in order to make your days as close to ideal as possible? For example, you may want to block the morning for thinking time or create a standing meeting for the last half hour of the day to wrap up so that you can truly engage with your family once you’re home.

In this chaotic world, it’s easy to get distracted from what really matters. Set yourself up for success in the new year by investing a few minutes now to think about bringing out your personal best at work. We spend about 2000 hours a year at work. Isn’t it worth it to make those hours count for just a little bit more?