20/20

Hindsight is 20/20 because the past is always easiest to see. - Bleeding Through

If I've learned anything since my last post. It's that execution of your commitments is the only thing that separates the exceptional from the mediocre.

I've made a lot of claims. I have not followed through on all of those claims. The differentiating variable between what I say I'm going to do and what I actually do is simply the clash between reality and my perception of reality.

Every week I know exactly what my completion rate is. As of writing this, I am at 16% for the week. I have only hit 100% a few times. The reason behind the discrepancies is that when I write out my management reports on Friday, my perception of what reality on that particular day hasn't factored in the things that I have yet to find out. By Monday, only half the list is relevant, by Wednesday, half of that is relevant. The Travis Corrigan that wrote the management report on Friday is different than the Travis Corrigan the following Wednesday. The reality of the space that you are operating in changes quickly in highly chaotic, complex situations. Priorities change as the environment changes, if you can't adapt your organization dies.

So why make a plan if it's going to change? Because over time you get better at calling your own shots, knowing that there are a lot of cognitive blindspots built into your plan. You learn to execute better, you become disciplined and start recognizing work avoidance tactics (like writing blog posts). The practice of executing on a plan makes you become better at planning. It's cyclical: after a while you learn that it's hard to execute a soft, head-in-the-clouds plan. And you learn that you won't accomplish anything of merit with low-standard plans.

It's hard, it requires integritous accountability and dedicate time of reflection to review what you have done and what you have not.

Try it: Write down (yes, write it down) 10 things that you plan to do in a week. Then add 2 stretch goals (mark them with an "s" at the end). Put the document someplace that you can get to easily, preferably someplace that you pass regularly. At the end of the week calculate the following:

Commitments Completed/Commitments Made = % Completion Rate

The exercise isn't about getting 100%, it's about looking at WHY you didn't do what you said you were going to do. Were they not as important as you originally thought that they were? Did some unforeseeable hing that wasn't on your list pop up that took precedent? Are they worth carrying over to next week or should you drop them?

Do this exercise weekly for the next 4 weeks. Tell me your completion rates and any insights that you have about.