Boost Your Success by Focusing on Execution

Our biggest roadblock to success
is execution. Everybody knows,
for instance, that the key to
losing weight is to exercise more
and eat less. So why is it so hard
to do? Every year more and more
people are over weight and more
people claim to have a new diet or
weight loss strategy.
The real problem is not that we don’t know what
to do – but it’s actually doing it. Studies have
shown that it takes 21 days for new behavior to
become a habit, but often within this time period
motivation has waned, distraction has set in and
success is tempered.
Every year we spend tons of effort trying to
discover strategy and direction for all the
different components of our lives … marriage,
work, parenting, de-stressing… when what if the
reason we are not successful in some of those
areas is because we fail to execute?
I have been a motivational keynote speaker at
fifteen or so safety events per year, where I
hear over and over again that safety procedures
are well laid out, but the ongoing challenge is that
people don’t follow the procedures – they fail to
execute.
We are well trained to plan but not to execute.
Anytime I have had success it is simply from
focus and perseverance. Changing strategy along
the way is necessary to adjust to the shifting
environments, but I would argue that the real
basis for success is persistence.
The inability to say NO allows all the distractions
along the way to sabotage our planning. We each
only have so much time, energy and resources.
Over-extending in areas that are not important
to our goals can be fatal to results.
We need to prioritize and stay focused on one or
two objectives. Taking on too much and
expecting big results quickly is a recipe for
disaster. We spend most of our day multi-
tasking, feeling that we’re accomplishing twice as
much by doing two things simultaneously, when, in
fact, it has been shown that distracted attention
usually dilutes results, to reducing productivity
by 40%.
For example, I spend a good two hours a day
answering emails, while I do this I am usually
multitasking. I read an email while speaking on
the phone and possibly even filing a document. At
any one time however I am only focusing on one
task at a time. I read the email, and then switch
my attention to the phone conversation. Next, I
will tune out the conversation on the phone to
focus on placing the right document in the right
file.
All of this is done so quickly that I don’t even
notice the switch of attention. In the end, I
know that I am not doing work that requires a lot
of mental focus. All creative, innovative activity I
could never do at the same time as other
activities.
To combat this we need to create goals that
involve uninterrupted time.
When you choose a goal, follow through with
focus and execution. Remember that especially in
the first 21 days (when the habit is not solid) it is
important to your success to do these activities
with a single minded focus. In today’s distracted
world, you will be shocked at how hard this is.
Strategy, planning and research are the slow
parts of goal achievement. Remember that action
brings enthusiasm and results to the forefront,
so continue to keep a forward motion and
progress is guaranteed. Execute!