How to Focus on the Big Picture in Your Business

How to Focus on the Big Picture in Your Business Sometimes, small and mundane check the box tasks have to get done. Its aproblem if younever respond to email or fill out administrative reports, but if you spendallyour time on the small stuff, youll get by, but youll never get ahead. I believe that theres more for you in your life and career, so I wanted to share someinsights gleaned from my own experiences as the founder of Real Life E Time Coaching Training and an interview I did with Alexander Schultz,CEO of Complete Labs, on what keeps usaddicted to small tasks and how to get the big stuff done.Here are six reasons youre not getting anything important done at work even when youhave the time and what to do about them1. Cotton Candy WinsWe want a sense of achievement and accomplishment, saysSchultz. When we get a lot of things done, it feels good. But just knocking to-do itemsoff my checklist i s not the progress I want to have.Only doing small tasks is theequivalent of only eating cotton candy You may end up with a quick sugar high, but you willsoon crash and need even more sugar to get you back up again. Your larger projects are like meatand vegetables They take longer to chew and digest, but they leave you with a lasting sense ofsatisfaction.To more easilymake progress on these large items, cut them up into the smallest chunks possible. This could mean listing out your activities, like sending an email tosomeone or editing the document after writing it. By dividing a big win into smallcelebrations, youre getting something of substance completed and making it easier to progress.2. MemoryMistrustAnother reason that you jump on little itemsimmediately is becauseyou fear youll forget to do them if they arent done now. Most likely, you blame this on having a bad memory, but inreality it doesnt matter how goodor bad your memory is if you have the right systems in place.When y ou have a powerfulto-do list, calendar system, and email processing system, you know that youll get theright prompts at the right times to move items forward. By developing the right structure even if its as simple as a notepad where you write down and review all your current to-do items you can relax and focus on the bigger items at hand.3. Having No Idea Where to StartIf you arrive at work, take a glance at your calendar,open your email, and then just start bouncing through the day like a ping-pong ball, hoping that youll land in the right place at the right time, youre not alone. Many peopletake this sort of reactive approach to their work. When you arent aware of your priorities or clear on when they need to get done, its incredibly hard to justify not taking care ofthe smallstuff all the time.To overcome this reactive tendency, you should review yourprojects and task lists on at least a weekly basis so that you know whats mostimportant right now. Then, if possible, slot in ti me to get the key items done on your calendar.Schultz also recommends writing your goals at the top of your to-do list and askingyourself, Is this task aligned with what I want to accomplish and who I want to be?4. False GuiltYes, theres a time and place to help your colleagues, but in almost everyposition, theres also a time and place to focus on getting the work done that you need todo for yourself. Problems arise when external requests come at a faster satz or quantitythan you can handle and you start to squeeze out the other work that you need to complete.This can lead to some people especially people-pleasers feeling guilty fortaking time to do their own work before everyone else is taken care of. But the truth isthat, if you dont wrap up the projects only you can do, youre not providing the mostvalue for your company.The key to overcoming this challenge is to pace the workflow.This means setting aside some time each week to drive your key projects forward, whichthen allows f orwork for others to fit into the remaining time slots available. This may mean thatyou dont move ahead as quickly on other peoples projects, but in the larger picture, thats typically okayas long as youre moving ahead on the most important goals.5. Shame at Missed DeadlinesWhen you havent done something that youknow you should do, even thinking about the task can trigger shame. So insteadof making a dent inthat big project, you answer another email.To overcome this cycle, itsimportant to recognize that everyone makes mistakes and has items theystruggle to complete. Its also helpful to talk about whats going on with someone youtrust, because shame thrives in isolation. When you notice yourself avoiding a project andgoing into numbing behaviors such asrandomly checking social media try to stop and recognize the root causes of these behaviors. This could mean sitting quietly and taking some deep breaths, journaling, orgoing on a walk and talking with a friend.The counterintuitive tr uth is that, when youfocus on your emotions and process them, you have the opportunity to release them. In turn, these emotions will have less impact on your behavior than they would if you just tried to avoid them.6. High Fives RequiredGetting affirmation for your work feels good for most people.Depending on your personality type, it can be almost essential for getting things done. Ifyoure one of those people, dont fight that tendency work with it. You can do so byusing online tools where you can post your activities and have others comment on them,work with a coach, or set up a buddy system with a friend to make progress on yourbigger goals. That way you can get a Yahoofor each step along the way even when thebigger project is far from complete.If you are ready to really move forward in your career, stop letting the small stuff squelchyour success.A version of this article originally appeared on BusinessCollective.Elizabeth Grace Saunders is the founder and CEO ofReal Life E, a time coaching and training company, and the author of The 3 Secrets to Effective Time Investment How to Achieve More Success With Less Stress andHow to Invest Your Time Like Money.