Tuesday, August 25, 2015

For Next Level Performance - Organise Your Effort

A young boy came to me. He wants to go to the next level at work but does not know how. He is hard working, has the right attitude, has got enough skill to make it.

We only need to know enough skill to survive. We don't need too much skill or too much talent. If you have basic skill you can go all the way.

Organisation of effort - The Missing Link

What's missing is organised effort. Its not about how many hours. Its about how those hours are used. Are the right practices being followed? Are key things like concentration, fitness, growth mindset, process orientation being addressed?

Most of us go into work without knowledge of the above. Merely going and practicing 10-12 hours a day will get you nowhere.

A few questions.

1) What are my limitations? (gives boundaries to work within and makes it more under control)
2) How can I work around my limitations to apply myself best? (reduction of errors in given space)
3) How do I turn in error-free performances? (elimination of all possibilities of errors)
4) How do I gain control over the process - technically, physically and mentally? (deconstruction)
5) Do I know how to self-correct when I make a mistake? (process orientation)
6) Do I know when to pull back and not throw it away? (process)
7) Can I carry on and on as long as I want to? (mental and physical fatigue)
8) Can I dig deep and raise my game? (access hidden reserves through past preparation)

These questions go beyond mere practice.

Organising effort
The above questions look to deconstruct areas of discomfort and address each separately. Grey areas, strong areas, areas to work on, first principles - they sort out the mind and make things more bearable and under control. From here, its a matter of concentration and sticking to plan.

Organising effort is only a 10% shift. You are dong the same things already, probably even more than required. By organising your effort you get more results by efficient practices which may require less effort even. You also feel more in control since you know cause and effect, context and process.

By a 10% organisation of effort you can see a drastic change in results.

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