Tag Archives: tasks

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tough tasks

Tough Tasks Actually Give You More

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Do you struggle with the tough tasks? Have you ever wondered why the tough work comes your way while the seemingly easy stuff goes another?

While perception and expectations always condition your view, tough tasks may be what you should seek more of.

Just about anyone can sweep the floor. The same is true for using mainstream software tools or turning a screwdriver.

That’s the easy stuff.

It’s easy to find a burger and fries joint. A great gourmet restaurant is a little bit more difficult.

An attorney’s office is just around the corner. One that is considered the best, well, that is a little more challenging.

Do you have a great idea? You may not be alone. Even the patent for the first telephone was filed by two different people in two different places on the same day.

If everything was easy, everyone would be doing it. There wouldn’t be value for those who do more.

Tough Tasks

The boss often delegates the toughest assignments to the employee who can handle the most.

Is this a disadvantage? Is it punishment for doing great work?

Everything that is easy has a low cost. It is available everywhere, it’s a commodity.

It is true for people and it is true for products or services.

Doing the tough stuff has value. It is important work. Work that will get you noticed. This is what every employer seeks to find more of. It is exactly why they delegate the tough stuff to the best people.

Getting the tough stuff isn’t a punishment. It is a reward.

It is a reward because it means that others cannot rise to the challenge. They don’t have your skills, your knowledge, and your expertise.

Perhaps they aren’t as dedicated as you are.

Great Value

Doing the tough stuff gives you more value.

It is valuable when the promotion opportunity arises.

There is value if economic cutbacks occur.

One way or another, tough tasks give you more.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and corporate trainer. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.


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work schedule

Work Schedule and Doing What Comes Next

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What’s your work schedule look like? Do you have one? What’s your plan?

Being a task master is an effective way to get all the boxes checked. It matters and can be productive. What about the things that derail the checklist? How do you get those things accomplished?

It is important to remember that there will always be rainy day projects. There will be projects that get started but never get finished. Work completed that sits around unused and unwanted. And stuff that no matter how much effort you apply you’ll just never see the end.

It’s not uncommon to be energized by something new. A small (or big) challenge that you know is achievable and you’re excited to jump in.

There is also often procrastination. The same old, same old, project or task. It’s boring, mindless, and hard to determine its true value, yet it must be done.

Many people enjoy a hands-off management style. A style that isn’t suffering from micro-management or looked down upon from the ivory tower with a pen in hand ready to check the box.

Work Schedule

How are you feeling about your work schedule?

Is it appropriately busy? Could it be boring, monotonous, or seemingly without meaning?

What about things that can never be finished? Things that once completed start all over again? Completing sales orders, engaging customers, or keeping weeds away from your sidewalk. All continue to add up.

You’ll never watch every minute of what’s on YouTube. You can’t read every blog or listen to every podcast. The bucket is being filled faster than you can consume.

Whether you manage your own schedule or are being observed by a task master, it’s important to keep a few basics in mind.

Lists of work and are important. Yet, checking boxes is not necessarily a sign of quality or efficiency.

Likely, there will always be more on the list than what can be accomplished.

If you’re going to manage by a list, don’t allow things that can’t be finished weigh you down. Some things never end, or end only to start again.

If you’re deciding what to do next, don’t embark on something that will derail the real work that needs to be finished.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.


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