Good morning and welcome back to work! How was your turkey? Did you have to have to call the Butterball hotline?
I like to say that one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day. Here’s the quote:
“Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.”
— Peter Marshall
Oh I love/hate when these things seem like they are directed right at me. Because here is the thing about me: I love to solve problems. I like to make plans and policies that will allow me to provide more and better service to clients, or distribute more helpful information to boards and community association professionals. I like thinking about the big picture, and providing long-term benefit, and increasing or maximizing payoff. Personally I think that is where a lawyer can differentiate his work from that of his peers.
But the thing is, that is only a small part of what I do. A much larger part is actually putting in the time, and getting the work accomplished. A significant percentage of this is work that most lawyers, especially most lawyers in my field, can accomplish. It’s not a question of how smart or experienced or savvy you are; it is simply a matter of rolling up the sleeves and getting the work done. Process a payment. Follow up on a settlement offer. File a lien. It is not big picture, or long-term, or flashy. But it has to be done, and in that sense, it is more important, and more pressing, and “better.”
And these items are especially important this week. Did some new issues crop up over the holiday weekend? Is everything you left now five days older than the last time you looked at it? Does it seem like a great time to figure out a way to knock out several things at once, or plan for the next items that might be coming in? Is it tempting to treat your mind as a blank slate (it might be feeling like one anyway), and plan for the end-of-year, and get things ready for 2019?
Of course it is. My mind is absolutely dying to do those things. But that is not how greatness is made, and in fact it is not even how the necessary tasks are accomplished. It is just a fancy form of procrastination, and it has no place here.
My focus for the week is going to be guided by this quote (I hope). When I turn to what I need to do next, and when I set priorities for the day or the meeting or the task, I will ask myself – is this planning, or is it doing? My goal for the week is to do small deeds, and leave the planning of great ones for the future. Not too far in the future of course – planning is important – but this week is time to get things done. I hope you find time to do the same.
Have a great week everybody.