So, after the bad experience at Luton airport last week, which was even worse on our return, I reviewed last weeks MM.
I realised that I had not put as much effort into it, as I would normally do, and didn’t make the business / life lesson links that I try to do.
I have loads of reasons for this, the first was, having no adaptor to charge my computer.
I did think I’d have enough power to do the task though.
The second excuse was that I didn’t have loads of time spare due to the busy agenda our host had planned for us. So, while others rested in their hotel rooms in between activities, I had to sneak time at the computer to produce the MM and fulfil my commitment.
It was very tight and I finally pressed ‘send’ just before the computer switched off – phew! This was done without my normal ‘test send’ – which I use to proof read on another screen, so I wasn’t as confident that the real message would get through, but I had produced another MM.
I think that, sometimes life is like that. I want to produce perfect work, spend loads of time refining things to ensure they do what they are set out to do, so that the MM is a good use of your time to read, but sometimes things get in the way. ***t happens!
The experience I had in Lithuania, with a group of friends, was worth the 85% effort, under pressure, result. It did the job, was acceptable and no-one complained!
Sometimes it is good to put things into perspective and deal with a less than perfect output. We have to prioritise tasks, evaluate risks and make choices, and most people, in a busy business, do this every day. They make choices about how they use their time, where to focus their energy and what they get done.
It is important to then evaluate those results and based on my choices and the results, these are my lessons from last week:
- Plan better – prepare the MM in advance, take an adaptor and remove the pressure
- Accept 85% – 100% is great, but not always required. There are other things in life that are more important
- Don’t sweat the small stuff – I didn’t upset anyone, I may have lost a couple of subscribers, but that was the only risk
- Enjoy what’s in front of you – I had a great time with friends (Thanks Egis, Jurata and the team, for being amazing hosts) I throughly enjoyed the experience
So, when the pressure is building to get tasks done, and the time is ticking away, take a breath, open your eyes and make the choice. Is it better to produce something, even if it is not perfect, and do something else with your time that possibly builds better memories?
It’s your choice….