Let's face it. We all have good days and bad days. On the bad or average days, it usually feels like all you had time to do was put out fires or move email around.
Those days suck. I've tried to start GTD (Getting Things Done, a great time and task management system) three different times. Like a smoker who tells you he's getting ready to "quit again" (irony), I need to implement the GTD system again. It's my best defense against the "whirlwind/vortex" of activity that sucks you up and prevents you for creating value.
I'm happiest when I have a chance to create what I call "product". Here are a couple of examples of how I learned to create product:
--When I was fresh out of grad school, I worked for IBM Global Services as a Project Manager for market research products. One of the fun things about that job was staying up until 4am the morning OF the presentation, with a partner, pouring over my slides and generally being a huge @#$ about things that didn't matter. Then I'd walk into clients like the Chicago Tribune and GM and present at 9am. The partner had a reason for the grill sessions. As a research firm, I still remember him saying, "the only product we have is the intellectual capital on those slides". He was right. I was young and didn't now about life. He taught me a lot. I know that now.
--This blog. Back when I started the Capitalist 3.5 years ago, I made the somewhat obsessive compulsive pledge to write every day for a year and see what happens. I kept that pledge and still do it daily, and it's taught me a lot about creating and delivering "product" ON TIME. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, but I'm there every day. 3 certainties in life: Death, Taxes and a daily post at the Capitalist.
I'm writing this post as part of my review of Linchpin by Seth Godin. One of the key elements of becoming a Linchpin at your company or in your life (according to Godin) is the ability to SHIP. No excuses - you set the date, and you do whatever you need to do to get your product or service where you want it to be, but when the date comes - you ship and deliver.
Stop whining. No saying it has to be perfect before you'll ship. Set the date, then get the product out the door. Or chances are, you'll never ship...
If you want to be a Linchpin, you SHIP. Get it done and out to the customer, whoever that is.
Me? I still have way too many days where I don't ship anything, with the exception of this blog. I need to change that, and so do you.
Ship something today. You'll feel better. And buy this book.
You're so on the money. I am currently looking to change careers. I've been wanting to leave for a year now and now I am back on the path to preparing to leave. It's been entirely easy to make a Bad Romance job work when really what needs to happen is we break up and go our separate ways. I need to set a date and stick to it and not be afraid to make things happen.
Posted by: Jason Whitaker | March 26, 2010 at 08:25 AM