To cut your to-do list in half (or more): Don’t pre-solve problems. Post-solve problems.
I want you to look at your to-do list right now.
How many of the items on there are pre-solving a problem vs. post-solving a problem?
In other words…
How many of the items on your list are trying to address a problem that you anticipate happening (but hasn’t actually happened yet)? That’s pre-solving.
And how many of the items on your list are addressing a problem that’s already happened? That’s post-solving.
For example, if you have on your list: “Send out meeting summary and next steps.”
Are you doing that because you anticipate that people will forget what was discussed, and you want to prevent that? That’s you pre-solving.
Or are you doing that because people have actually forgotten what was discussed in past meetings, and you’re addressing a problem that’s been proven to exist? That’s you post-solving.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve set a standard of success for yourself that says:
“If a problem occurs, I’ve done a bad job.
I should have seen it coming and prevented it from happening.”
This is a standard of success that makes you highly conscientious, diligent, and effective.
It gives you fantastic results, and it means that you always have your shit together.
AND…this is a standard of success that leads you to do a lot of extra work.
Because the world has a lot more possible problems than actual problems.
And when you can imagine tons and tons of possible problems…
And you set the bar for success as “NO problems should occur — otherwise I did a bad job”…
You now have to pre-solve ALL of those problems in order to consider yourself a success.
Which means the smallest initiative or project or idea requires TONS of effort on your part.
And you either have to work yourself into the ground to do everything you want to do…
Or you have to limit the number of things you take on and feel bummed out about the things you can’t do, even though you want to.
But what if… You allow problems to occur and you solve them after they’ve happened?
What if your standard of success isn’t…
“If a problem occurs, I’ve done a bad job.
I should have seen it coming and prevented it from happening.”
But rather…
“If a problem occurs, that’s the real world efficiently filtering 1 REAL problem out of 10, 20, 100 POSSIBLE problems.
Let me pat myself on the back for waiting and gathering data.
Let me be pleased that I now know WHERE to focus my efforts.
Let me be proud of myself for not wasting my precious time and energy pre-solving 10 problems that might never have happened…
…And therefore having the energy to tackle this 1 real problem when it arose.
And now let me get to work solving this one real problem.”
How would that change the level of effort it takes for you to start something new?
How would that free up time, space, and bandwidth in your brain?
How would that change the way you talk to yourself when something goes wrong?
So much of coaching is about finding the flips.
It’s about finding the tiny unquestioned assumptions that you didn’t even realize you’d made…
Assumptions that have been serving you well so far, and have genuinely contributed to your success…
And finding the places in your life where those same assumptions are now inadvertently limiting you.
And then flipping those assumptions upside down and seeing what happens.
It helps to do this with someone else.
Seeing your own assumptions is one of the hardest things in the world.
That’s why I have a coach too.
Someone with an objective outside perspective can see through your thinking way faster than you can.
And it helps to do this with someone who works exclusively with people like you.
Aka: driven, determined, uncompromising high achievers who have no interest in being told to “calm down” and “just do B+ work.”
I’m never going to tell you to just chill out and do subpar work :)
I am always going to help you find a way to have your cake and eat it too 🧁
A way to do the incredible work you want to do…AND not burn out or sacrifice your sanity in the process.
If that sounds like the ultimate win-win to you…
Then come talk to me, and let’s start finding the flips in your life today :)
What my clients have to say…
“The impacts have been huge. I started feeling more confident and self-assured at work. And that gave me the emotional bandwidth to start building better habits too.
Now I’m doing a lot better with my work and it’s taking up less energy at the same time. I’m not working as hard but I’m getting better results.
I feel like this is a more sustainable way that I can conduct myself in my career.”
—Client | VP at Major Financial Institution
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