Have You Done Enough Today?

That may summarize the burning questions tormenting your mind…

Am I working hard enough? How can I make sure I’ve accomplished my fair share? Will my day ever end?

Answers to those questions can be quite simple from our 12-Minute perspective: take the habit to complete about 12 significant tasks each day; plenty to keep your projects going but not too much so you won’t get exhausted.

Sure you can do a couple extra actions some days when you have more energy, just remember that at some point, you will need rest, both mentally and physically. Also don’t be too hard on yourself on days you fall a little short.

Using a dozen tasks per day as a point of reference can also be a great way to stay balanced and pace yourself.

Let’s try to illustrate our point of view using Lucy’s story.

Lucy does complimentary clerical work for many of us and the big boss unofficially has nominated her as the guardian of morale in the office.  She is pretty good at it as she always smiles and looks happy. She also talks and listens to everyone (sometimes a bit too much but that’s part of her role) and many confide in her.

The other night, as I was getting out of the office late, I noticed Lucy was still working at her desk and suggested her to go home.

Because no one else was present, she told me that she was kind of lost as she never knew if she had accomplished enough in her day. That night, she was tired but didn’t feel she had done everything expected of her. She had the feeling that she would never see the end.  

She admitted that some days, she considered herself lazy and I could see she truly felt guilty. It was particularly ironic to witness a person like her losing spirit.

I presented her our unique 12-tasks-a-day trick.

Being well organized, with that little incentive, Lucy quickly realized her most sensitive work was out of the way and 15 tasks were already completed since the beginning on her workday. She immediately gladly went home.

In a subsequent meeting, it was recommended to everyone to give Lucy more time to accomplish her duties as she was often one on the last person to intervene in the process before deadlines.

Lucy has never been happier. Before all this, I didn’t think it was even possible for a joyful lady like her!

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