I speak to so many managers and business owners who feel that every day is just a succession of difficult, and often monotonous, tasks. In their dreams they have a great product or service and watch as their employees and their customers take their ideas and cause them to bloom while they enjoy the rewards of success. In reality their lives look like this.
Every day they have to push their stones so that things keep ticking over. If they are not actively pushing then nothing gets done. They dream of delegating but their hopes are dashed when others fail to understand what has to be done and, instead of pushing, wait for the boss to at least say “push now”. At the end of each long, hard day they feel tired and demoralized knowing that tomorrow there will be more stones to push.
But business life does not have to be this way. If people start to take a little time each day to chip the edges off their stones – to optimize, to document and to effectively delegate – then those stones will be so much easier to push. As the edges become a little rounded, the stones may even roll a meter before stopping again. The amazing thing is that each stone that becomes easier to push saves a little time and energy; time and energy that can be used to keep chipping at those edges.
With commitment and a plan, you can continue to chip at those blocks until they become round. Tasks can be simplified and documented, boring tasks can be automated and repetitive tasks can be delegated. Instead of spending life pushing stones, you can work on your strategy while the blocks roll past you.
And if you need a little help, contact me at neill@buruwang.org. I am good at chipping the edges away.