Recently my great friend asked me to a Yankees game. It was the fifth game of a playoff series with Cleveland and they had to win or their season would be over. I hadn’t been to a game in years and the seats were right behind home plate, a little up so you could see – if you could pick any seats in the stadium you’d pick these.
The Bronx can take two hours to get to from here and we wanted to eat before the game so we left early. Now I always have lots of things to do, and when I don’t get them all done, I get a little antsy. And when I don’t get my priority work done, I feel behind like I wasted a day.
These feelings are all self-imposed of course, because I don’t HAVE TO do anything really. Nobody is going to scold me for not getting something done. But I am self-motivated and self-disciplined. And Prioritization is important. I don’t fill my days with activities just to be busy.
There are a thousand interesting and useful things I could do in my business, but if I made a list of all of them and put them in order of importance, (which ones will have the biggest impact on the future), I’d work on the top few and the bottom 990 will never get done (by me).
Anyway, we went to the game and I lost almost half a day from my plans, since my friend invited Marie and I to the Monday game just two days before, on a Saturday. Well….we had a great time at dinner and went into the stadium and got a great table on the Delta level at about 6:15 for a 7:00 start. At 7 it started raining. We hung out until 9:30 pm waiting for the game to start with 50,000 other people, and they called the game off! So we headed home. Dang. And got to bed late…which for me is another issue – I need my sleep.
So the next day, we had to go back for a 4:05 game. Oh no. Even earlier. I’d miss another half a day. Well…it was a great game and we got to see the Yankees win and go on in the playoffs. We had a great time. (Sorry Boston fans – don’t hate me (Tom)).
But here is the point of all this. Knowing I’d miss two half days, I focused on ONE THING both days and GOT IT DONE. It was the most important thing. What I put off was all the less important stuff. And I felt like I had a good productive day in half the time because I completed key steps in my most important project.
So – what are you busy doing? The most important things that will have a positive impact on the future? Or busywork?
I was getting bummed reading this thinking you were going to regret going to the game. I was thinking, “He’s gotta have fun sometimes.” Then the rain delay! I thought you would describe your day as a total waste. It was refreshing by the end to hear that you enjoyed your trips and what you did to set yourself up for success. It was a timely message.
Wait, grown men can’t play baseball in the rain, despite 50,000 people traveling to watch them do so!?
Red Sox forever! They will always be a top priority for me.
I love this message Larry. Resonates with me a lot – when I think about “did I have a good day or a bad day” I find myself always going back to if I kept the promises to myself to do the high value things I told myself I’d get done that day. A good day = yes a “bad” day = no. but knowing that those priorities can still happen and I am in control of my own goals in the middle of “life happening” is a great motivator to keep going and get it done. (also go Yankees!)