Vacation, All I Ever Wanted…

Cover Your Assets, Productivity
No Gravatar

With apologies to The Go-Go’s…

Time management “experts” opine that most people get more done on the day before they leave for vacation than any other day…

(This actually says a lot more about the terribly low output most people get on the average day, by the way…)

Why would this be true?

I think there are several reasons:

We are focused on creating a list of things that must get done before we can leave.  The things that can’t slip to tomorrow because we won’t be here tomorrow.

We are focused on crossing things off our list that either don’t have to get done at all, or that can wait until our return

We are usually focused on getting into vacation mode asap, and possibly even to getting an early start, so we are focused on getting things done as quickly as possible.

We are focused on talking with people that we are in the middle of things with to let them know what we expect done in our absence, and focused on anything that needs to be done right now to move the project forward before we leave.

Are you noticing any pattern?  Is there a word that keeps coming up?

Yes… Focus.  And now that I’ve written my blog post for the day, I’m free to FOCUS on the other things on my list.

Why shouldn’t we live every day like this?   (I have gotten better at it, but still a long way to go…)

Next week, I’ve got some cool things planned, and I’ll be writing about them.  One of the topics is going to be “Working Vacations”… as a small business owner, I don’t know any other kind…

Seize your To-Do List (and focus on what needs to get done TODAY),

Rob

PS: I’m bringing five copies of the CorporateVeil Pro program with me to mail from the road when the orders come in… And I’ll be meeting with DIY Lawyer and Kevin Hogan and hopefully Sunny Carlson next week, as well as a bunch of old friends and family…

Be a Hero and Share This Post:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • email
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
  • TwitThis
16 Comments

15 Comments

  1. DIY LawyerNo Gravatar (23 comments)  •  Nov 21, 2008 @10:02 am

    Focus is key, thanks for the post Rob, See you next week.

    Learn How to Be A Do It Yourself Lawyer

    Reply

  2. Steve ChambersNo Gravatar (103 comments)  •  Nov 21, 2008 @11:11 am

    In my experience we do get more accomplished the day of two before vacation for the reasons you cite. Focus and concentration are powerful forces that come to our aid and cause us to be more productive.

    Steve
    Influence Tactics

    Reply

  3. matthew shieldsNo Gravatar (36 comments)  •  Nov 21, 2008 @11:30 am

    Hi , Rob
    Yep that’s what I thought. I agree people do tend to focus because there is no tomarrow that they can fall back on. Have a safe trip
    Energy Expert
    Anything Solar

    Reply

  4. Jennifer SkinnerNo Gravatar (42 comments)  •  Nov 21, 2008 @4:30 pm

    I’ve noticed this in myself, too. But I have to admit that while working double-speed I have in the back of my mind “Thank goodness I can rest tomorrow, I’m going to need it!”
    Jennifer Skinner
    Wardrobe Planning Expert

    Reply

  5. John HoNo Gravatar (86 comments)  •  Nov 21, 2008 @5:17 pm

    Kevin in his “Time for Love, Time for $ CD” program said that survey showed the executive earning $100K+ was productive for an hour a day!

    John Ho

    Reply

  6. Intuitive JohnNo Gravatar (31 comments)  •  Nov 21, 2008 @5:21 pm

    I find that there are days I’m much fresher in the morning so write…or at least outline…my posts and written work for the day. That does free my mind up.

    Enjoy yourself.

    Intuitive John
    Supercharge Your Intuition!
    Is Your Dog Nervous and Anxious All The Time? Learn How To Rescue Him

    Reply

  7. Lisa McLellanNo Gravatar (90 comments)  •  Nov 21, 2008 @5:32 pm

    So where are you going? I heard the Go-Gos in my head as soon as I read the title! Great post. Focus? How do you do that?

    Reply

    Rob NorthrupNo Gravatar (84 comments) Reply:

    My family is leaving on Saturday morning to go to the Great White North (aka Minnesota) to visit my Mom, and my sister and her family. I lived in Minnesota (Minneapolis suburb) from the age of ten till I left to go to college at Georgia Tech…

    I still have a few High School friends that I keep in touch with, and we are going to have a get-together on Tuesday night. I will be having breakfast with DIY Lawyer and hopefully seeing Kevin and Sonya as well.

    One of my daughters is playing in a National Tennis tournament up there starting on Thanksgiving Day and lasting through the weekend if she keeps winning. Since some of the best Jr. players in the country will be there, it is going to be very challenging.

    Rob

    Reply

  8. Cindy EyansonNo Gravatar (36 comments)  •  Nov 21, 2008 @8:57 pm

    Sounds like a post I did a while back…
    Have a wonderful trip….
    Cindy

    Cindy Eyanson Online

    Reply

  9. Michael RothNo Gravatar (24 comments)  •  Nov 21, 2008 @9:22 pm

    Have a great time, stay focused!!! Michael

    Reply

  10. LenaNo Gravatar (39 comments)  •  Nov 21, 2008 @10:29 pm
  11. Philip GravesNo Gravatar (52 comments)  •  Nov 22, 2008 @9:27 am

    As usual rob you make an excellent point.

    I do find there are some days when I am much more focused than others, but I haven’t yet managed to quite put my finger on why. Although I do know that when I have an awful lot to do I write my list and get down to it, and if I have slightly less to do I back off. That said, I’m not sure I like the feeling of having lots to do all the time either so I suppose there is something to be said for finding a tempo that works, or finding a cycle of different tempos that are most effective for you over a period of time.

    Philip

    Reply

  12. Craig ErnstNo Gravatar (8 comments)  •  Nov 22, 2008 @9:52 am

    I think one of the big keys in understanding that super-productive “day before vacation” days is that the choice of what things NOT to do that day has as much to do with the total level of accomplishment, as they the things we decide to do.

    Have a good trip, Rob!

    Craig Ernst
    Real Estate Success Path, Tips & Strategies for Smart Agents

    Reply

  13. JenyaNo Gravatar (6 comments)  •  Nov 22, 2008 @12:01 pm

    Focus is the key, but I guess so is the payoff. You get to go on vacation.

    Jenya
    Longevity Educator and Coach
    The Raw Food Resource

    Reply

  14. David J. ParnellNo Gravatar (38 comments)  •  Nov 23, 2008 @8:31 pm

    When I have external forces focusing my attention, it is indeed easier to get things done..

    David J. Parnell | Communication Expert
    Communication Expert Blog

    Reply

  15. April BraswellNo Gravatar (73 comments)  •  Nov 24, 2008 @1:44 pm

    Hi Rob,

    it is true. With the Online Dating Coach work I do, this is why leveraging a strategy and focusing our activities leads to great romantic love relationships. Well-focused efforts on THE RIGHT activities = accomplishment.

    All the best,

    April Braswell

    Online Dating Expert, Romantic Relationship Coach, Romance Coaching

    Online Dating Sites Review, Internet Dating Sites Guide

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Allowed tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>