The Work Before the Work: Creating a Get to Work Routine
Other suggested titles for today included:
Ready, Set… Wait. There’s More to Do First.
Wait, I Have to Do WHAT First?
Before I Can Do That…
I Just Need to Get Ready to Get Started
Why Does Getting Started Take So Much Work?
The “Before I Can…” List
A coaching client recently shared, “It’s amazing the stuff you have to do to get to the things you have to do.” We were working together in a body double session and she was working on catching up on her admin work after a two week vacation.
“It’s amazing the stuff you have to do to get to the things you have to do.” Yes, this.
This client was saying this in terms of digging out her desk after two weeks of vacation and only a few days at home.
In our session, after our first 25 minutes of independent work when we had scheduled time to get her admin work done like email in-box triaging and processing, paying personal and business bills, etc., she shared that she had not actually gotten to the admin work yet and then said “It’s amazing the stuff you have to do to get to the things you have to do.”
What she HAD gotten to was:
Grabbed her notebook and planner for today’s work session;
Emptied the shred basket because it was full, so that she could process today’s shredding;
Took out the trash and recycling, so that she could start processing today's trash and recycling.
Sorted all the mail that had arrived in her absence, recycling the papers that could leave immediately, and opening up all the mail that needed handling.
The good news is that after that first 25 minutes, she had a much clearer picture of what she needed to start working on next.
Does this resonate? All the things we have to do to get to the things we have to do? What does that look like for you, personally or professionally?
Today, let’s look at the invisible and therefore unplanned-for tasks you and I need to complete before we can get to the important and urgent tasks we really need and want to get to.
I know this sounds familiar to me. For example, perhaps I need to do my online banking but as soon as I sit down to do that, I realize that I need to change my password, and that I haven't set up my password manager, and I also need that letter that came from the bank and that account number, etc. Like my client and her on-line admin tasks, there was a batch of non-computer tasks she had to complete first.
“Go to the grocery” includes looking at the food we have on hand, planning some meals, looking at the sales, grabbing our shopping bags and wallet, and THEN going to the grocery.
This type of scenario may happen often. We have the outcome in mind, and we have a vague idea of the steps that we need to take, but we don't consider all of them and progress is not as straightforward as we might hope.
So let’s look closer this week:
To more quickly get to the things you have to do… Get more specific what the steps are - the actual tasks - and how long they take.
I have spoken before about getting specific about our tasks and about the importance of realistic time estimates.
We don’t just say, okay, I'm going to organize my office, and so I organize my office. I mean, maybe you do? And for you, that is great!
But some of us might say “I need to organize my office”, but when we try to start, we also realize it may take longer than the 2 hours we have scheduled, and we have to make sure we have all the supplies we need, and take all the recycling and shredding out, or finally move out those two old printers to drop off at recycling and THEN we can organize our office.
Or, I say, I'm going to sit down and write this week’s blog article. But what I really need to do is sit down, look at my to-do list, open up my content calendar for this week’s topic (and hope I have decided on one already), look and see if I have a recording for the topic already, and THEN start writing. All of that can take anywhere from 5 minutes to like 4 days, it seems.
And so, to more quickly get to the things you have to do… Get more specific what the steps are - the actual tasks - and how long they take.
Next up, To more quickly get to the things you have to do… keep up on maintenance tasks.
Regularly complete maintenance tasks so there are fewer things that we have to do to get to the things that we have to do.
In the case of my client, she likely has a routine around opening up her mail, and taking care of her work space like emptying her shredder and recycling bins on trash day. And she just fell a little behind because of her vacation, which is completely understandable. But if she doesn’t, or you don’t, have routines around maintenance tasks, that could be a stumbling block to getting things done on any day, not just the week after vacation! We need structures and strategies in place to handle those other things, to more easily get to the work we WANT or NEED to do.
Which leads me to,
to more quickly get to the things you have to do… consider creating a Get to Work Routine.
In my recent procrastination solution articles, I suggested creating a Get To Work routine. Here is what that could look like, for my client and her admin tasks, for me and my article writing, or for you for what you endeavor to complete today. To take care of the “things we have to do to get to the things we have to do”.
A “Get to Work” Routine doesn’t have to be perfect. And it certainly should not be complex. It doesn’t have to be attached to any particular time or place. It starts with an assumption that we are ready for our day, we just need a transition to work mode. Consider this a “launch sequence”, to handle the “things we need to do” efficiently and competently so we can move to productivity on the important stuff!
Imagine with me: planning our work by getting specific on tasks and realistic time estimates and knowing that maintenance is managed, we can sit down to work, know what we’re doing and where to begin.
The routine could include
arrive at work
grab your coffee or water
turn on the lights,
clean off your desk
close your tabs
check your calendar
check your to-do list
choose your Top 3, if you haven’t already
choose your first task, and gather your necessary supplies
(Total elapsed time - 10 minutes?)
Factor these steps into your plan, EVERY TIME.
Do you like a check list? Or perhaps a work flow?
Desk → Calendar → Plan → Top 3 → First Task → Begin → Email later
This routine answers a different question: “Okay. I'm here. Now, how do I actually get to work?” It’s less about creating the perfect routine, more about creating a repeatable transition that helps us move from intention into action.
What did we learn?
“It’s amazing the stuff you have to do to get to the things you have to do.”
to more quickly get to the things you have to do…
Get more specific what the steps are - the actual tasks - and how long they take.
keep up on maintenance tasks, and
consider creating a Get to Work Routine.
