I have a weekly ritual of asking myself five questions to keep centered and focused. These questions come from the book Goals!: How to Get Everything You Want Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible, by Brian Tracy. One of my favorite books.
In reality I ask myself these five questions almost every hour to some extent. I believe every successful, goal oriented person examines a variation of these questions to some degree. The reason I believe it is important is because of the “Law of the Excluded Alternative”. This law says that doing one thing means not doing something else. If you are focused on these five questions you can not be diverted or focused on other, less important issues.
Take them for a test drive and see how your week goes.
Why am I on the payroll?
What are my highest value activities?
What are my key result areas?
What can I and only I do, that if done well will make a real difference to my company?
What is the most valuable use of my time, right now?
The Five Questions:
