Getting things done really isn’t rocket science. Here’s a quick story that I hope will help you, as it’s helped me. The story goes:
One day, a man approached JP Morgan, held up an envelope, and said, “Sir, in my hand I hold a guaranteed formula for success, which I will gladly sell to you for $25,000.”
“Sir,” JP Morgan replied, “I do not know what is in the envelope. However, if you show me and I like it, I give you my word as a gentleman that I will pay you what you ask.”
The man agreed to the terms and handed over the envelope. JP Morgan opened it, and extracted a single sheet of paper. He gave it one look and handed the piece of paper back to the gent, pulled out his checkbook, and paid the man the agreed-upon $25,000.
The paper read:
- Every morning, write a list of the things that need to be done that day.
- Do them.
I read this story about JP Morgan in Tom Peter’s book, ‘Big Things: 163 Ways To Pursue Excellence‘. I highly recommend it.