One of my pet peeves when I talk to people who are considering taking on a new project, is when they say, “I don’t have time.” Yes you do.
The question is not (generally) whether or not you have time. It’s what you have decided to prioritize.
The fact is, most of us actually have plenty of time to take on a new project. We just decide not to do it because it will cut into our TV time. But even for those that are the super-achievers that are really super busy…it’s still about priorities. In every case, we can choose to drop another project to a lower priority so we can focus on this new challenge. The challenge with this is to do so with purpose. One of my big problems is that I sometimes take on a lot of projects only to flit from one to another when that project “demands” my attention.
I am working to focus more specifically on each project without interuption so I can give that project it’s due until it’s time to move on. The human brain is not designed to multi-task (despite what some might tell you). You will be most effective when you work on one thing at a time.
But we all have time to take on new projects. We just have to decide whether this new project should take priority. It’s totally okay to say “no” if the project is not important enough. But let’s just be brave enough to say that…rather than the easy excuse of “I don’t have time.”
