How to avoid getting bogged down in the details & focus on what’s really important
by Stephanie Eckelkamp
Tell us if this sounds familiar: You get to work on time, you keep your head down, you’re meticulously organized, and you spend every moment perfectly executing a steady stream of to-do list checkpoints...and yet promotions pass you by. In fact, you may not even have time to think about promotions because you’re constantly in the weeds.
Girl, you are getting bogged down in the details. We get it, it’s a common pitfall for women, who are notoriously more detail-oriented than men—but when taken to an extreme, it’s not doing you any favors. And we’d bet money that when you get caught up in the minutia of your day-to-day, you’re elevating your stress levels and not actually living up to your potential.
Think about it: When hiring managers are considering someone for a promotion, they consider both their performance and potential—and when you’re spending time worrying about how many exclamation points you should include in an email or the color scheme of your PowerPoint presentation, you’re leaving less time to focus on the big-picture stuff that will help you get ahead. The fact is, you’re not going to stand out by simply keeping yourself busy.
This isn’t to say details aren’t important, but rather, they’re not the only thing that’s important—and they’re not going to be what gets you beyond that first or second promotion of your professional career. Instead, what could really move the needle on your career (and leave you feeling more fulfilled in the process) are things like being able to:
Suggest alternate processes and workflows that could save your company money.
Highlight problems that affect business and suggest creative solutions.
Help your company understand and adapt to new technology or social platforms.
Have a solid grasp on who the competition is and what they’re doing well that you could do better.
Be able to speak knowledgeably about your role and responsibilities and how they fit into the company’s larger mission—as opposed to mindlessly powering through your tasks.
Of course, becoming the person who can do all of these things requires freeing up some of your mental resources to think creatively and critically about these issues. Here, we dive into a few strategic tips to help you focus on what’s really important.
1. Be protective of your time with this to-do list hack.
Managing your time appropriately and being organized is crucial if you’re going to have the bandwidth to focus on any big-picture issues. Right now, you’re probably devoting a disproportionate amount of time to less important tasks. To prioritize all of the requests and to-dos that come flying at you first thing in the morning, try implementing the 2-minute by David Allen, productivity expert and author of Getting Things Done.
First, take 20-30 minutes to compile all of your requests (e.g. notes from your boss, co-workers, customers, etc) and various to-dos. Then organize things by priority, or delegate accordingly:
Do: If it will take less than two minutes, do it right away. It will also boost your confidence to scratch a few simple things off your list right at the beginning of your work day.
Delay: If it will take more than two minutes, but it’s important, place it into a specific time slot in your schedule—starting with what’s most important.
Delegate: If it’s a request or task better suited to one of your co-workers, delegate that sh*t (if appropriate to do so).
2. Intentionally slot time for “big picture” brainstorming.
When you tighten up your daily schedule with tip #1, you should have a bit more wiggle room to devote brain power to big-picture brainstorming, strategizing, and research. Ideally, you’ll do a little of this every day so that, over time, your brain naturally starts to look at your company’s—and your own—goals and potential from a broader perspective.
So, what exactly should you be doing during this time? Depends on your job. But a good place to start is by asking yourself questions like: What are my company’s long-term and short-term goals, and what role could I play in getting them closer? What is my company excelling at and what could they be doing better? Are certain processes less efficient than they should be? What do I find the most frustrating and how could it be fixed? What are some really creative things being done by our competition, and how could we do them better? Do I have a talent, skill, or passion that’s not being utilized and that would simultaneously fill a need at work?
Taking time to view things from a distance and understand how your role fits (or could fit) into a greater mission can prepare you to more effectively advocate for yourself, speak confidently with higher-ups, and feel like your work has purpose.
3. When you’re working on a project, be mindful of the overall goal.
When you’re working on a project, it’s important to periodically check in with yourself to make sure you’re not devoting a disproportionate amount of time on low-priority tasks. Remind yourself why you were assigned something in the first place (e.g. what’s the main goal this project is supposed to achieve for your team or company?), and then spend most of your time working to deliver that thing—and less time deliberating on, say, the exact wording or color palette of your presentation. Yes, these details are important, but refining them should usually be secondary to the main event.
4. If you tend to waste time worrying, try this mantra.
If you take too long to do things because you have anxiety or a serious case of perfectionism (you want things to be just right), try the mantra: “start it now, fix it later.” With a strong emphasis on starting—because that’s half the battle. This is similar to the writer's mantra of “write now, edit later,” or Ernest Hemingway’s less work-friendly “write drunk, edit sober.” The idea is that it is much more efficient to just dive into a project and get something down on paper as a starting point, and then tweak and refine as needed, as opposed to aiming for perfection on round one.
5. Always take your lunch break (or at least go outside for a walk).
This one might sound silly, but if you’re going to have a big-picture mindset, your brain needs a break now and then. In fact, research has shown that downtime boosts creativity and is necessary to help generate innovative ideas. Additionally, being constantly busy, busy, busy can actually lower your IQ by 13 points (about as much as you’d lose by missing a night’s sleep)! So, taking at least 30-minutes or so to do something without the distractions of email, social media, or your chattering co-workers will really pay off in the long run. Try going on a short walk, doing some deep breathing, or flowing through a few Sun Salutations.
Bottom line.
It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day responsibilities of your job. But the truth is, not all of your to-dos are created equal, and you’ll inevitably run yourself ragged if you treat them as such. Prioritizing what’s most essential, making time to get into a big-picture mindset with strategic brainstorming sessions, putting worry aside and just getting started, and giving yourself a brain break now and then will go a long way in helping you boost productivity and get unstuck at work.