Being flexible is important. Though busy people benefit from planning on a micro (the day) or macro (an entire life) level – most people agree that the best laid plans often change midstream. So being comfortable with a certain amount of flexibility is a good thing.
But you have to make certain you don’t get so flexible that you lose your grip on what’s really important to you. Little by little, day by day, you can let things slide in such a way that pretty soon the things that matter are no longer a part of our daily or life routine.Being flexible is important. Though busy people benefit from planning on a micro (the day) or macro (an entire life) level – most people agree that the best laid plans often change midstream. So being comfortable with a certain amount of flexibility is a good thing.
Here are some non-negotiables I’ve come across…
- Rick Steve’s, the travel expert, says “no” to any request for his time that falls outside of focus on his family or travel.
- A guy I know won’t work on Sundays. Ever. He knew once he started doing so he might get used to the revenue he could generate or the jump start he could get on his Monday and it would be too hard to stop. For him, Sundays are for family and relaxing.
- A client who has a home office once said that if her young child asks for her time and she also has work to do, the child’s request always comes first. Sometimes it’s only 20 minutes before she can get back to the work at hand. It’s a delay she welcomes so her child knows he is as important as her work.
- One colleague will only volunteer for one organization at a time. That way he can control his schedule and give full focus to the one organization where he is dedicating his time.
- A client schedules sales call time on his calendar. It’s a vitally important piece of his workload and he doesn’t allow any other meeting requests or tasks usurp that block of time.
- A noted speaker gives one free speech per month. 12 free speeches a year is a significant and generous commitment. Sought after and heavily booked, this speaker doesn’t have to weigh opportunities and squeeze in additional freebies to be a nice guy while sacrificing revenue opportunities.
Do you have any non-negotiables? If you don’t, should you?