How to Get It Done

I discovered, long ago, that a wish or desire is not enough to get something done. Every accomplishment starts with an idea, of course -- but ideas, alone, won't make things happen.

Even a very strong "want to" won't bring the follow through. Getting something done requires doing something ahead of time!

1. What Gets Scheduled Gets Done.

A while back, I shared a great vacation idea with my wife, Cathy.

"Hey, we should go on a cruise sometime!"

"When are you thinking we should do this?" Cathy wondered.

"I dunno. Just sometime . . ."

Cathy replied, "Well, the only way that's going to happen is if it gets on the calendar."

For years, I said I wanted to author a book, but never seemed to have the time to write it. Then, I actually did it. Here's what made the difference. I put" book writing" on my weekly calendar. When I scheduled a definite time to write -- presto -- the book magically appeared!

If you want to get it done, get it on the schedule!

2. What Gets Planned Gets Done.

I have a lot of ideas, and most of them don't pan out. The primary reason most of my ideas end up on the scrap heap is because they are not accompanied by a good plan.

An idea is like a semi trailer The plan is the truck. If the trailer's not hitched to the truck, it's not going anywhere!

My brother, Tim, bought a semi trailer a while back, and put it behind his house. It became his wonderful storage shed! You can find lots of fascinating treasures in there! Unhitched ideas are like that. Instead of taking the payload down the road, they become storage sheds for interesting and unused possibilities.

If you want to achieve something, you have to make a plan! If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

You'll end up like Sir John Harvey Jones who observed, "Planning is unnatural. It's much more fun to get on with it. The real benefit of not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise and is not preceded by months of worry."

3. What Gets Started Gets Done

Well, maybe. . .  I have a lot of unfinished projects sitting around my house. Getting started doesn't necessarily get it done but I can guarantee this -- You'll ever get it done if you don't get it started!

A mountain of work won't disappear by staring at it, or wishing it away. You jut have to roll up your sleeves, jump in and take it on! My friend, Robyn, who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro remarked, "The only way to reach the summit of a huge mountain is by taking one little step at a time."

4 . What Gets our Attention Gets Done

I've come to realize, over the years that in a family, classroom, business, church or community, we get more of what we recognize, applaud and celebrate. What gets celebrated gets done.

Cathy and I started a wonderful program at our former church called Celebrate Recovery. It helped a lot of people.  A key component of the entire experience is summed up in the first word: CELEBRATE!  Too often, recovery groups are shuttled off to the basement or cloaked in secretive shame. We found that the more we celebrated recovery, the more recovery we had to celebrate!

Note, this works on the negative side as well. School teachers who focus on misbehavior in the classroom will get much more of it. It pays better to pay attention and reward positive behavior.  Wherever you focus -- you will get more of it.

5. What Gets Appreciated Gets Done.

People want to be wanted, need to be needed, and certainly appreciate being appreciated. A primary task for the effective leader is to involve people and then walk around saying, "Thank you!"

6. What Gets Finished Gets Done.

Although starting is half the job -- finishing is the other half. The job is not over until it's really been completed. Commit yourself to finish with a flourish! Roll up your sleeves, and get it done!