Some would suppose that our title is referring to that thing you might consider to be second best as compared to “the best.” I prefer to think of it as the single action that would be the most productive thing for me to tackle next.
You all know that we don’t manage time. Right? We actually manage ourselves and the things we do with our time. So, it behooves us to always be considering what the next step we take should be.
Of the projects I am currently working on, which one needs attention the most? What is the most effective small step I can take to move my highest priority project forward?
Think of yourself as the “guy” who has a bunch of plates spinning atop a corresponding number of sticks. Which of those plates is closest to slowing down and wobbling to a thunderous crash? That’s the plate that most needs a gentle push to keep it spinning.
Here’s an example from my life today.
I am actively involved in these projects: personal health and wellness, housekeeping, gardening, outfitting the 5th-wheel, processing SBC’s invitations to bid, preparing bid files, and sending out today’s job estimates. My personal priority is to keep SBC running smoothly. The highest priority for SBC is to keep work in the pipeline by sending our work estimates for upcoming jobs to general contractors. I cannot fax or email our bids until the estimator completes his process, but I can build a list of email addresses for potential recipients and store it for later use.
This is my next step . . . the highest priority, requires the least effort, keeps me one step ahead of the estimator, positions my work so someone else could easily send out the bids if I were engaged in something else.
All of the plates are nicely spinning . . . my time and effort is being used to it’s best advantage. Viola! My next best thing.
