Random Wisdom (or DUH)

When you do something over and over again, you get better at it, right? Well, that’s true to a certain extent. Repetition does make things easier to do. It becomes a routine and you can do it with your eyes closed, so to speak. Routine is good, because it leads to predictable results. 

The downside of routine is that it usually sets in at the “good enough” level and it tends to stay there unless you are challenged. Another downside of routine is that you can take things to easy. You’ve done this presentation so often that you don’t need to prepare. You’re written so many proposals that you can write 80% of it with your eyes closed.

The danger of routine is that it stops improvement. Why improve something that you know how to do by heart? Because you can always do better. You can find new ways to save time on your task. You can deliver better value to your customer.

The key to improving is in your preparation. Preparation loses importance when a task becomes routine. By giving preparation the attention it deserves, you always go for the best result, instead of just good enough. Make preparation a habit for even the simplest tasks and make sure you answer at least the following questions:

• What is my goal for this task? What is my desired outcome?
• What don’t I know yet or what am I not sure about?
• What steps do I take and when? (Make a plan)
• What lessons of previous tasks can I put to use now?

If you prepare for a task as if you’re doing that task for the first time, you keep your awareness at the peak level and you will see yourself improve.