Not everything needs to become a project

You spot a minor inconvenience, and suddenly your brain is assembling a task force, drafting a strategic plan, and scheduling a meeting nobody wanted to attend.

Congratulations. You’ve turned a passing observation into a part-time job.

We’re remarkably good at this.

Maybe an idea pops into your head during a conversation, or you notice something that could be improved, a process that could run more efficiently, or an opportunity worth exploring. Before you’ve even finished your coffee, you’ve somehow talked yourself into six new responsibilities and a spreadsheet.

The spreadsheet is color-coded, naturally. We’re professionals.

But here’s a thought: Not everything you notice requires your intervention.

The thing is, you can recognize an inefficiency without volunteering to fix it, just as you can appreciate an interesting idea without feeling compelled to build a business around it. And when an opportunity presents itself, you’re perfectly capable of acknowledging its potential without immediately rearranging your entire calendar to pursue it.

You can even have a perfectly good idea and do absolutely nothing with it.

I realize this may sound suspicious coming from someone who makes a living helping people solve problems. But there’s a difference between recognizing what could be done and deciding what should be done.

And the ability to make that distinction is part of good strategy.

Every project you take on makes a claim against your attention, your energy, and your time. Even the little ones. Especially the little ones, because they’re remarkably skilled at disguising themselves as five-minute tasks before moving in, unpacking their luggage, and demanding a permanent place on your calendar.

Sometimes the smartest thing you can do with an idea is write it down and leave it alone. Sometimes you don’t even need to write it down. You can simply acknowledge it, appreciate its potential, and let it pass.

Not every possibility deserves to become a commitment.

And if you find yourself tempted to develop a comprehensive system for deciding which ideas deserve further consideration, please resist.

We are not creating another fucking project to manage the projects we shouldn’t have started.

Although I admit, the spreadsheet would probably be magnificent.

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