Time, Work, and Time for Work

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Regardless of what challenge we assign or face, we are often encouraged to throw time at it. Perhaps every musician has heard or said "practice more," "work harder," "put the time in."

This is, at least superficially, good advice. When the going gets tough, put more time into it. Count in weeks, months, years. Hours and minutes often don't show much.

I have a small clock on my desk at home. It reads:

The great recipe for success is work. - Leon Gambetta

That is good advice. Good advice wouldn't be good if it was absolute, though. (That is a conundrum if there ever was one.)

It is completely possible to spend years working very hard and getting lots done, but getting pretty well nowhere. David Allen teaches us that we have to be organized on two levels - daily, and long term. Personal organization and time management will help us get tasks done quicker, but we need different skills to guarantee that we are actually doing the right things. Efficiency and hard work are not the same things as good decision making. We must invest in both.

Achievement demands three abilities: clear goal setting, clear step planning, and efficient stepping. All separate skills, all invaluable.

It doesn't matter what your area - those three take time, work, and time for work.