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on e-mail, reach out to others, and work the problem. Use your brain, use your resources. Envision a
good outcome. Shift your attitude from “Why is this happening to me?” to “Interesting development.
Let’s see what we can do with it.”

11. Disorganized? Use systems to stay on track. Running late? Missed a phone call? Lost a critical e-
mail? When you’re going in more than one direction, the occasional slip-up is inevitable. But you can’t
consistently deliver results if you can’t stay on top of the details. Use systems to have a fighting
chance of completing things on time and within budget. Log contact info into your phone or e-mail
system. Deal with e-mail two to three times a day. Answer, forward, or act on anything you can. File
the rest in project folders and put time on your calendar for follow-up. Have a to-do list or system for
immediate tasks. Look at it at the beginning or end of the day. Add new items; delete those you’ve
completed. Learn some basic Excel skills to create simple project sheets. Use just one calendar.
Color code your files and tasks. Use mobile technology to access your e-mail and calendar on the go.
Learn to live without paper. Back up your laptop. Remember that when it comes to being organized,
less is more.

12. Tempted to quit before the end? Refocus and stick with it. It may be tempting to reduce your
efforts when the end is in sight. After all, your customers have been delighted with the new products.
The economy has run strong all year. Things are going well, so results are in the bag—right? Not
necessarily. Surprises happen. Contracts get cancelled. Opportunities and sure things fizzle out.
Markets crash. If you find your attention flagging, refocus. Winning teams play with the same intensity
the whole game, no matter the score. Driving for results means not quitting before the end. Getting
results means sticking with the project until it is completed successfully. Keep up a review of what has
been done, what remains to be done, and where results will come from. Be persistent. Follow through
on every task. Sometimes you’ll head off a disaster. Sometimes you’ll find an unexpected late win.
Check the details. It’s not over until it’s over.

13. Lost in the detail? Focus on the essentials. Good with the detail? Pride yourself on your
expertise? Remember names, dates, and places? Can relate the history of any product your
company ever produced? Have the answer to any question? Being this detail oriented doesn’t mean
you’re the quickest to get results. While you’re stuck in what you know, the people around you want to
move on. To create the next generation of products. To adopt some new ideas. To get up to speed,
you don’t need to abandon valuable detail. But you do need to streamline your thinking—and your
communication. Focus on the endpoint and ask yourself, “How much detail is needed to paint the
picture and move us forward?” Use what is needed now. Archive or jettison the rest.

14. Driving too hard? Learn to manage stress. Pride yourself on exceeding goals? Push yourself
every day to produce? Always ready for a challenge? Individual responses to stress vary. But for
most people, driving for results day after day, quarter after quarter, year after year is stressful. If
you’re close to burnout or if people can’t keep up with you, you’re overdoing it. Sustainable
performance requires rest and recovery. Athletes train hard, then enjoy the off-season. Performance
will improve if you disconnect once in a while. Use your commute to work to get perspective. Enjoy
friends and family. Make personal connections at work. Stop to celebrate wins. Learn to take pride in
your great results, but balance action with recovery. Take a time out.

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