"The point of the vacation exercise is not to pretend that every week is the week before vacation, but to look at the difference between that week and any other week," I explained.

"That's good news, because if I worked as hard every week as I do the week before vacation, I would go nuts. It's bad enough the way it is. Almost makes going on vacation not worth the all the trouble," Marissa replied.

"So, what is different about that week from any other week," I asked.

"Well, I have to get more stuff done, so I just do whatever it takes. Some days I work longer, but mostly I prioritize and delegate. And you are right, some things simply become unimportant, so they don't get done at all."

"So, you have just learned about Parkinson's Law. Work expands (or contracts) to the time allotted."
__
Working Leadership Online kicks off with Open Registration on January 26. Pre-register now to receive a $50 credit. www.workingleadership.com

"Have you ever noticed that the week before you go on vacation is the week from hell?" I asked.

Marissa nodded.

"Why is it the week from hell?"

"There is always so much to do that I can never get it all done."

"Think about what else is different about that week," I prodded.

Marissa smiled, "That's the one week that I actually sit down and plan everything out. I delegate all kinds of things that I never delegate, and there are some things that I know that just won't get done. That's the hardest part."

"Do those things ever get done, like when you come back?"

"Now, that I think about, no. Those things never get done. The only things that get done are the really important things," she replied.

"Those things that are necessary."

"To figure out what to eliminate, you have to figure out what is necessary," I continued.

"That's going to be tough. Just because our headcount is lower doesn't mean that we can relax our standards. Everything still has to get done," Marissa resisted.

"Everything?" I nudged.

It had not occurred to Marissa to examine the things in a typical workday to determine what is truly necessary.

"I suppose, we could," Marissa stopped. Deciding necessity was more difficult than she thought. She was used to the routine, and eliminating unnecessary steps was throwing her off-balance.

"Marissa, I want you to try this. The project we talked about at the Monday meeting, you said, would take a week to complete. I want that project completed and emailed to me by this Wednesday instead."

"No way," she protested. "Impossible."

"Yes, possible. And what's more, if you are forced to complete the project by Wednesday, I guarantee, you will drop out everything that is not necessary. This is more than just an exercise, this a new way of looking at productivity."

"There are many disciplines for Time Management," I said. The group was taking notes. "Which is the most important?"

"OHIO," shot a voice from the back of the room. "Only Handle It Once."

"Okay," I replied. "But who cares? Without this discipline, who cares if I handle a piece of paper once or handle it 50 times?"

"Prioritization?" came another guess.

"And what is it, that makes one task more important than another task?"

"The goal?" answered a voice in the third row.

"The goal," I repeated. "Without the goal, all Time Management is meaningless."

"You describe the role as entry level. The output must conform to strict guidelines, which creates the quality standard. What are the decisions that must be made in connection with the work?"

Arlene was shaking her head from side to side. "We don't allow a lot of latitude with this work."

"You think you don't allow latitude. In fact, you tell your team members there isn't a lot of latitude, when in fact there is. There are a ton of decisions that must be made."

Arlene was quiet.

"Look, most of the prescribed duties involve collecting data from your customers to determine their qualifications. While it seems cut and dried, there are many decisions that must be made about the quality of their responses, the accuracy and completeness of the data.

"The difference between ok performance and outstanding performance is not in filling out the forms, but in the decisions related to the quality of the data that goes on the forms. The job may be completing the forms, but the work is the decisions that must be made.

"An important discussion between the manager and the team member is not about the forms, but about those decisions." -TF