Move the Needle

Everyone likes getting things done. There is something satisfying about checking an item off of a to-do list. You are able to have tangible proof that you accomplished something. By doing many little things you can have many little check marks to create throughout your day. Unfortunately, progress is not necessarily created by checking off boxes. Progress is created by committed and focused work. This sort of work is done not to simply check off a box but with the sole purpose of trying to improve. As such, there is no guarantee you will have something to check off as visible progress in a day’s work. Work that moves the needle is not a one-and-done task. It is ongoing and persistent. The “check-off” will come when you have compounded enough skills and experience to level up.

Since we like getting things done, we have convinced ourselves that when we have a day full of completing items, it was an inherently productive day. We can go weeks and even months with this mindset before realizing our fault. Our perceived perception of getting a lot done will hit us like a train when we comprehend that we have failed to improve in our pillar goals even after longer periods of supposedly successful days.

This reality is very blunt. Just because we have accomplished something does not mean that the task was essential to our overall goals. If we spend time working on meaningless tasks just to “mark” something off our list, we are wasting our time. This sort of activity does nothing to help move the needle forward for our goals. Being busy does not equal productivity.

In an ideal situation, our days can be filled with tasks that all move the needle forward. If you want to run a marathon, you need to run, recover, and sleep enough. You need to do these tasks consistently. On a day where you did not run and instead chose to run errands, you did not move the needle forward, you were just busy. Any goal or pursuit can be defined this way. What are the pillar tasks needed to make progress?

Finding ways to move the needle forward instead of just checking tasks off of a list can be tricky. We are programmed to seek short-term gratitude. Being busy and checking items off of a list fits this criterion. Instead of falling victim to this habit, you must first identify where, or what, you want your needle pointing at. Once you have that item or path, focus on accomplishing tasks in that genre. Worry less about volume and worry more about dedicated focus. Over time, this focus and commitment will yield much greater results than constantly switching tasks just to “get things done.” Be productive, not just busy. You want to get the right thing done, just something done. Move the needle.