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we often confuse getting things done with making things happen. they are two very different things.
getting things done involves process, routine, fulfilling expectations and seeking that which is “good enough.” how often do you hear people talk of getting to inbox zero? every time I hear this I think, “GOOD FOR YOU! you became a slave to your inbox, probably hated every minute, gave unthoughtful responses and now have zero emails. congratulations! i’m sure you impacted a lot of people.” this is not to say that responding to emails in a timely matter is unimportant. it’s very important! i just don’t think it matters in the grand scheme of things.
what matters is making things happen. organizing a community, giving more than you take, challenging perceptions, exploring new paths, creating possibility for others and demanding excellence. making things happen involves doing things that impact others, doing things that make a difference, living life as an experiment…
stop trying to simply cross things off a to-do list. instead, create a list that you can’t wait to go do, explore and accomplish. create a list that means something to you and the world.
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Comments
03.12.10
And the most important part to point out is that people who simply get the job done are always overlooked by people that make things happen.
03.12.10
I like the idea of the Get To Do list, all those positive options...
03.12.10
Great insight here! Seems like you touch on the difference between the tactical & necessary, and the strategic & life-affirming.
03.13.10
I actually have a google doc filled with an ideas list that I update about once a week. I end up referring to the document pretty often to fuel my thoughts toward different things I do.
I'm also quite big on to do lists. I always prioritize my list based on what you've written about - how much value is each of these tasks going to add to my overall plan?
03.13.10
This is just re framing the to do list. Not sold on this.
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03.14.10
Hi Amber! I feel like getting things done is sort of a preamble to making things happen. The two are very closely linked to one another. After all, you can't "make anything happen" if you don't go through the necessary (and at times mind numbing) tasks required to organize a community or explore new paths. I'm all for self-discovery and finding a more fulfilling professional existence than the 9 to 5 rat race, but in order to do that, we have to re-organize our life and make sure that our current responsibilities are taken care of, like answering an inbox full of emails, in order to make time for ourselves and the greater good of our lives.
Nice post! I love topics like this, where lots of different perspectives can be voiced.
03.15.10
You don't have a prayer of making things happen if you don't get things done first. You've got to lay the groundwork first, before you get the "goodies" of making the things you want happen.
03.16.10
If you’d like a tool for managing your time and projects, you can use this application inspired by David Allen’s GTD:
You can use it to manage and prioritize your goals, projects and tasks, set next actions and contexts, use checklists, schedules and a calendar.
Comes with a mobile version too, and with an Android app.
03.18.10
Getting Things Done; is a skill set that revolves around organization, prioritization and management skills.
Making Things Happen; is a skill set that revolves around influencing others.
This is why a great many people who can "Make Things Happen", never can "Get Things Done". They typically, influence others to do the work... but they get the bulk of the credit for the accomplishment or task for "Making It Happen".
03.22.10
Read your post : Done
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