[3-1-3] Do less, better

Hey 🙂

Here’s the thing about the 3-1-3: everybody reading this knows they should do it. Some of you won’t. So that’s your challenge this week — overcome your own resistance and find the 10-15 minutes to do the right thing.

A week is exactly the right amount of time for things to get slightly off track. For you to get a little distracted, maybe a little overwhelmed by everything on your plate. For your team to get a little sidetracked. But if you want everybody around you to be organised, you have to be organised first. You’ve got to get your own house in order.

I’ve felt this myself the last month or so. I’ve written about it in previous weeks — the upset of summer holidays, kids off school, team members on vacation. More juggling, less straightforward than normal. I’ve needed my 3-1-3 more than ever to stay organised and keep things moving.

Coming back to the foundations is what’s helped. The simple things. The 3-1-3 has helped me get clear when I’ve had more constraints than usual — crystal clear on what’s actually important, not everything.

The 80/20 principle teaches us that not everything is equal. Less is more. If we want to have impact, we’ve got to prioritise quality over quantity. It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing less, better.

A practical tip for this week: get a timer. Pick the one job that needs doing right now, give yourself a limited amount of time, and put the timer on in front of you. Then just do that one thing, undistracted, until it’s done. It’s probably the fastest way to get through your work — and the highest quality way too. One thing at a time, timer running.

I use a Looptimer myself. Something about it being visual, sitting there in front of you, keeps you locked in. You get things done faster when you focus on one thing, and you get them done better.

So if any of this is resonating, here’s your invitation this week: do the 3-1-3. Get clear on what’s really important, what can wait, and what isn’t important at all. And bring a timer into your world a bit more — let it become a ritual. The moment you hit start, you’re telling yourself: I’m only doing one thing right now. No distractions. It’s a small psychological device, but it works.

Here’s the 3-1-3:

• Three things that look and feel like progress this week
• One major objective for next week
• Three actions that will move the needle on that objective

The three — look back first.

Look back on the week that’s been and name at least three things that look and feel like progress. You might come up with more than three — great.

This matters most when things are busy, because it’s usually when we finish the week beating ourselves up about what didn’t get done. This is your chance to finish in a positive place instead. Progress was made.

Let’s end the week there, not in the gap.

The one — now look forward.

Shift your attention to next week and ask:

• What’s the single most important objective for next week?
• What’s the single most important project?
• What’s my main priority?

Then look at your calendar:

• Where can I block out my 20% time to tackle this?
• Where can I get undistracted focus time to really get into it?
• What’s going to make the difference next week?

The one thing question is the one that cuts through: what’s the one thing that, if I focus on it, makes everything else easier or unnecessary?

The three — plan the detail.

Now break your one objective into three tasks, three actions, three steps that will move the needle on it next week. This is where the detail goes onto your calendar — what actually needs to be done, and when.

One last push: front-load it. Get into your big project Monday and Tuesday. Block the time early and set the conditions to do your best work. It sets the tone for the whole week.

Write your 3-1-3 out. Drop it in the comments, or email me — chrismarr@chrismarr.co.uk — I’d genuinely love to read it. And if you need a hand, you know where I am.

Have a great weekend.

🗣️ 👀

Chris.