[3-1-3] When the answer doesn’t come easily

Hey 🙂 

Most weeks, I sit down to do my 3-1-3 and the single most important objective just…appears. I know what it is. Maybe you’re the same.

This week was different.

We’re at the start of a sprint, and I found myself staring at the question — what’s the single most important objective for next week? — and genuinely not knowing. My first instinct was to tell myself there isn’t one this week. There’s just too much going on. Everything feels equally important.

But I challenged that.

Because isn’t it always true that out of everything competing for your attention, there’s one thing that — if you focused on it — would make everything else easier or unnecessary?

So I did what I always do when I feel like there are a hundred things spinning at once. I did a full capture. Everything out of my head. Every project, every open loop, every thing that feels like it needs attention. Not filtered, not prioritised — just out.

And from there, the answer came. It always does.

The full capture isn’t magic. It’s just that our brains are terrible at holding a lot of things at once and trying to compare them at the same time. Get it out, and suddenly you can see it clearly.

The reminder for me this week: when the answer doesn’t come easily, that’s not a sign there isn’t one. It just means you need to do the work to find it.

Now it’s your turn.

Your 3-1-3 for this week:

1. What are three things that look and feel like progress this week?
2. What’s your single most important objective for next week?
3. What are the three tasks or actions you need to take to move the needle on that objective?

Block the time. Protect it. Email me with your 3-1-3: chris@chrismarr.co.uk

🗣️ 👀

Chris.