Sharpening the axe

Abraham Lincoln once said:

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I’ll spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

In other words, our work becomes easier when we spend time planning and preparing with intention.

Sometimes we’re tempted to just skip over planning altogether and dive head first into our workday.

Planning can feel like more work or an additional step. Or our anxiety about all that we must get done drags us into the day before we’re ready to get started.

When we skip planning, we’re more likely to just tackle the first project or task that’s within our line of sight - regardless of whether that’s where we should be placing our focus.

But despite feeling like an extra step, it turns out that taking time to plan helps us move much more swiftly through a project or through our workday.

Planning helps us shift from having a reactive mindset to being responsive.

It allows us to bring a deeper sense of focus to our work.

Try this:

Instead of moving blindly into your workday or a new project, pause and be intentional about engaging in the act of planning.

Spend a few minutes surveying your day, or thinking through the scope of a project - before you get started.

Resist the urge to dive in head first.

Even three minutes of intention-driven planning is enough to make a difference.

Go have a great workday.