Editor's Note: One kind or work that won't pay off

How much “insecurity work” are you doing?

BY DAVID SQUIRES

Published in the May 2012 issue

Scott Belsky, author of Making Ideas Happen, says “insecurity work” is work that “has no intended outcome, does not move the ball forward and is quick enough that you can do it multiple times a day without realizing how much time is being wasted.”

You’re probably doing too much of this kind of work right now. If you watch your e-mail box like a pot of boiling water, you’re guilty. Same if you check your Website stats, bulletin click rates, Facebook likes or Twitter followers more than once a day.

We understand. Looking at this information feels reassuring. But you need to set limits. Taking time to check this type of information is an interruption from more important work you could be doing. Even worse, it breaks your rhythm and turns your mind away from the big, critical stuff. (Maybe that’s one reason why we gravitate towards insecurity work. It’s a great way to procrastinate.)

This week, identify some of the insecurity work you’re doing and try to eliminate it. One option is to assign this type of work to an employee, with instructions to let you know if there are dramatic changes in the data. Or put all your bookmarks for this type of work in one place and grant yourself a 15- or 30-minute period every day when you check this information all at one time. The rest of the time, it’s off limits.

This item originally appeared as a blog on instoremag.com. Don’t miss daily blogs from the entire INSTORE team on our website.

Wishing you the very best in business!
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