GettingThings Done. The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

It never hurts to ask the "why?" question. Almost anything you're currently doing can be enhanced and even galvanized by more scrutiny at this top level of focus. Why are you going to your next meeting? What's the purpose of your task? Why are you having friends over for a barbeque in the backyard? Why are you hiring a marketing director? Why do you have a budget?

Fanaticism consists of redoubling your efforts when you have forgotten your aim.

- George

I admit it: this is nothing but advanced common sense. To know and to be clear about the purpose of any activity are prime directives for clarity, creative-development, and cooperation. But it's common-sense that's not commonly practiced, simply because it's so easy-for us to create things, get caught up in the form of what we've-created, and let our connection with our real and primary intentions slip.

I know, based upon thousands of hours spent in many offices with many sophisticated people, that the "why?" question cannot be ignored. When people complain to me about having too many meetings, I have to ask, "What is the purpose of the meetings?" When they ask, "Who should I invite to the planning session?" I have to ask, "What's the purpose of the planning session?" Until we have the answer to my questions, there's no possible way to come up with an appropriate response to theirs.

The Value of Thinking About "Why"

Here are just some of the benefits of asking "why?":

• It defines success.

• It creates decision-making criteria.

• It aligns resources.

• It motivates.

• It clarifies focus.

• It expands options.

People love to win. If you're not totally clear about the purpose of what you're doing, you have no chance of winning.

Let's take a closer look at each of these in turn.

It defines success People are starved for "wins" these days. We-play games, and we like to win, or at least be in a position-where we could win. And if you're not totally clear-chance of winning. Purpose defines success. It's the primal reference point for any investment of time and energy, from deciding to run for elective office to designing a form.

Celebrate any progress. Don't wait to get perfect.

— Ann McGee Cooper

Ultimately you can't feel good about a staff meeting unless you know what the purpose of the meeting was. And if you want to sleep well, you'd better have a good answer when your board asks why you fired your V.P. of marketing or hired that hotshot M.B.A. as your new finance director. You won't really know whether or not your business plan is any good until you hold it up against the success criterion that you define by answering the question "Why do we need a business plan?"

It Creates Decision-Making Criteria How do you decide whether to spend the money for a five-color brochure or just go with a two-color? How do you know whether it's worth hiring a major Web design firm to handle your new Web site?

Often the only way to make a hard decision is to come back to the purpose.

It all comes down to purpose. Given what you're trying to accomplish, are these resource investments required, and if so, which ones? There's no way to know until the purpose is clarified.

It Aligns Resources How should we spend our staffing allocation in the corporate budget? How do we best use the cash flow right now to maximize our viability as a retailer over the next year? Should we spend more money on the luncheon or the speakers for the monthly association meeting?

In each case, the answer depends on what we're really trying to accomplish—the why. 

It Motivates Let's face it: if there's no good reason to be doing something, it's not worth doing. I'm often stunned by how many people have forgotten why they're doing what they're doing — and by how quickly a simple question like "Why are you doing that?"can get them back on track.

It Clarifies Focus When you land on the real purpose for any-thing you're doing, it makes things clearer. Just taking two minutes and writing out your primary reason for doing something invariably creates an increased sharpness of vision, much like bringing a telescope into focus. Frequently, projects and situations that have begun to feel scattered and blurred grow clearer when someone brings it back home by asking, "What are we really trying to accomplish here?"