VeraSage

Activity vs. Accomplishment

Brendon Harrex - 12/04/2006

Once upon a time, there were two lumberjacks who challenged each other to see which one could cut down more trees in a day. At daybreak, the first one began furiously chopping down trees. He worked up a sweat and by noon he had cut down 16 trees. Meanwhile, the other lumberjack was way behind because he took the first two hours to sharpen his axe.

As he sharpened it, his challenger laughed at him thinking he was doomed to lose the race because of all that wasted time. That’s when things got interesting. By early afternoon, the first lumberjack was slowing down. It took him almost an hour to cut down one tree, while the other lumberjack was catching up fast.

This didn’t make sense—he was as strong as his friend. Unfortunately, strength had little to do with it. It was all about whose axe was sharper.

By late afternoon, the second lumberjack who had sharpened his axe had passed his friend by many trees and won easily.

Sometimes we are that keen to get into our work or a new project, that we dive right in thinking that the sooner we start, the more we will accomplish. Taking the time to plan and scope a job before actually beginning it ensures we have a clear understanding of what we are trying to achieve, have identified the issues before we start, and therefore can plan how we are going to overcome them. An hour spent at the front end preparing is far more valuable than an hour spent later on, catching up.

If lumberjacks had timesheets, who would have had the most productive hours? While the first lumberjack may have recorded the most activity, it is clear he accomplished significantly less.

Remember—our customers reward us for accomplishment, not activity. Everyone wins when you take the time to ensure you clearly understand what you are to accomplish and how, before the activity begins.

Have an accomplishing week.