Find Your Linchpins

It’s often not difficult to see the results of your failure or success. What can be difficult is finding the crucial choices and actions that that failure or success hinges on. Let’s talk about finding your linchpins.

How to Find Them

There are usually multiple tasks, often executed in a specific sequence, that make up the completion of a given goal. Not all of these tasks, however, are equal. All contribute directly to the end state (and if any don’t, get rid of them!). If you look closely at whatever you are doing, however, you will find that certain things that success hinges on. Steps along the way that are non-negotiable and must succeed. These are your linchpins, and deserve the best of your resources and attention.

Your linchpins will vary depending on your goals and the nature of your tasks, but here are a few things to look for:

Timings

Identify and make sure you meet the deadlines that lead up to the end state of whatever you are doing. Whether it is a long term project for work or school, or something as simple as getting read in the morning, be sure you know what needs to be accomplished by when in order to have the time for the rest.

Supplies

You know what you need to accomplish the goal at hand. If you don’t, go back to planning until you do. If you even suspect you might come up short on any resource, plan ahead and be sure you have extra.

People

Some large organizations like to broadly say that everyone is replaceable. You, however, know better. There is no substitute for a well trained person who is a true believer in what you are setting out to accomplish. If your goal depends on collaboration with others, ensure that you are treating each person well and that they know their portion of the goal matters.

Locking Them Down

Once you’ve found your linchpins, prioritize locking them down. To the exclusion of all else withing the scope of that goal, ensure that these are addressed and completed first, or are prioritized over other, easier or more pleasant things. There are always plenty of things you will be tempted to get distracted by or find easier to address. Resist those temptations. You’ve already identified what the priority targets are: stay focused on them.

Once you get in the habit of seeking out these linchpins in your life, your overall efficiency will raise significantly. You will rarely if ever find yourself bogged down in the minutiae of any given task, as you will be in the strong habit of identifying and targeting the essential steps immediately.

What Are Your Linchpins?

As always, I want to hear from all of you. Tell us about your linchpins. Tell us how you found them, how you continue to find them, and how you ensure you are always locking them down.