Do you think, maybe, you’re doing more than you need to?
Two different definitions of “done”?
I was sitting at the gate for my flight to a client meeting. I had my laptop open on my lap, and I was actively working on a Powerpoint presentation.
My senior colleague arrived at the gate, and sat next to me. This gave me a chance to show him the slides before we boarded the plane. I prefaced it with “This still needs some work.”
He flipped through it. He looked at me. Then he said that it was more than he expected. It was fine just as it was.
I was pretty stunned. He got up when his earlier boarding group was called. And for a few more minutes I sat trying to reconcile what had happened. What I thought wasn’t done, he thought was well past done. We had two different definitions of “done.”
Where did my definition come from?
Relaxing on the plane, I contemplated where my definition had come from.
I had seen many presentations full of details and tables as well as animations and images. I had assumed that was the standard to meet or exceed. When he had asked me to put some slides together, I didn’t ask him any questions. I assumed I was making a visual version of a report aimed to impress, when really he simply wanted a basic framework for kicking off a conversation.
Thankfully I did have that moment to check-in and realize that I could indeed mark that task as “done” and direct my time and attention elsewhere.
Paint done for me
You may have heard Brene Brown talk about “paint done for me” as a follow-up question before you embark on what might be a sizable or stressful effort. It is a really good reminder to check our defaults, notice opportunities for innovation, and stay in control of our time.
Exercise for expectations
Here’s an exercise to help you strengthen your Expectations muscle:
- Today, pick a project that you are working on. (Maybe it’s writing meeting minutes or a proposal, or cleaning the house.)
- Then, jot down your default view of what the final outcome will look like.
- Then, imagine at least one other option of what “done” might be. (Maybe it’s bullet points instead of full sentences or tidying versus disinfecting.)
- Review your notes and make a decision to keep your initial definition or change it.
- Every day this week, pick another project, check your assumptions on your own or through conversation, and commit to what “done” means that day.
- At the end of the week, notice what was easy and what was hard, and how you feel about how you spent your time.
