As I move into what is usually my busiest coaching season, I have to make sure that I keep my priorities in mind. I tend to focus on coaching projects when they come in, since they have a clear deadline that someone else expects me to meet. Actually, I think it is fair to say I always prioritize external deadlines.
But the result of focusing on those projects is that I get them done ahead of the deadline. That’s not a bad thing, of course. My logic is usually that if I get them done ahead of deadline, then I can go back to the long-term, important projects. But that rarely ends up being the case. I often have another coaching project pending and move directly into that. So, the “important” gets pushed back further and further to make way for the “urgent”.
I have the power to manage my coaching deadlines. I do not commit to a deadline for a client until the previous project is done. So, I should be using the time until my deadline as much as possible. I can split up the coaching work over that time and also maintain progress on my other tasks. Of course, I’m not going to let a finished coaching project just sit and wait until the deadline to return it to a client, but I will not prioritize coaching to the extent of eliminating all other tasks moving forward.
I will keep my eye on the long-term, important work, as well.