Thursday 15 August 2013

Time Management Tip 6: Knowing when to quit


"Never ever give up" is a phrase I often hear from sales coaches, motivational speakers and business consultants. Clearly, it's comforting to believe that if we just keep going, things will come good in the end. But is this really the best advice for all situations?

Such mantras may ensure plenty of 'likes' on social media, but other than kicking bad habits, are there times when quitting is actually the best option? On a personal note, I can vouch for the fact that by not quitting in certain situations, I've made some of the worst decisions in my life and wasted a colossal amount of time in the process.

Consider the following hypothetical examples:

A) A destructive relationship where both or one of the partners is desperate for the other person to change, whether it's that the other person should become more loving or in love, or become less violent, or drink less, becomes less of a workaholic or more courageous. Sadly, after countless marriage guidance sessions, continual rows, break ups and make ups, the relationship is still detrimental to the well-being of one or both of the partners ... Never ever give up? I don't think so!

B) Someone who is in their late 20s and who has given up everything to pursue a career in acting but in spite of excelling at drama school, the sacrifices made, terrible personal finances, years of hope followed by gloom, not to mention a few lower end productions, he/she just can't seem to get the lucky break ... Never ever give up? I don't think so.

C) A business in free-fall who's owner clings to old ideas and methods, even though culture has moved on and the service/product is out of date and out of time ... Never ever give up? What about wake up and smell the coffee!

Of course, resilience and perseverance are crucial to success in most things, but to be at your most productive and to make the best of the opportunities that life has to offer, it's crucial that you know when to park, when to quit, when to change course and when to persevere. There's no shame in taking any of these options depending on the circumstances.

Parking: It's clear that the timing is not right for you to persevere with whatever it is you're trying to achieve. By parking it, you don't completely abandon it, but you move forward with other priorities until the timing is better.

Quitting: It's clear that what you're trying to achieve is not going to work. Learn what you can from the set-back, be grateful for the lesson and move on. This may involve 'letting go' of something which was important to you ... some people call it quitting, but I call it 'letting go' and in certain situations, it's a very powerful and productive thing to do.

Changing course: It's clear you need to alter your expectations and make certain tweaks to what you're trying to achieve - it's called resourcefulness and is a highly prized attribute, although it could be construed by some people to be quitting. Einstein was apparently ok with changing course ... "the definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Perseverance: It's clear that with more effort and time, you could achieve what you want. You may need to make a few tweaks along the way but your focus remains fixed on your original goal. In some rare cases, you may decide to persevere whilst knowing you may not get what you want, but you stick at it anyway because you know it's the right thing to do ... Churchill and World War II springs to mind!

I may not get as many likes on social media for ditching the 'never ever ever give up' mantra, but I'm ok with that. My personal mantra, presumably influenced from the world of orienteering, comes in 3 connecting parts:

1) ALWAYS MOVE FORWARD WITH A FEW PLANS UP YOUR SLEEVE. 

2) CHANGE COURSE WHEN IT'S WISE TO DO SO AND AVOID GOING ROUND IN CIRCLES. 

3) KEEP YOUR EYES FORWARDS - YOU CAN LEARN FROM THE PAST BUT DON'T DWELL ON IT OR REGRET IT.


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Thanks for reading


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