That may be a strange one to put into this list but it's a valid position to take in some circumstances. I've e personally been guilty on at least two occasions in my life where if I had known when to quit, I would have been infinitely better off.

One when I was trying to make the Canadian Olympic team in the marathon, a task I failed at miserably. Looking back, the signs were there that I was simply not only not good enough but was woefully unsuitable for the task. Having the dream and then working at that dream for so long, there comes a time when you have to realistically look at the results you are getting and then ask yourself among other things, is this good use of my time ?

If life went on forever and time was never an issue, then we could use it up and know there was an ever ending supply of it, and then we would not have to ask ourselves the tough questions. Time is never ending and because of this, we have to ask ourselves the tough questions. I should of asked myself the tough question in this next scenario.

In the mid 1990”s I started a direct sales organization. Spent about 5 years on it and in the end, realized that it was not going to be a success. The problem, the writing was on the wall about 6 months into the project and I spent the next 4 and half years trying to put a square peg in a round hole.

Hind site is 20/20, we all know that. What we have to learn to know is when we have to cut our loses and move on. Probably the best indicator of when it's best to pack up and move on to another option is when you ask your self the modified version of the risk reward ratio. It's a simple question you ask your self,

am I benefiting enough from the time and resources that I'm expending here or could I benefit more if I moved the same amount of time and resources onto another project ?

We should always find ourselves weighting this against that, if we are not, then we could be missing out on some good opportunities.

“Talk is not enough, it must be combined with venture, it is not enough to stare up the steps, we must step up the steps “
Valclav Havel

This is number 15 on our list. When I first read this quote it did not impress me at first, the more I read it, the better it sounded and the more it resonated with me. Two words seem to jump out at me, talk and venture.

Talk can easily be replaced with Time Management and venture can be replaced with Productivity Maximizing, which gives us this quote:

Time Management is not enough, it must be combined with Productivity Maximizing, it is not enough to stare up the steps, we must step up the steps.

I often refer to Time Management and Productivity Maximizing as the dynamic duo or the one two punch. It should be clear that one with out the other is similar to doing only half the job. Time Management tells us what to do and when to do it, Productivity Maximizing shows us how to do it.

What is so fascinating about working with this site and these disciplines is that it doesn't matter how long I work with them, I still learn more about how to get better at what I do. I've written about number 10 , Why Your To Do List Must Become Your Done List probably about 100 times, maybe more but this article explains a new angle to an old concept that shines alight on it that I have never seen before.

I have never used the term checks and balances before but I should of because using those words explain more clearly what I have been trying to say for the last 20 years or so. I know will look at that tool we have had in our Power Systems for the last 20 years or more with a different perspective and be able to explain it better to the new group of people I will hopefully meet on this site.

Just another reason to keep coming back to this site, you never know what new things will emerge from the ashes of the old.