In a 1916 book On The Art Of Writing, author Arthur Quiller-Couch first coined the phrase “kill your darlings,” referring to removing parts of a story that are beloved but don’t move the plot forward.
I know the tension, whether trying to write too much or say too much or train too much or accomplish too much, all because something is cool and I don’t want to let it go.
Overwhelm is real. Without the ability to prioritize, we get stuck or flounder in mediocrity or juggle attention between projects, losing any sense of flow, momentum or grand flourish.
The problem is that we’ve heard the same solution: Say no.
I get it. Kill the darlings.
But what if yes is still more powerful than no? What if rather than killing the darlings, which seems a bit goulish anyway, we exalt the stars?
If I focus on the stars, I am compelled by their unfolding story and development, and on what I get to affect.
Rising Stars
Rather than looking at what to eliminate (because people will fight for their darlings), you and your team get to discuss four central questions around one primary issue: What gets our focus?
The answer is in looking at the options and weighing them against four value points:
- Which are more in Alignment with the mission criticals of the business?
- Which brings greater Value to the business?
- Which is the better application of the Data we know?
- Which has a greater effect on our Market?
You can approach this discussion in any number of ways, such as scoring options against the four questions, or simply letting the input of your team surface the answers.
The point is to help people expand their thinking. When we are overwhelmed, it’s tempting to just clear out the house. But what if there is a more compelling path to pursue? What if there is greater value in decorating a room? All of a sudden, grandma’s old sofa just doesn’t cut it.
And that’s what happens with so many projects competing for the limited time, energy, ability, and money that you have. You know the answer is not to try to do them all. A house can hold only so much furniture. But maybe the approach isn’t to determine what needs to go, but what needs to be done.
Elimination is a result of focus.