Errors of ignorance versus errors of ineptitude

In his latest book (The Checklist Manifesto), surgeon Atul Gawande makes a simple yet profound distinction. Some mistakes are made because the person doesn’t know enough or know the right information or have the right skills (these are errors of ignorance), but other mistakes arise from not applying what we know.

In implementing strategies to move my life, work and income in the direction of freeing my time from money and still making a meaningful positive impact on the world, I must admit most of the mistakes and missteps I have made have been from not applying what I know.

I procrastinate on implementing what I know would help move me forward: hiring some more outsourcing help to implement the overwhelming number of ideas for projects I constantly generate; hiring a coach/project manager to “herd my cats,” that is, to help me stay focused and working on the right things and moving projects to completion in a more systematic and timely manner.

So, this post is to get you thinking about what kind of mistakes you make: Do you need more information or skills? Or do you need to use what you already know in a better way?

Will Smith’s wisdom – You gotta see this!

The Power of Completion

Years ago, I attended a time management seminar and the presenter made a point that has stuck with me: Anything that is incomplete in your life can drain energy and completion can bring or free energy.

Every time you walk by that bill that needs to be paid or that paper that needs to be filed or that leaky faucet that needs to be fixed, a little bit of your attention and energy go into that unfinished thing.

I heard an organizational expert speaking the other day who claimed that every paper on your desk distracts you 5 times a day. I don’t know where she got that (I am suspicious of these kinds of statistics, like “we only use 10% of our brains”; first problem-how do “they” know this; second, stats rarely come in even numbers like 10% or 5%), but even if it isn’t exactly scientific fact, she has a point.

What can you handle easily that could create energy that can then help you complete or tackle other projects or undone things?

Try your own unscientific experiment and discover whether or not the principle is true for you. Does completion bring energy and do incomplete things drain your energy?