Steveer Robbins here. Welcome to the Get It Done Guys, quick and dirty tips to work less and do more.

Today's topic is using the big picture to keep on track. The quick and dirty tip? When something

isn't working, stop and ask, why is this important? Find the real goal you're after and ask how else you can achieve it.

Do your time-saving gadgets work? Mine don't. Take email. It would change my life. It has.

My number one priority today was writing my podcast. It was also my number one priority yesterday and the day before. But here's a

great question from an entrepreneurial high school student. Love that. I spent an hour on my answer.

Oh, look, another question. This one's also from a budding entrepreneur. Six hours later,

I've spent all day with email feeling productive without the inconvenience of actually

being productive. And I never even got back to the deposed Nigerian prince who wants to send me

one billion dollars. Darn! The problem is simple. I'm human, and humans do this funny thing. We make a goal, we choose a path

to the goal, and then we forget the goal. But we keep to the path long after it stops making

sense. My time-saving gadget doesn't save time, but hey, I bought it, so I have to keep using it,

even if it doesn't actually save time.

Say we have the goal, help our teenager Jules become a responsible adult.

We decide, cleaning the bedroom is a good place to start. If you don't have a teenager,

think about your sweetie who leaves dirty dishes on the table by the couch. We say,

Jules, please clean your room. Nothing.

Then, Jules, I want that room clean.

Uh-huh, I'll do it later.

Later, nothing.

Then we try haranguing, bribery, blackmail, and finally begging.

And have you noticed, it's not working?

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