Inability to distinguish between the vital and trivial will rock the boat

Vital & Trivial

Prioritize the vital action rather than spend time and energy on the trivial issues, setback, shortfall and you will make good progress. One should not prepare to win a life time dream with a cloak and dagger way.

A real sense of urgency backed up with the capability to prioritize your goals, and actions to succeed in life. One also must be able to distinguish between the vital and trivial details.

Many a times, people waste a lot of their energy and time on the trivial details and in the bargain lose focus of what was vital and had to be done and thereby delay the progress which results in setback in progress and probably enthusiasm in taking the issue, thought and idea to its logical conclusion and success.

Unless we use systematic tools for prioritizing task and activities, we may end up arriving at some wrong decision and prioritization. The following tools - used independently and / or in combination, would therefore positively be helpful in effective prioritizing:

1.       Cost-Benefit analysis

2.      Force Field analysis

3.      Risk Priority Number analysis

4.      Return on Investment analysis

5.      Critical Path analysis

6.      Pareto analysis

Vital and trivial distinction can be based on the some more of the following causes

·         Reduction of risk

·         Avoidance of loss

·         A means of entry to new arena

·         A means of obtaining more money, wealth and fame

·         Removal of competitive environments

·         Obtaining new ideas

·         Obtaining talented people and talents

A true story:

At 12:16 a.m. Aug 28, 1991 a car subway train on the Lexington line beneath New York City jumped the track and crashed in the subway tunnel. When such an emergency occurs, the New York City transit author immediately appointed a project master to oversee the handling of disaster rescue and repair activities to bring the normalcy. The prioritization of phases to accomplish the project were

Phase 1: Respond to injury-get people out of danger, provide needed medical care, remove bodies and ensure that no victims remain in the debris.

Phase 2: Secure the area-simultaneously with phase-1, eliminate other threats to life and property by disconnecting power, providing emergency lighting and ventilation, stopping other trains from entering the area, keeping non-relevant pedestrian and vehicular activities.

Phase 3: Initiate command facilities-concurrent with phase 1 and 2 set up, activate command and coordination structure for all emergency activities.

Phase 4: Remove debris-collect and remove the elements and debris of the accident which would hinder rescue, clean-up, or repair.

Phase 5: Remove damaged equipment-use cranes and other to remove heavy items movement and large equipment removal, cutting the steel frames.

Phase 6: Facility repair,

Phase 7: Test the facilities and

Phase 8: Clean up. As work progressed through the next three days trains began running again.

[S Nacco, ‘PM in Crisis Management at NYCTA: Recovery from a major subway accident,’ PM Network, Feb’1992]

Normalized conclusion:Once you start recognizing, practicing and distinguishing difference between vital and trial parts of a plan, activities it will be a good feather in your cap. That will lead to a higher success rate of all your dreams.