If you’re the captain of a ship, and your ship is going through a violent storm, do you abandon good seamanship until the storm blows over?

Please consider that ... really consider that.

Do you throw off all your lessons of sea and wind and sails and steerage? Do you decide that you don’t have time to calculate, consider, plan, and communicate?

See, I think you wouldn’t.

Further, I think you’d double down on good sailing habits, applying them even more stringently with greater focus and urgency.

In a storm, you’re going to make sure you consider and calculate. You’re going to be sure your orders are understood and that your men use proper techniques. You’re going to rigorously apply every lesson you’ve learned, from the science of navigation to the handling of the boat and the men aboard.

You would do the opposite of abandoning them—you would cling to those good habits because it’s the difference between surviving or not, not to mention they’ll get you to safety or peaceful waters sooner.

And so it perplexes me to see good habits so readily abandoned in business when we get “busy” or go through especially intense and stressful times ...

We all know that rework is the bane of an organization’s existence. There is nothing more unproductive, expensive, and devastating to morale than having to do a job over again that you thought was done, accomplished, and off your plate.

But a question. (Be prepared to be painted into a corner.)

To wit, we know we don’t want the rework, but if you had to do something over, could you accommodate it better when you are quite busy or when your schedule is light?

There is only one answer you can give.

You have more time to deal with rework when your schedule is light rather than when it’s full. When your schedule is full, rework is a killer.

But now you’re painted into a corner.

Because …

What you’re saying is that when we’re busy, we can afford mistakes less—we have to be at our very best.

So, not only can we not abandon our good disciplines and habits when we get busy, but—like the captain of a ship—we have to double down on them and cling to them harder than ever.

Here’s an example for you …

I am a huge believer in making sure we have at least two hours of uninterrupted focus time every day. I hammer this point home everywhere I go. I’m not going to get into it all here, but suffice it to say, we get more done and are far more productive when we are not interrupted or distracted for an extended period of time.

(We all know it’s true. That’s why people say they get way more done when they work nights and weekends ... no distractions, no interruptions. But I don’t want you to work nights and weekends.)

I’ve had a number of leaders carve out focus time and reap the benefits immediately. They get more done. It feels good.

And then, quite often, they abandon the habit over time.

“So, why did you stop?” I’ll ask.

“Well, things got really busy,” they say. “I was running around so much that I just didn’t have the time.”

“Hm,” I would politely reply. “So, what you’re telling me is that you didn’t have time to get more done.” (Think about that for a second, leader.)

They abandoned the habit of focus time when it would have done them the most good … and now they’re back to floundering ...

When we get busy, our brain lies to us. It says it will be quicker to take shortcuts in our communication, planning, organization, time management, training, delegation, meetings, etc.

When in reality, it’s sticking to these daily disciplines and habits that gets us most efficiently and productively through those times.

Next week in Habits Come and Habits Go Part 2 … how to stick to them come what may.