What’s the ROI of What You’re Doing?

Do you ever feel like you’ve got 27 hours of stuff to do, and only 8 hours of time to do it in? Do you wonder how you can take back your life, and focus on what’s really important, or how you can measure the things you do to ensure they are having the maximum impact on your life, and the lives of others? I do, so I developed a formula, an ROI formula, that will help me, and you, determine whether or not what you do is effective and doing what you really want it to do.

I’d encourage you to put each of the things you do through this little 3 part test, and see how high it scores. Scoring goes like this: 3 points for a slam-dunk, absolutely positively high in this category, 2 points for a medium, so-so impact on your life, and 1 point if it once was worthwhile but now no longer is. If it scores a 0 in one or more categories, you should dump it RIGHT AWAY!

Add up the scores, and shift your focus to just the highest of high, and peel off the others.

To do this most objectively, start by using this for 1 item at a time, all the way to the end, and then move on to the next. Scores should be recalculated at least quarterly for highest effectiveness.

 What’s the ROI of What You’re Doing?

R is for Relationships – Who’s in, and who’s impacted by, the organizations mission, vision, values and goals? Are these people important to you, do you really care about them? Maybe you did at one point, but right now, take a few minutes and think about the Relationships you create with this item, and the Relationships you build with this involvement.  Mark a 1, 2, or 3 on your paper for the first item, and move on to the next step.

O is for Opportunities – Do you have an opportunity to do what you do best, or is there a unique opportunity you can’t get anywhere else? Is there something else you could be doing that could give you a better opportunity? Mark a 1, 2, or 3 on your paper for the first item, and move on to the next step.

I is for Improvement – Is this item helping you improve in some way that no other item can help you improve? Is this an area where you desperately need improvement, and the organization is filling the void for this? Mark a 1, 2, or 3 on your paper for the first item.

Add up your scores, and review the following ranges:

0-3 Stop doing this RIGHT NOW. This is not worth your time, and you are not helping. Get out before you damage your reputation and the reputation of the organization with your apath.

4-6 Think long and hard about continuing to do this after your commitment is up. If you’ve only got a few months left, you may want to stick it out. Start looking for your replacement, as this may not be an area of your biggest impact.

7-9 This is a great opportunity for you, and one you should focus on in the coming year. Your impact is great, and no doubt you feel great when you do this activity. Great job!

May your R.O.I. always be greater than the TIME you put into the work you do!