Invicta Vlogs
Be Disciplined
Over the holiday, I thoroughly enjoyed reading yet another Richard Branson book; much of its content resonated with me, but one point in particular, was pertinent for the theme of this week – ‘Be Disciplined’. Did you know that Richard Branson cannot function without lists? Branson constantly jots down things to do, reviews his lists regularly, and checks off each item he finishes.
This system, which undoubtedly contributed to Branson’s success, requires no particular technology; he keeps his lists in notebooks. No clever methodology is needed. Moreover, the only special "skill" it takes to emulate Branson, is the ability to read your own handwriting.
So, what is on Richard Branson's lists? What can we learn from his disciplined approach to noting down what he has to do?
In his autobiography, Branson writes that he keeps four types of lists:
Lists of people to call: Winning people over and getting them to move in the same direction as him, is one of the most impactful things Branson does. In many cases, he finds it just as fruitful to adjust his direction, so he is aligned with them. Either way, Branson considers noting down who to call to be such an important aspect of keeping people on his side that he says, "Each day I work through those lists and that sequence of calls propels me forward."
Lists of ideas: Whether the idea comes to him from a person he encounters on the street, or from a day dream, Branson immediately writes the thought down, so he will not forget. He revisits these lists often to make sure he has not missed anything. Of course, ideas do not always make as much sense when viewed a second time, but they work out so well in enough cases that they make the process worthwhile.
Lists of things people say: Branson says he writes down comments made by anyone he meets. Because he makes notes of all telephone conversations and all meetings, he rarely loses track of the different points of view. Furthermore, Branson says that a good side effect of this discipline of writing everything down is that it forces him to listen to people carefully.
Lists of people who can make things happen: Branson keeps a running list of people he needs to stay in touch with to help make things happen. He makes sure he keeps these people in the loop and he makes sure he knows what these people are thinking. Keeping ‘movers and shakers’ on his side is one of the best investments he makes with his time.
I am not suggesting Richard Branson's approach to keeping lists will make you a billionaire, but I am advocating that it will help you focus on what is important. If you get into the habit of writing down things from the four categories listed above, you will not lose track of what you should be doing.
One very important aspect of this discipline is to not throw your lists away either! When Branson finishes a notebook, he saves it; from time to time, he gets out an old one and finds a good idea that is worth reviving. He says that over the years he has worked his way through a bookcase of notebooks.
We can undoubtedly learn from this discipline. Keeping track of the important things and spending most of your time working your way through your lists is such a straight forward aspect of our own organisation. With a little discipline, we can overcome the problem of forgetting all the different things we want to do and then feeling the success when we do achieve.
Having read the book, I would love to take a peek at Richard Branson's current to-do list! However, one thing I do know, is that we can all learn from his discipline. This term, all our students will be working hard to balance their academic studies with their interests both in and out of school, as we enter the final term with internal and external examinations. I am therefore advocating that part of our ‘all important’ list is the need to perhaps ‘list’ under similar categories to Branson:
1. List of our ‘things to do’ – both academic and extracurricular; broken down into ‘bite size’ chunks, to ensure we can manage what we have to do and feel success.
2. List of people to speak to, to share ideas and ask for help in our learning.
3. List of ideas, to help further develop our learning in each subject.
4. List of things people say – their ‘words of wisdom’ to motivate us, as well as to give advice in our approach to learning.
In the meantime, I wish all our students, staff and parents a very good Summer Term, and hope that our ‘list making’ will help us be disciplined!
