Selective Neglect is choosing what to Neglect, whom you will disappoint today, and then managing the effects based on priorities. It is a major stress reliever that improves productivity and personal effectiveness. I learned this approach while doing my master of science in management at MIT and outlined it in my book, Managing God’s Time. Selective Neglect is more than neglecting something. It’s managing a neglected activity proactively, so we minimize effects of disappointing others. We alert people involved early so they can reschedule their activities. Selective neglect recognizes limits to human capacity within each day.
Everybody seems trapped on a treadmill with hurry-sickness. People try to meet others’ requests while pursuing their own tasks, resulting in multitasking, though research shows multitasking or task switching is less effective than mono tasking.
Several techniques exist to help with work overload, but I know Selective Neglect improves productivity … it works. I have practiced it for over 40 years, notably in Tokyo, Japan, where I was Chief Financial and Chief Legal Officer responsible for more than 10 companies in 10 countries.
Selective Neglect Improves Productivity
We see an excellent example of this technique in Exodus 18. In the process of doing God’s work, Moses worked day-and-night settling disputes among the Israelites and was content to keep going. Exodus 18:14-18 tells us his father-in-law showed him he needed to do less, to neglect some of this task, because it was impossible to do it alone.When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”… “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.
Selective Neglect Needed Time is Fixed Work Isn’t
Time is fixed, but work is not. It is impossible to satisfy all our desires and meet others’ expectations in the given timeframe. Our conscious or unconscious neglect of things we promise to do but must delay, will disappoint somebody.
Selective neglect improves productivity and its two parts, disappointing people and neglecting projects, helps us manage this dilemma. When we have conflicting deadlines or too many projects, we should make a well-thought-out decision to defer projects, which means disappointing someone, even your boss. The alternative is neglect and disappointment of others by default. Consider this: We work nonstop to complete a project by day’s end, but don’t complete it. We thought we would finish, so we didn’t contact the recipients of the project. We disappointed and frustrated them because we didn’t advise progress. Besides, working late on this project meant no dinner with our partner.To Neglect & Disapoint List
Daily, prepare a “To Neglect & Disappoint List.” Advise persons involved about likely situations. Check the list at noon and update as needed. You will do more in available time with less stress. The issue is managing potential disappointments that ensue from daily activities. It’s important to let people know in advance if you can’t meet their expectations. This gives them a chance to adjust their plans and minimize negative effects. Selective Neglect isn’t perfect, but it beats missing appointments and deadlines.Recap Selective Neglect
Three Premises
- Time is fixed, but work is variable
- Daily, we cannot do everything we and others want done.
- Without prior advice, we let people down when we miss deadlines, arrive late to meetings, and claim we are busy or other excuse
Three Advantages
- Avoid disappointing someone close to you merely by being proactive
- Give someone you will disappoint the opportunity to rearrange her schedule
- Selective neglect will improve productivity, and lower stress
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