It’s Not a Priority Problem, It’s a Boundaries Problem

Charlie Gilkey is an author, entrepreneur, philosopher, Army veteran, and renowned productivity expert. He is the founder of Productive Flourishing, where he helps professional creatives, leaders, and change makers take meaningful action on work that matters. His new book is Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done.

Charlie Gilkey

Top Takeaways: It’s Not a Priority Problem, It’s a Boundaries Problem with Charlie Gilkey

  • We love big ideas- but our success is dependent on our ability to finish
  • Our challenge lies in the middle mess of progress
  • We over prioritize our economic goals leaving little time for our personal
  • How present are you when you working, or at home?
  • Projects- take time, energy and commitment
  • Projects have a defined beginning, middle and end.
  • Quadrant 2 priorities- those important, but not urgent, are the ones we are not prioritizing
  • It’s not a priority problem, it’s a boundary problem
  • Boundary maintenance problems- interruption creep
  • Be clear and articulate your priorities to you and your team
  • Learn to say no- do what you need to do
  • Combat the growing societal impatience
  • Leaders are the wheel of change- we need to change before expecting our team to change
  • The difference between motion and progress
  • Instant and right now is preventing us from doing our best work
  • The next project we do should be strategically better than what we are doing
  • The start starting question
  • How do our goals align with our priorities?
  • We don’t need to “start” so many things- put 80% of your ideas on ice
  • There is a difference between and idea and planning

Listen to the Audio

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Learning From Leaders: 

Current Book: Legacy Fleet: The Complete Trilogy by Nick Webb

Leadership Superpower: X-ray goggles- see things the team can’t see

Motivational Mantra:

[shareable cite=”Lao Tzu “]He who conquers others is strong; He who conquers himself is mighty[/shareable]

Book Most Often Gifted: The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman

Additional Items Mentioned

Charlie’s website: productiveflourishing.com/start-finishing

Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done by Charlie Gilkey

About the author

Jake Carlson is a popular speaker, accountability partner, and host of the Modern Leadership podcast. Jake built his business while traveling with his family around the world. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn. Read more about him here.