Comments on: Be remarkable, not productive.

By: cute penguin

cute penguin — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 16:30:30 +0000

It is hard to be remarkable, I find, at work because there is always so much to do. I hear what you are saying about doing less and being remarkable about what you do do, but it is hard to put it in to practice when the to-do’s keep piling up.

By: Jared Goralnick

Jared Goralnick — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 20:55:12 +0000

Really glad to hear this helped. If you're looking for being remarkable, here's at least my take for getting started on the critical path.

By: LPN at work

LPN at work — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 20:50:24 +0000

Made it here on how to contact bloggers…but found this oddly inspiring. Now…how to get contact bloggers off my to-do and being remarkable on it. Thanks for the 180 today ;)

By: Technotheory.com - Kicking ass, with no regrets.

Technotheory.com - Kicking ass, with no regrets. — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:01:58 +0000

[...] dealt with more with situations that came up rather than setting my own agenda. But, as I wrote a few months back, that’s not the way to make a [...]

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 01:46:12 +0000

While I realize this is an old post, I just saw it and feel compelled to jump in with a counter-point:

If everyone is busy being remarkable, who’s checking to make sure nobody left the stove on?

Being remarkable doesn’t have to be an all-day task, nor does consistent, disciplined execution constitute an unremarkable achievement. Sometimes the checklist actually is the road to rockstardom.

By: eve

eve — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 22:33:15 +0000

Is this really true though… I still have to pay my bills and do what my boss tells me to do at work.

By: » Be Remarkably Productive Marketing Syndication

» Be Remarkably Productive Marketing Syndication — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:35:35 +0000

[...] a post on something I’ve been practicing for years but never put into words. The notion of being remarkable, not productive: Don’t confuse your task list with a way to get ahead. Doing one thing noteworthy will get you [...]

By: Jared Goralnick

Jared Goralnick — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 21:00:42 +0000

Thanks, Marquita! I hope you do create (another ; ) something remarkable…and please do share it when you do!

By: Marquita Herald

Marquita Herald — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 13:22:55 +0000

Nice article – good point. I (also) struggled with the whole gotta do everything perfect mind set. Forced myself to let go of a lot of that after falling into overwhelming trying to get my blog up and running. Then suddenly realized that while I was managing to get the “tasks” done – articles, posts, forums, blah, blah… my writing had suffered in the process and, more importantly, I was having no fun what so ever. I’m now working hard at finding a better balance and maybe I’ll even manage to create something remarkable along the way. Thanks!

By: Jared Goralnick

Jared Goralnick — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 19:43:04 +0000

Chris,

Perfect and remarkable are very different things. So, on the table we have DONE, PERFECT, and REMARKABLE. Done is quantitative, and perfect and remarkable are qualitative. But perfect is not merely done well. Perfect is often overboard and unnecessary, making something that’s already done turn into OVERdone.

I’m suggesting that all kinds of things don’t need to be done, and similarly, they don’t need to be done perfectly if they are completed.

However, there are SOME things that are remarkable, that make an impact, that benefit from the extra meter of work and turn into a mile of results.

For instance, I haven’t written much lately. And what I have written has been shorter. What I’ve realized is I happen to be REALLY good at longer posts that do all sorts of reviews and comparisons–whether or not they’re my favorite thing to write, I know I can give people a lot of value, and I know I can get a lot of value form it. Some of my writing checks a box, other things push the needle. One is a task, the other is an accomplishment.

As I go through my day there are decisions I make that are the difference between pretty good and very good. I usually err on pretty good. But then there are some things with leverage, where the difference is between pretty good and fucking amazing. Perfect isn’t fucking amazing, it’s just really right–very very good, perhaps.

Remarkable is not finishing, it’s drawing a new finish line.

Don’t be a perfectionist. Be remarkable!