Today I was cleaning out my basement.  It was incredibly dusty down there after our renovation and I was trying to go as fast as I could given all the dust and the cleaner fumes in the air.  Yes, I had a mask on and from time to time, eye protection, but it was still taking a long time.  I didn’t hurry through it though.  Why?  Because even though I hate vacuuming and cleaning up things, especially a basement I won’t use often, I figured I might as well do the best job possible.

I know it sounds strange – why put so much effort right now if I’m not going to use the basement – but hear me out on this topic.  If I slack off and do a half-assed job, what have I really achieved?  I have left a bunch of dust and dirt in my basement and I’m not going to be able to use the space for stuff I care about storing.  Now I have to go back down there and clean up a second time, after all the shelves and racks are in.  Stupid is what that would be.

While I was cleaning, I made the decision to do the job at hand as good as I could do it, even though I wanted to be writing to you and read the book that was waiting for me.  By doing the job well the first time, I don’t have to re-do it a second time.  That’s time saved down the line. 

Yes, it may suck in the short-term, but the time to do the job right the first time pays off all the time.  No exceptions. 

The next time you’re faced with an unpleasant job or task and you feel like half-assing it, dig deep and just power through it.  You’ll be glad you did.

Tom Peters has a wonderful post from a few days ago that I just found.  It’s called – The EXCELLENCE 25: Master the Basics.  The post is a must-read, must-bookmark, must-share type of post.  Yes, it’s that good.

I took a look at #13 on the list and immediately a BIG thought popped in my head.  This is what he said:

#13 – WOW! (Knock-your-socks-off standard for positively everything.)

The phrase “Knock Your Socks Off” is a bit cliche and old, but it hits at the heart of DOING GREAT WORK and delivering a standard of work that lives on beyond your time on earth.  Weighty stuff, but it’s something to take a moment and think about.

So with this in mind, let me ask you, what kind of work do you do?

No, I’m not talking about what line of work you’re in – ie, what you do for a living.  I’m talking about what your work looks like when you’re done.  What standard of work are you consistently delivering?  Your goal should be to churn out and produce more GREAT WORK as much as possible.

As Hugh eloquently put it:

“More meaningful work. More often.” – Hugh Macleod

So that’s the standard – GREAT WORK coming from you more often.  Say NO to the mediocre bullshit others churn out on a daily basis.  Make Knock Your Socks Off work your GOLD STANDARD for the work you do and you’ll certainly deliver the goods on leaving a legacy worth writing about someday.

How do you make this happen?  How do you go from delivering good work to GREAT work on a consistent basis?  Easy, stop settling for so-so work.  Focus on giving it your best, whenever you can, especially on the projects and things that matter most.  Once you make GREAT work your default, it’s easy to consistently deliver it because it’s what you do and what you’re known for.

I know this might sound like a recipe for burning out, but it’s not when you know when you should deliver outstanding stuff and when “good enough” really is good enough.

You probably already know the difference, but just in case, have a short think about it.  If you’re worried that doing “good enough” work will reflect poorly on you, stop that thought right in its tracks.  Always remember, you can’t consistently deliver OUTSTANDING quality if you have a lot of STUFF to do (Quantity) during the week. 

Churn out the Quantity stuff quickly and then focus on delivering GOLD STANDARD OUTSTANDING QUALITY on the things that really matter.  Period.  End of Story.