“It is better to give orders that are likely to be followed.”

No, I wasn’t reading a military handbook. I was reading a star wars book that made a good point.

Giving orders that your people want to follow makes them more likely to want to follow you. It earns respect that is essential when you need help with something unpleasant. I’ve willing followed orders from a man who was short with me because of his history of listening to me and giving orders we were likely to follow.

“Orders” to Yourself

You can apply this principle to the “orders” you give yourself.  I have extremely dry skin that make taking a shower a big ordeal. The process involves covering myself in cream afterwards which takes 30-90 minutes depending on the day. I still itch when I’m done, just not as much.

I’ve found that:

• It’s better if I work before I shower. If I don’t, I will likely put off showering until it’s too late.
• It’s better if I read after I work and before I shower. Recharge for a hard task.
• It’s better if I allow myself just enough time to shower. I need a little margin, but if I don’t limit the amount of time I can take, I’m going to burn a half hour on my phone avoiding it.

There will always be unpleasant tasks we need to do. As a general rule, if we give ourselves orders we want to follow, it’s easier to tackle difficult tasks as they arise.

Question for You

How can you give orders that are likely to be followed to yourself and others?

Josh

Quote is from Baron Fel (minor character) in the Dark Journey by Elaine Cunningham

Photo by Thomas Ashlock on Unsplash