We CAN make a positive impact…right?
- The Consultant
- Sep 10, 2018
- 3 min read
Every day we make decisions that impact our lives. Some are big, others small. The summation of these decisions defines our lives, and one of the most important types of decision that we make are those surrounding how we spend our time.
Why does this matter?
You may find yourself asking: why does this matter, and how is this applicable to my life? You also may not find yourself asking: why does this matter, and how is this applicable to my life? In either instance, I’ll go ahead and answer that question – or lack thereof – for you. It matters because we have a finite amount of time on this earth and a finite number of hours that we can be productive within each day. While there are numerous strategies for being more productive, that is not the topic at hand. The topic at hand is simply the following: given a limited amount of time that I can commit toward activities while still retaining my sanity, how can I decide which of those activities are worth pursuing?
How can we figure out what is worth pursuing?
As tends to be the case for most things in life, the truth of this matter lies somewhere between science and art – in that lovely grey middle ground of the partially unknown that we – I’m making the assumption here that it is not just I who am challenged by this – often find so hard to define.
In an attempt to quantify the unknown, I have broken down this decision into two components – an effort-impact evaluation and a measure of personal interest.
1. Simplified Effort-Impact Evaluation – this serves to provide an overview of the effort and results of a project – both positive and negative – for the short and long-term.
Definitions
Inputs – resources needed to enable activities to take place
Activities – actions associated with delivering project goals
Outputs – the initial, immediate results for a project
Outcomes (short and long-term) – the true significance behind the outputs, including both the intended and unintended consequences of the project
Examples (Cans for Kili project)
Inputs:
o 6 people working part time on a project for a year
o Vehicles required to gather cans
o Financial inputs (gas, containers to collect cans)
Activities:
o Reaching out to people in the community to set up partnerships and spread the word regarding the project and recycling
o Physically collecting and recycling cans
o Traveling to Mt. Kilamanjaro, hiking the mountain, planting trees
o Writing project blogs
Outputs:
o Number of cans recycled that would have gone to a landfill
o Increased awareness surrounding recycling
Outcomes – Short Term
o Net reduction in carbon emissions from recycling that took place as a part of the project
o Net increase in carbon emissions from activities related to the project (vehicular travel, flights)
o Additional projects that take place as a result of the Cans for Kili project
Outcomes - Long Term:
o Net reduction in carbon emissions from increased recycling resulting from the project (i.e., the result of increased awareness surrounding recycling)
o Outcomes of any additional projects taking place as a result of the Cans for Kili project
2. Personal Interest – while not related directly to impact, I also weight my personal interest and passion when determining whether or not to pursue an opportunity; I find that the marriage of positive impact and personal interest provide for the most meaningful project – not just for myself but for all who are touched by the project.
What does this mean to me?
While by no means a perfect science and failsafe means by which to ensure that I maximize my impact and enjoy all projects that I work on, this simple lens through which I view opportunities facilitates decision-making and forces me to consider the long-term impact of what I do – taking care to assess both the potential positive and negative outcomes. In the case of Cans for Killi, I have found that the outcomes of the project substantiate the effort and… as far as the personal interest goes, who wouldn’t want to climb a mountain and uplift a community simply by recycling aluminum cans?
Cheers,
The Consultant
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