Don’t Let Trivial Trump the Important: Staying Focused on Priorities in the Midst of Trivial Distractions

This is Part Two of a Special Series on Health & Wellness
Part I: A Lesson to Learn from Cross Country Skiers: Pace Yourself
Part III: Minimize Assumptions & Take the Guesswork out of the Equation

Have you ever played the game Trivial Pursuit? Chris Haney and Scott Abbott were playing a round of Scrabble in 1979 when the idea for a new game began to unfold in their minds. Within a few short hours, the two friends had mapped out the basics of a game that would sweep across the land like a prairie fire. The only thing about the game that isn’t trivial is its success.

It amazes me the amount of trivial information that bombards our lives on a daily basis. With the advent of the Internet, such insignificant knowledge has become even more prolific. Honestly, some of this trifling material is really quite interesting. Take a look:

• There are 119 grooves on the edge of a quarter.
• Scarlett O’Hara, lead character in the classic, “Gone with the Wind,” was originally given the name Pansy. “Frankly, Pansy…” Uh, I don’t think so.
• Number of places in the United States named after something in the Bible: 61,742.
• There are about 3,000 hot dog vendors in metropolitan New York.
• Some Persian rugs may last as long as 500 years before wearing out.
• The loop on a belt that holds the loose end is called a “keeper.” (Let’s face it; some are keeping back more than others.)
• “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” written by Mark Twain, was the first novel ever composed on a typewriter.

This is interesting stuff, but is your life any better because you now know the groove count on a U.S. quarter? Unfortunately, it is usually the trivial that has a tendency to trump the important. We get caught up in issues that have no lasting value as if they were equal to the weightier matters of faith, family, career … or life itself. The challenge? Staying focused on our priorities in the midst of trivial distractions.
No time of year is more critical for a tax and accounting professional to stay focused than right now. Don’t let the trivial pursue you!
Apply these simple principles to your daily work, and you might just avoid the minutia quicksand.