No matter who we’re reporting to (team lead, c-level exec or shareholders), we usually are doing this rather short-sighted. What has happened in the last four weeks (or one quarter)? What’s going to happen in the next equally short period of time?

At one hand, that’s a very useful view, because breaking down goals and objectives into stopovers and concrete expectations helps a lot to successfully manage work and reach targets. On the other hand, though, who hasn’t experienced the feeling of having wasted an awful lot of time when looking back at decisions with a couple of years distance?

Purpose, vision and strategy are helpful. Aligning your concrete decisions will assist you in staying on track. However, that’s easier said than done: We are too good fooling ourselves with projections and too optimistic visions.

So stop there and consciously jump forward a decade or two. Imagine how the world might look and feel if you have accomplished what you currently considering doing. Take a moment and be honest with yourself. It will help to identify many overrated ideas before wasting time on them.