In planning, never a useless move;
in strategy, no step taken in vain.
Sun Tzu
There should be a purpose to everything that you do, even when you are doing nothing (yes, there is a time for relaxing and doing nothing). As a school teacher, the completely useless things which teachers are required to do, never ceases to amaze me.
It is as if the people in charge have no concept of this wisdom given by Sun Tzu. I cannot tell you how many wasted hours I have spent sitting in meetings where nothing gets accomplished. This signifies poor management and unwise leadership.
If something is useless, why do it? When you are planning your strategy, whether it is for a business plan or simply a strategy to deal with a single problem, make every move count. You should never do something simply for the sake of “doing something.”
If you do not know what to do, do nothing until you have decided what the correct course of action is. Acting just for the sake of acting is akin to the chess player simply moving a piece because he can’t figure out what move he should make.
Useless, thoughtless actions can actually make your position worse, not to mention the fact that even if it doesn’t actually hurt you, it has simply been a waste of time. You will still have to figure out what actions you need to take to achieve your objective. All you have done is merely postponed making a decision.
Make every move count. Become a person who never does anything without some rational reason. Useless moves are usually a sign of a lazy mind. Take the time to think before you act.
