Table of contents:
- 1. Distinguish the urgent from the important
- 2. Reduce distractions
- 3. Plan the next day in the evening
- 4. Use Method 1–3–5 for To Do Lists
2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44
Distinguish important tasks from routine ones, do not get distracted by trifles and make to-do lists correctly.
AllTopStartups founder and blogger Thomas Oppong shared his ideas.
1. Distinguish the urgent from the important
Think about which actions will get you closer to your work goals and which ones you can accomplish today. Imagine what would happen if instead of them you were engaged in unimportant, but urgent matters.
Such tasks usually force you to respond to other people's requests and distract from big goals. In order not to spend a lot of time on them and focus on what is important, constantly evaluate the decisions you make.
When an unplanned task comes up, ask yourself if it really matters. And then think about how and when it is best to do it.
“You can only reply to emails from nine to six, but that doesn't bring results and does not come close to big long-term goals,” writes Angie Morgan, co-author of The Flash. How to lead yourself and others to success. “When people say they’re very busy, they’re actually saying they don’t know how to plan, prioritize, and delegate.”
Even if all things seem to be equally important, you still need to allocate time between them. Try to tackle the main ones in the morning, when you have the most energy. Learn to notice unimportant tasks and not be distracted by them until you figured out the priorities.
2. Reduce distractions
Notifications, loud noises, social media, peer requests, and frequent email checking take you out of the flow. After each such distraction, you need to tune in to work again, and this can take up to 25 minutes.
Be aware of these factors and try to limit their number. First, analyze your daily routine:
- Track everything you do during the day to understand where your time is going. You’ll notice that meetings, phone calls, notifications, and email distract you from important work.
- Record how much time your meetings and meetings actually take. They usually seem to pass quickly, but in reality this is not always the case. Think about how much time you would like to spend on them, ideally.
- If you see that some periods of the working day are being used irrationally, rebuild your routine.
3. Plan the next day in the evening
When you already know what your time is usually spent on, you can start making a plan. Imagine how your tomorrow will go, especially morning. Make a to-do list so that you can act on the machine later.
- Write down what needs to be done tomorrow to get closer to your work goals.
- Try to complete these tasks before noon the next day.
- Repeat this process every day, week, month, and year.
With this simple habit, you will double your productivity.
4. Use Method 1–3–5 for To Do Lists
Expect that in a day you will be able to complete one big task, three medium and five small ones. This will reduce the to-do list to nine items. Of course, plans can change depending on the circumstances. For example, if the most important thing for the day is very big.
Either way, such a prioritization list is a good scheme and also saves time. With her, you do not need to think about what to do during the day.
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