Mastering prioritization is a skill that can transform your productivity and efficiency. Uncover the secrets of successful prioritization, and learn how to apply them in your daily life to achieve your goals more effectively.
Prioritizing
Establishing your goals/actions in order of importance or urgency is termed prioritizing.
- Defining your priorities using the three-list method
- To begin this process, write down every single thing you want to achieve in a “Master list”
- It’s impossible to prioritize your tasks if they’re all in your head
Other Lists For Things You Should Avoid
Things to avoid: Don’t work when frustrated or angry, put feelings on a list and calm down, worry or feel guilty, put problems on a to-do list, unwind, and plan for today.
Handling Distractions
The best way to not do something is to avoid it
- When you are about to start a task tell yourself that you would not do anything else until the task is completed
- If something pops up in your mind write it down in a “to-do later list” and move on with your task
Trimming Your Lists
Think of this as a brain dump
- Get every possible thing that pulls at your attention out of your head and write them down
- Weekly List #1
- The Weekly Calendar
- Make it your basic time budgeting guide
- Daily List #2
- The Daily “Things to Do.”
- This list is a reminder
- Monthly List #3
- Goals and Other Things
- The purpose of this list is to develop long-term goals and to free your mind to concentrate on today
When looking at how to prioritize tasks best, ask which one of the quadrants they best fit in:
Urgent and Important: Do these tasks as soon as possible.
- Important, but not urgent: Decide when you’ll do these and schedule it.
- Neither urgent nor important: Drop these from your schedule ASAP. Avoid tasks that are not moving you towards your long-term priorities.
