We all know we should do it. And there are lots of ways to make it work. So why don’t we do a better job when the productivity of our day is at stake?
What am I talking about? Prioritizing; the simple, but often neglected, act of determining what to do and in what order.
Here are eight ways to prioritize. Pick one and commit to it and you will be thanking yourself. I’ve used all these techniques at one time or another and they all pay huge dividends. Go ahead, you can do it!
- Use the Paredo Principle. This is the 80/20 rule. Recognize that 20% of your activities give you 80% of the value. Consequently, you should focus on the high impact tasks first. Simply ask yourself, “Am I doing the things that give me the most value?”
- Separate the urgent from the important. Once you’ve separated things, you should focus your energy on the “important” tasks. Urgent tasks are rarely important in the big scheme of things. Often times, what is urgent is due to someone else’s crises. Don’t let someone’s poor planning or execution become your problem unless it is necessary (a boss could fit into this category).
- Determine the future impact. Ask yourself, “What is the future impact of a current action?” High priority items will have a big future impact while low priority items will nave low or no future impact.
- Set posteriorities. If you are embarking on something new, you must decide what you are going to give up. In other words, you can’t continue to accept new responsibilities without getting rid of others (not if you want to keep your sanity and some life-balance).
- Learn to say “No.” Learning to say “no” can be difficult, particularly if you are a people-pleaser. But it’s a necessary skill if you want to stay focused on the things that are most important to you. Ask yourself, “Does this assignment, activity or responsibility align with my overall goals?” If the answer is “no,” then politely decline the temptation to get involved.
- Use the A, B, C; 1, 2, 3 system. List everything you need to do on a “To Do List.” Go through the list and identify all those items that absolutely have to get done today. These are critical tasks that are very important and have a sense of urgency. Mark these items with an “A.” Now, go through your “A” list and prioritize by marking your most important item “A-1” and your next most important item “A-2,” etc. Once you’ve identified all of your “A” items, mark all the items that you would like to accomplish as a “B” item. “B” items are important but are not as time-sensitive or critical to your success as the “A” items. Finally, those items that would be nice to do, but are not pressing or important can be marked as “C.” Rank your “B” and “C” items in order of importance with a “1, 2, 3, etc.” just like you did your “A” items. Complete the work on the items based on their ranking.
- Discipline yourself. Continually ask yourself, “What is the most valuable use of my time right now?” Then discipline yourself to do that task until it is complete.
- Outsource or delegate. If you have the ability to outsource or delegate, do so with tasks that can be easily handled by others. This will free you up to work on your more important priorities.
Want to learn other ways to boost your productivity to the moon (and back)? Join us for a dynamic workshop in RVA this Thursday – “5 Sure-Fire Ways to Zap Procrastination, Eliminate Distractions, and Conquer Indecision.”
