You have a lot on your plate…your “to do” list is longer than your arm. You can’t procrastinate, or you can’t procrastinate any longer. How do you decide what gets done first?
- Do you start with the easy stuff to get those out of the way and, if there is any time left, work on more challenging items?
- Do you just start at the top of the list and work you way down, even if you list is in random over?
- Do you do the things that you don’t like to get them off your plate so the rest of the day is more enjoyable?
There are many ways to prioritize the things you need to get done, both at home ant at work. Here is a method to try.
- Take out your “to do list” or create one.
- Go through your list and for each item, ask yourself “Is this important?” If the answer is yes, write a Y next to the item. If the answer is no, write an N next to the item.
- Go through the list a second time. This time ask yourself “Is this urgent?” If the answer is yes, write a Y next to the item. If the answer is no, write an N next to the item.
- Assign priorities to each item.
- Those items that have two Y’s next to them are important and urgent, write a “1” next to those items. These are your top priorities. Get these done today.
- Next look for those items that have Y for importance and an N for urgency. Write a “2” next to those items. Schedule these on your calendar and get them done in the very near future.
- Now, look for items that have an N for importance and a Y for urgency. Write a “3” next to those items. If you can, delegate these items to someone else.
- Lastly, the items that have two N’s are your last priority. Cross these off of your list. Why do you have items that are not important or urgent on your list? Just saying…
You will feel more productive when you get to mark your top priorities as DONE!
What were you able to get done? What were you able to delete from your list?