Hello
,
A Happy New Year to you.
The first day of a new year is a good time reflect on what’s really important in our lives, especially after the challenges of 2020.
Some things are more important than others. It’s good to keep this in mind when you’re back at work and find yourself getting stuck in ‘busyness’.
When you have a lot to do, you are more effective when you invest the time to plan and prioritise your tasks rather than just reacting to whatever happens to be urgent at the time.
Organise your daily tasks by priority and importance. What's urgent, what's important? Use numbers, colours, letters or symbols to help you prioritise your list. How do they all fit with your overall goals and objectives?
“What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.”
[Dwight Eisenhower]
This quote highlights the need to focus on what’s Important rather than what’s Urgent.
You may already be familiar with the Eisenhower Time Matrix - Urgent/Non-urgent vs Important/Not Important. It’s a useful productivity tool if you have trouble prioritising.
- Urgent tasks need our time now! Often because we've been too busy to do them in a timely manner.
- Important tasks are about being proactive, planning ahead and thinking strategically.
If you find you’re often reacting to the latest email, phone call or interruption or you always seem to be working on ‘urgent’ tasks - what makes them urgent?
You really don’t have the time to do everything, so it’s better to focus on what you can do.
Less really can be more.
Spend less time on low priority tasks, more time on the tasks that get results and avoid time-wasters.
Be realistic about how much you can get done in a day. Don’t set yourself up for failure by underestimating how long things take or trying to do too much.
While some things may be outside of your control, you can avoid tasks becoming urgent with better planning.
Until tomorrow,
Clare
