This is going to be a short post but I’d like to preface it with a question.
How many days in a week do you feel overwhelmed with “all” the things you need to do that day?
1? 3?…7?
I’m hoping your answer isn’t 7 but I wouldn’t be that surprised if it is. Our culture seems to be consumed with trying to do anything and everything and adding more in the same 24 hour period.
Not really sure how that might work but a lot of people do it.
And that’s a huge problem because all you do is try to multitask while being less effective and getting even less done.
So I have an alternative idea for you. Instead of trying to do everything, why not try to do ONLY what’s important. And if there’s room for more, knock yourself out.
But I implore you to choose the top three things you need to accomplish in any 24 hour period and go from there.
Why This Works
Well it’s pretty simple. The less items you have on your To-Do List, the more likely you’ll do them all.
Most people can claim they have a solid 15-20 things they need to do every day. If not more. The problem is that when they put all of them on their To-Do List, they don’t have the time to get to everyone of them.
Clients call, issues come up, prospects take more time then expected (usually a good thing), traffic is bad, etc. Things happen. That’s life.
But if you limit what you spend your energy on and instead focus on only the most important things life might just seem a little brighter.
Now I’m not saying you only do three things in a day. That’s not going to get you anywhere.
What I’m saying is that you should focus on three things, the three things that absolutely have to be done that day. Work on those three things first, and then figure out what you have time for afterwards.
For example, today my three things were
- Coordinate a software demonstration with a new prospect
- Write three thank you cards that I want to arrive this week.
- Organize my important documents (our file cabinet has been neglected since we moved)
I got a lot more done today but I focused on these things because they were important.
I also went to the store to get ingredients for dinner tonight…we would have been fine with something else if I didn’t make it to the store.
I also went for a run…I would have survived if I had to miss a day in my routine.
I also started a few blog posts…I have a few in the pipeline so would have been fine without doing that.
etc, etc, etc
My point is that there are things and there are important things. Focus on the important ones in any given day and you’ll find that the overwhelmed feeling is actually something that is within your control.
Give it a try and let me know in the comments below what your three important things were today.
~ Johnny Bravo
Image courtesy of pakorn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
That’s a simple, but really good tip. I often try to prioritize, but then find myself doing a less taxing activity in the hopes of getting something done when the “big” task feels too overwhelming. Your way of looking at things makes much more sense. I think I’ll give it a try.
Hi John,
Great reminder about our to-do-list. Yes, we tend to jot down more than 10-20 things to do and we get overwhelmed and scattered and we achieve less than intended with that list.
It’s a great idea to do the most important three things first and then go down the list with the less important.
Thanks John for a great and practical reminder.
Be Blessed,
Neamat