Everyone knows that setting priorities is a major key to effective time management. As in so many things, though, everyone knows it ?#147; but not everyone does it. Do you actually take the time to prioritize and plan, or are you so busy putting out fires and doing busy work that you never stop to think about it? If you don’t have priorities or a plan ?#147; make planning a priority now!
Most people who are working on their time management will at least maintain a to-do list, and make some effort to prioritize the items on that list. But how much consideration goes into the system? Are the priorities legitimate? Very often the items that are more time-sensitive or urgent get prioritized over what’s actually important ?#147; the tasks that will actually help you reach your goals.
Making a Plan
Step one, of course, is having set goals and knowing how to work towards them. Simply setting goals is not enough; you need a plan of action. Dreaming and hoping is great, but without planning and DOING, it won’t amount to a strategy for success. Start by defining your goals and follow up by thinking through what it will take to get there. Identify all the specific activities that must be performed to reach the goal.
Writing these activities down has several advantages. Firstly, it makes them real and concrete, not just wishful thinking. As long as they are just rattling around in your head, you have the option of “forgetting” them or sweeping them under the rug of procrastination. Once they are on your list, though, you must acknowledge the need to pursue them. Secondly, identifying these activities forces you to think through the process of reaching your goal. You may realize that there are more steps to take, more time needed, or items that had never occurred to you before. This can make an impact on your planning.
Now take your list of activities and apply the 4 D’s Principle: Do It, Delegate It, Defer It, or Dump It. Anything you can do now, Do; anything that can be handled by someone else, Delegate. Defer any activities that are important but can’t or don’t need to be done immediately. If you realize that an activity doesn’t have real value to reaching your goal, Dump It.
Now you’re left with a list of “Do It” activities. These are the items you’ve determined are important to reaching your goals, have to be done by you, and should be done immediately. Now what?
Prioritizing
Now it’s time to prioritize your must-dos. A simple priority ranking system uses the letters A, B, and C.
A-priority items must be done first, either because of deadlines or other time pressures, or because they can be completed quickly. Anything that takes 15 minutes or less, for example, should be given A priority and be done first, so you can then devote your full attention to more complex tasks.
B-priority items should be done soon, but there is no immediate pressure to do them first. C-priority items must be done eventually, but don’t require immediate action. Obviously any item which is a prerequisite for completing another task must be given higher priority than the subsequent steps.
If you have multiple A-priority activities, evaluate them to determine which should be done first. Sort them from most to least pressing, or from quickest to most time-consuming and complicated.
Sticking To The Plan
It is imperative that you physically write down, whether manually or on the computer, your goals, activities, and to-do items. Use a scheduling tool to block out the necessary time to accomplish each item, and follow through. Don’t allow unexpected demands to distract you or derail your planning; assess the priority of each new item and add it to the list appropriately. Just because it’s “urgent” doesn’t necessarily mean you have to drop everything! Remember, the whole point of prioritizing and planning is to make sure that you are pursuing activities that will help you reach your goals, and that you are doing them efficiently and effectively.
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