How to Prioritize Your Tasks and Get Important Things DoneLearning how to prioritize is one of the most important time management tools you can use to increase your personal efficiency. Did you ever notice that you are wasting your energy on low-yield tasks throughout your day? You should learn how to focus your energy early in the day on high-yield activities. To do this, read through the 5 steps below. 1. Analyzing the Most Important Task with One Simple Question 2. How to Ensure You Complete Urgent and Important Tasks First 3. How to Get More Things Done with Less Effort 4. How You Can Start Prioritizing and Stop Procrastinating 5. The Secret to Getting High-Value Activities Done Step 1: Analyzing the Most Important Task with One Simple QuestionWhen you learn how to prioritize tasks, remember to ask yourself, “What is the one thing I could do today which can make a difference?”This will help you clarify the most important task which you MUST complete for the day. Tackle that one task until it is complete. Then ask yourself that question again to determine the second top priority task. This will save you lots of time engaging yourself in low-value activities. By asking yourself that question and completing the tasks, you will find yourself automatically completing high value activities first throughout your day. Step 2: How to ensure you complete urgent and important tasks firstRefer to the time management matrix to understand which tasks you should tackle first.Tip: Avoid Easy TasksIn step 1 you may have determined your top priority tasks. But your subconscious mind will constantly urge you to complete easier tasks first. It will be a challenge, but great time managers tackle tasks according to priority. Step 3: How to Get More Things Done with Less EffortVilfredo Pareto observed that 20% of the population in Italy amassed 80% of the wealth in Italy. Based on his observations, every field ranging from business to science eventually found that it was true in nearly all situations. 20% of the input are responsible for 80% of the output.Can you look out for the 20% of your tasks that account for 80% of the results? Look for it. 20% of your input at work account for 80% of the output, so focus on the 20% of tasks. Step 4: How You Can Start Prioritizing and Stop Procrastinating!You may face procrastination problems after you learn how to prioritize your tasks. You need to put everything on paper if you want to avoid this problem.First, by referring to the time management matrix,
• Label A for all your activities which fall in the first quadrant Second, Learn how to prioritize all A tasks by labeling A1, A2, A3… A1 being the most important and urgent task. Repeat for all B tasks by labeling B1, B2, B3… By this time you should have a very organized to do list which will look something like this:
Above is just a sample to do list. Make it a point to yourself to complete the activities on top of your list (A tasks) before moving on to B tasks. Step 5: The Secret to Getting High-Value Activities DoneUse notes to serve as a reminder for you at your workplace.The note can say “Complete My Top Priority Tasks First!” Your objective should be working on top priority (A tasks) activities until it is finished. You may remove the reminders once you have made this a habit. Just this simple act of completing your top priority tasks shows that you can effectively tackle high priority projects.
|