we fixate too much on the enormity
of what-lies-ahead. There are solutions!
One of the keys to increasing your success is prioritizing. The most effective use of your time will often be choosing the most important task from among all the others on your to-do list. That task is then called your next-action step.
Making Good Choices
The quality of your day depends on the choosing of your next-action step. Your week depends on it. Your month. Your year. Your life.
In our modern lives, we humans can be very funny about this process of capturing and prioritizing our tasks. Even when we know that there is a particular task that needs completing — how we try to avoid it, postpone it, negotiate with it, and cajole it!
I mean, it’s more fun just to wing-it, right? To be fluid, and to do what we feel like doing, when we feel like doing it?
“I’m able to use systems without resenting them
for rigidly structuring my time”
Well, it is more fun just to wing-it, yes. For a short while. But things pile-up. Tasks don’t finish themselves, and — in particular — larger, more complex projects need strategy and proper sequence in order to maintain momentum toward full completion. This is where prioritizing really comes in handy.
Identifying your next-step on any project, or in any moment, is determined, in part, by your model of personal productivity; that is, the method you use for approaching your day.
Prioritizing: The 2 Models for Productivity
1. Proactive Prioritizing
Taking on your day with a proactive mindset means you have a system and a very conscious thought-process for how you envision the rest of your day unfolding.
2. Reactive Prioritizing
Responding to your day reactively means you “kind of” have a plan, but spend a significant amount of time reacting to new issues that arise moment-to-moment.
Which is your model?
How do you approach your day?
Look, I’m a guy that uses systems during his day. It doesn’t matter if I’m doing domestic chores at home or facilitating an important meeting at the office — I use systems. The reason I’m able to use systems without “resenting” them for rigidly structuring my time or making my day seem less spontaneous, is because…
I control the systems.
Knowing that I’m the boss of me and that I have choices, helps me to engage my productivity systems with a sense of play (and not drudgery).
“it’s common for busy people to have
over 100 items on their to-do lists”
You are the boss of you. You are in charge of your day and the choices you make.
There are days when I don’t feel like using my lists, and so I don’t. No guilt. No shame. I just give myself a break.
Ironically, though, knowing that I can “suspend” my systems any time I feel like it — that I give myself complete permission to throw my clipboard into a drawer anytime I want — helps me to feel empowered and enthusiastic about the whole process of capturing tasks into a list and completing them in a methodical way.
Now, in terms of how to choose what you do next, that is both a science, and an art. Sometimes you want to choose whatever on the list has been there the longest, or, choose whatever on the list you feel least like doing, or, whatever on the list is the most potentially revenue-producing, or….
Actually, the “how” to choose what to do next on your list, is a topic for another post and, oddly, not even the most important dynamic. What’s more important is the awareness and intention to see your day, your hour, and this minute, through the lens of the next-action step.
Ah, the next-action step: the thing on which your productivity hinges. You can accomplish so much more, once you understand the art of choosing the right next-action. And the very, very best part of the next-action, is: it’s a real de-stresser!
In the short video below, I provide insights into how to determine which productivity model you are personally in the habit of using:
When you think of all that you have to do, how much work and time will be involved, how much intricacy and effort — it can really raise those anxiety-levels! But as soon as you begin work upon a carefully chosen next-action, all the noise and angst dissipates and is replaced by a calm clarity.
Nothing lowers the heart rate like focusing cleanly on the task at hand.
Another benefit, is that completing your highest priority items now, will create more free, “play” time for you later.
The goal isn’t too finish everything on your list in one day (these days, it’s not uncommon for busy executives or state-of-the-art homemakers to have 100 to 150 items captured on their lists), but rather, to decide on the most important stuff, and then get-at it.
Create more free time!
Learn the secrets of using checklists to get organized
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Running a small business I find that I am always on the go and my time is very valuable. I am sure that implementing some of these ideas will help. Here from Commenthour
Here from CommentHour. I think this is an excellent article and also perfect timing for me. My time is more in demand these days and I have been having some issues trying to juggle everything. I know this will help.
Visiting from #Commenthour. I do use a to do list often at work. I aslo very often skip the list depending on my mood.
This is the exact kind of information I need personally and professionally. Thank you so much.
Such a response so far!
I’m most grateful for all of your comments. Everyone who has commented so far, I have visited your blogs and commented there — or, if you don’t happen to have a blog, I’ve visited you on Twitter or Facebook and retweeted or shared and commented on some of your content.
Remember, the million-dollar question is — and always will be — “what is my next action step?”
This is definitely invaluable help on how to organize and realistically prioritize your life. Just as there are those that prefer to live life as it comes, taking things as they blow by and not being concerned with anything else until it becomes an unavoidable priority… there are those that go too far on the opposite side of that spectrum and plan to the point where they allow themselves no leeway for unexpected happenings or emergencies, which of course happen often because life likes to throw in surprises. I think your blog post is beneficial for those who are too far on either side of the stick, and need to find a way to balance it right down the middle.
visiting from #commenthour
You are right. What good is a list if it’s not prioritized?
visiting from #commenthour
If I ever find time to write a to do list I’ll have to try to prioritize it!
#commenthour
I used to be a proactive person, however, I noticed that was one of the things that sort of got lost when I became sick. I am home on medical leave now and dealing with a lot of the nonsense that happens in a reactive state and been rebuilding my proactivity with my health. One of the things that helped me the most was realizing that “a day off” of the proactive lifestyle won’t put me back to square one! This is really important to note when you have an unpredictable chronic condition
Great advice.
I look forward to the post about HOW to pick what to do next – I’d like to know if I’m tackling things in the most efficient and effective ways!
Really good post with great advice! I’m a first time visitor of your blog but I’ll be back!
I needed this post today. Thank you!
Great post! I will come back and read more for sure. Welcome to #CommentHour!
I struggle with the fire fighting routine from time to time, I try to get structured but it’s hard to do that while the fires burn. Sign me up for the newsletter and spill the beans on The Dane Technique!
what next is something we ask ourselves hundreds of times per day, but acting with intention and making an organized plan out of action is definitely a contributor to success!
OK – you’re officially on my uber cool list.
Shabang!
Kris, thank you! Hopefully we can motivate each other to stay on track toward or goals in 2011!
This was a very thought provoking post, Dane. I would say that I aim to tackle my day proactively most of the time. However, many days I end up completing tasks reactively. It is extremely important to prioritize how we spend out time, unfortunately, my experience has been that the more I plan to accomplish tasks in a particular order, the least events actually unfold that way. Most days, I actually feel like there isn’t enough time in my day to accomplish everything that I need to do as a Working Mom with two young children. It definitely helps to be conscious of the fact that we can have some control as to how we manage our time and tasks daily. I will let you know if I begin to make any headway in this department…
Yes, all of us have days that “get away from us.” What’s helpful is to have a clear intention, and a system, for getting back on track when we’re ready.
Great insights, Dane. I particularly appreciated your mentioning that knowing that you’re the boss of you and that you have choices, helping you to engage your productivity systems with a sense of play, and not drudgery. While it can seem the opposite is true, more structure does lead to more freedom.