The ability to be able to set priorities and deal with our most important tasks first is an essential skill for self improvement and achieving results. We are all busy and there are many demands on our time and it is very easy to be distracted by other people and events. We may feel we have so many things to do that we don't know even where to start.
Usually the best place to start is to make a list of everything you need to do. Many people keep the things they have to do in their heads, and never write things do. Any busy person that manages to be highly productive and genuinely feels they are performing effectively without writing things down and prioritising them is very lucky indeed, and this is a great skill.
However, most people, even people who don't feel the need to write things down, are amazed to find how much more they can achieve by working from a list. The very act of writing down everything we need to do can also unburden the mind and allow us to think clearer.
But just to write our tasks down is not enough, the critical next step is to prioritise them by listing them in order of importance. When seen on paper, deciding our most important tasks is easier, and things that were preoccupying us, may be seen to be unimportant, and can often be deleted altogether, or delegated.
To ensure we are making the most effective use of our time at all times we must put at the top of the list the item that is most important, that will achieve the greatest results for us when completed, or will have serious consequences if not completed. And we must commit to work on and complete that task before moving on to the second item on our list.
There are variations on this technique, and many other more detailed resources available from time management experts that can make us more productive. However, the simple actions of making a list and prioritising our tasks, then completing our highest value task before doing anything else, will have a huge impact on our productivity.
Self Improvement Quote of the Day:
"It's not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?" - Henry David Thoreau
Garry Zancanaro is the founder of Self Improvement Directory, a website dedicated to Self Improvement and Personal Development, and to helping people live more successful and fulfilling lives by providing a directory of the highest quality Self Growth resources available. Includes many FREE eBooks and much more. Visit http://www.selfimprovementdirectory.com/
Wood Dale Chicago prom limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareMany folks tell me that they just don't have time... Read More
It's amazing how many sayings there are in our culture... Read More
Microsoft wanted to know how individuals around the world were... Read More
The most powerful resource that we have is time. Everything... Read More
One of the tried and true organization and time-management tools... Read More
Do you wish you could work less and play more?... Read More
There are so many books on Time Management published every... Read More
A new client recently admitted to me sheepishly that she... Read More
This is one more article on "Organizing and Enjoying Your... Read More
Are you working a "day job" while building your home-based... Read More
This may not sound like a big deal. But it's... Read More
Work life balance is the new Holy Grail; that search... Read More
I keep a fossil on my desk at all times.... Read More
Clarity brings accomplishmentOne of the most important things you can... Read More
As I sit here in front of the computer... Read More
Many of you have expressed the challenge of not having... Read More
As a professional organizer, consultant and trainer, I have come... Read More
My husband and I recently returned from a trip to... Read More
According to a Miller Heiman 2003 Sales Effectiveness Study, over... Read More
Time management consultant Stephen Young claims that the average time... Read More
It's been said, "That no one has enough time yet,... Read More
If you have ever missed an appointment, forgotten to pick... Read More
How do you eat two elephants? The same way you... Read More
What keeping time really means is...being on time!You know, there... Read More
Still awaiting the birth of my baby (I am overdue),... Read More
Antigo wedding limo ..The concept of Mercury Retrograde is very well known even... Read More
What are the most important things you should accomplish today?... Read More
What keeping time really means is...being on time!You know, there... Read More
According to a Miller Heiman 2003 Sales Effectiveness Study, over... Read More
If you can regularly ask yourself "Am I regularly and... Read More
One question a lot of people ask me recently is:... Read More
Number Yourself: Count yourself as an important individual. You are... Read More
There are the golden rules that apply to time. If... Read More
One of the issues most often raised by my clients... Read More
"I find it interesting that the very cape I tried... Read More
Want to improve your time management?Edward W. Smith, motivational speaker,... Read More
One of the most challenging aspect in life is time... Read More
Work life balance is the new Holy Grail; that search... Read More
Why waste your precious time working on tasks, which are... Read More
Are you too busy to put yourself first? If a... Read More
Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number... Read More
"Time management" is a myth. Time ticks by, whether you... Read More
Years ago clients would tell me they could not identify... Read More
Such an innocuous little phrase, yet when you are hard... Read More
At Home? Keep related items together, for example the coffee... Read More
An appointment is simply a mutual agreement to meet with... Read More
Many people want to be coached to manage their time... Read More
So What Then Is The Opposite Of Procrastination? Urgency is... Read More
What does it mean to practice self care? It's creating... Read More
"Can you find four extra hours in your day?" a... Read More
Time Management |