Is your day organized?
For the past three weeks, I’ve written my blog posts about the struggle we have with our “To Do” list. We cram as much as possible in our day and feeling pulled in different directions has become the norm. But, should we accept this?
Being the person who “does it all” may make you feel needed, respected, successful and important. Along with the overflowing to-do list comes fatigue, disappointment, conflict, and failure. “Doing it all” doesn’t mean you’re doing it well. So how do you go from frazzled and over committed to focused and accomplished?
First, it’s really important to have one main list of tasks to track all you need to do and monitor your progress. Craft this list carefully because there’s no need to add a whole bunch of items you don’t want or need to do. There’s no place for clutter on your organized daily checklist! Last week’s post covered exactly how to live life in 4D. What does that mean? It’s a simple way to evaluate each to-do on your list and decide if you should do it, defer it, delegate it, or delete it. To find out exactly how to leverage the 4D system, read the full blog post here.
There’s one more strategy to help you make the most of your time and focus on the actions you need to take each day to propel you towards your goals. It’s called the 80/20 Rule or the Pareto Principle.
The 80/20 Rule
The Pareto Principle tells us that we get 80% of our results from 20% of the work we do.
You have tasks which bring you an amazing ROI, like increased happiness or personal fulfillment . If you can find the 20% of your work which brings you the 80% of your success (and focus on it during your Strength Session), you’ll be unstoppable.
If you can take the 80% of the tasks which bring you the least return overall and defer, delegate and delete them, you’ll be laser focused on your true priorities.
Evaluate, Prioritize, Focus….
So how do you do this in real life?
First, evaluate. Take a look at what you’re spending your time doing. Are you in “the weeds”? If you’re stuck doing mundane tasks, you’re most likely not getting to the stuff which lights you up.
Next, prioritize. Think of the tasks which you look forward to most. Do you love being a part of your team’s weekly mastermind session? Are you energized after attending a professional networking event? Do you count the minutes until you get to work on your side hustle later in the day? Is family dinner when you laugh the most? These things get a gold star on your schedule because they are most valuable to you and make you the happiest.
Lastly, focus. Look at your gold star items on your to-do list. Is this where you are spending 80% of your energy? If you structure your schedule by living life in 4D (do, defer, delegate, and delete), you can subtract tasks and events that don’t bring you value and don’t increase your happiness.
Now, you’re spending 80% of your time doing the 20% of the tasks which bring you the most personal and professional satisfaction.
Combining the 4 strategies outlined in the blog posts in the past weeks (making one main to do list, finding your Strength Session, living life in 4D, and the 80/20 Rule), helps make prioritizing a piece of cake. Once your day is prioritized, you’ll feel accomplished, successful, and less stressed. Taking the time to properly prioritize enables you to make the most of your time and energy, which is the best gift you can give to yourself.
More Solutions To Keep You Organized
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