Prioritizing with Passion
For the past two weeks, I’ve focused my blog posts on organizing your “To Do” list and setting priorities so you can be more efficient and live a more fulfilled life. The first article was about how to create and use one main list to manage all your tasks. The second one outlined how to find your Strength Session, the time of the day you are most alert and focused. To find out how to best leverage this time for your gain, check out the full blog post here.
Still, you can take your main list of things to do and get really analytical and unrelenting with it. Real talk…. Are there things on your to do list which never get checked off and no one is impacted by them not getting done? If you do, why are you torturing yourself by keeping them there and constantly reminding yourself you haven’t got the time to successfully complete them?
Now is the time to start making tough decisions and take prioritizing to the next level. I call it Life in 4D. The 4 “Ds” are Do, Defer, Delegate, and Delete.
Do….
Take a look at your current main list. If something is immediate and takes 5 minutes or less, do it. Check it off and move on. If it takes longer than 5 minutes and must be done by you, think about putting it in your Strength Session tomorrow.
Limit the amount of tasks you have in a day which you must do yourself. Add no more than 3 of these tasks to your day and include extra time in your daily plan for interruptions and breaks.
Defer….
Next, take a close look at all the things which can wait a bit. Defer them to later. If nothing is impacted by sitting on this for a few days, put it to the side and come back to it when your list is under control.
Here’s a little warning… don’t defer too many tasks. Deferred items still need to be completed by you. When you make the choice to defer, you’re still the only person who is working on the “to do”. The last thing you want to do is pile up a whole bunch of things you need to work on in the near future and have that list keep growing. You’ll lose control quickly.
So, what do you do? That’s where the next “D” comes in…..
Delegate….
Now it’s time to find one thing you can have someone else do for you. Delegate at least one thing on the list. It doesn’t have to be a huge task. It can be as simple as using a grocery delivery service. Someone else is food shopping for you. One less thing on your list. It’s brilliant!
Delegating doesn’t have to be something you do at work. You can delegate at home by hiring a cleaning service, ordering delivery for dinner, using a laundry service, or asking a friend to carpool so every other week your child has a ride to soccer. Delegating is magical.
Finding low or no cost solutions to have others take care of your responsibilities at home so you have more time to enjoy with family or to relax is like finding a unicorn. What’s not to love?
Delete….
The 4th “D” in “Living Life in 4D” is my absolute favorite. Delete… just delete anything on your list you haven’t gotten around to and won’t find the time for.
If a task is bringing little to no value to your life, don’t do it and cross it out anyway. It’s liberating!!!
You should not feel obligated to complete any task which does not bring you closer to your goals or enrich your life.
The Life in 4D method provides clarity when considering priorities, especially when you use the system without apology. It’s fine to ask for help, so don’t apologize when you delegate. The earth will continue to spin if you stop making that craft you’re not really enjoying anyway. Delete it from your “To Do” list and give the remaining supplies to someone who will enjoy using them.
Life is too short to be stuck doing it all.
More Solutions To Keep You Organized
Here are more articles to help you improve your time management and productivity:
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