If we do not take action, and choose what to accomplish each day or week then we will be doing the many random things that come across our path. Each day we have decisions to make, and tasks to accomplish. Our tasks can either be chosen by us, or for us. If we do not have a way to decide what is important, then we can not be productive. We become like a ship tossed about in the storm, without direction. Or we can be like a ship guided through the storm. The first part of the puzzel is to identify what is important. The second is to make a plan to accomplish your goals.
Determining Priorities
In general a computer processes tasks in either a first in first out (FIFO), or a last in first out (LIFO) system. Try that for yourself and you will quickly see how inefficient it can be. I am familiar with two types of systems for prioritizing:
- Level of Importance
- Context
In level of importance effiency you make a list of all that you want to accomplish, and make use of a system to rank them. Some systems I know of include using letters and numbers to decide priority. Each task will have a letter, and then each set of lettered tasks is numbered. So you may use A, B, & C. Then each A task will be numbered from 1 on up. Another way to determine the importance of a task is to ask is this Urgent? Then to ask is this Important. This will result in four possibilities:
- Urgent / Important
- Urgent / Not Important
- Not Urgent / Important
- Not Urgent / Not Important
You would then complete the tasks in the order listed above, further prioritorizing each section to accomplish your tasks efficently.
In context prioritorization you list everything you can do where you will be. For example you may use the following contexts:
- Computer
- Telephone
- Office
- Home
The idea is to complete all tasks that involve making calls, or sending e-mail, or using the computer.
You may find that one type of prioritorization works well for your personal projects, while another helps you at work. I do suggest that you keep all of your tasks in one system, even if you use different ways of prioritizing personal and work tasks.
How Many Tasks Can I Complete?
Often your list of things to accomplish in a week will be longer than what you can accomplish. Each day expect to be able to accomplish one to three major tasks and one to five minor tasks. If your tasks are divided between work and personal, then you may not be able to complete as many personal tasks.
Conclusion
With so many draws on our time it is hard to accomplish what is most important to you, unless you have a plan for what to accomplish.