Gordon MacDonald , “Not everything that cries the loudest is the most urgent thing. Just because an email comes in asking again for a meeting next week, doesn’t mean you have to answer it now.”
In the first post in this series, I shared step number one in making the most of every minute: List the six most important things you need to get done the next day, and allocate timings to them.
This step was revolutionary in turning my productivity around. But on its own, it is not enough. That’s where step 2 comes in:
2. Plan and prioritise the day itself: Chet Holmes says that your plan for the day is “not a general guide to how your day might unfold. It must be specific and have a time slot for absolutely everything”. Continuing the example I used in my earlier post, here is my plan for today:
- 0800-0830: Speak with Bob about the Organisational Effectiveness project
- 0830-1000: Write first draft of two blogs
- 1000-1300: Gym, pilates and lunch
- 1300-1330: Schedule meetings
- 1330-1530: Create initial draft of my speech about transformation
- 1530-1600: Buffer period (emails, ad hoc meetings)
- 1600-1700: Meet with my publisher
- 1700-1930: Buffer period
- 1930-2100: Meet with the leadership team
Key point: use buffer periods. These are absolutely essential, because in their absence you risk being constantly derailed by the unexpected.
As part of this second step, it is vital to prioritise. Where have you put the most difficult tasks? Many people put them at the end of the day, but typically we have less time and energy at that point in the day.
Key point: Put the most important task first. I love the sense of achievement I get at 10am when I know I have ticked off the single most important (and usually also the hardest) task of the day; it is all plain sailing from there!
Having the list really empowers me to say no to opportunities that come up in the day but do not serve my priorities and what is most important to me.
But that doesn’t mean I’ve become inflexible. My list often won’t take up the whole day, but I know at a glance what will make the biggest difference to my wife, my daughters, my neighbourhood and my business at a glance.
That’s it, 2 steps:
- List the six most important things you need to get done the next day, and allocate timings to them
- Plan and prioritise the day itself
These are among the most important tasks I do each day, and the results have been phenomenal.
But didn’t I promise 3 steps in this series? Indeed I did, and the 3rd step is all about getting practical: how can you best implement these steps given the growing number of technological distractions that surround us, and when is it best to plan to do these tasks?
What next?
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This is the blooming dream!