Deciding what NOT to do
You cannot do everything!
No matter how good you are at managing your time, you do have a finite amount of it and it is up to you to decide how to use it. The question is, how do you decide what not to do?
It’s easy to pick the important tasks that must be done each day, but how do you choose the ones you don’t need to do? It may involve letting someone down, and none of us like doing that.
Here’s how to remove the guilt of “I should…” and drop non-valuable tasks from your to-do list.
If you’d like to learn more about time management and productivity, sign up for Andrea’s online course, There IS Enough Time, now. Today is the last day for early bird discount.
How to decide what not to do
- Make it a conscious decision, not an accident. Don’t fall into the trap of allowing tasks to drop-off at the end of the day when you run out of time. This isn’t about unlearning good habits you have developed; it is about using them wisely. When you create your daily action plan or to-do list and schedule your time, give careful consideration to what you really need to do, and what is ok to leave to another day.
- Identify your priorities. This will help you to decide which tasks are allowed to remain on your to-do list. Remember, it is about quality, not quantity. One important, valuable task is worth more than ten minor ones.
- Learn to say no. Whether declining an invitation to a meeting which won’t benefit you significantly, saying no when a colleague or friend asks for help with one of their tasks or just not accepting requests you really don’t want to do, this is the most effective way of managing your time efficiently and effectively.
- Use your action plan or to-do list. Creating and prioritising the tasks on your list is only half the battle; crossing them off when complete is just as important. Of course, you also need to cross off the ones you won’t be doing – just because you once deemed it important enough to gain a place on your list, doesn’t mean you can’t remove it again once you’ve had a chance to think objectively.
This, and numerous other time thieves and productivity challenges will be covered in There IS Enough Time, a convenient online course starting on Wednesday 24th June. Find out more and sign up today, before early bird discount runs out!
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