Episode Transcript
What Should Be Done First?
An Example of a To Do List Triage
We’ve been discussing how crazy busy life can be, especially when running a business. We talked through the importance of routines and getting the day started off right. Breaking big things down into small pieces and the process for doing that. Last week’s post was on knowing what to do first from a triage perspective.
This all sounds great, but how do we implement it?
I thought an example might help with that.
Everything in life comes down to decisions.
The decisions we make affect the outcome. This past Sunday morning I was running behind schedule and needed to make some adjustments to my morning routine. Being behind was due to decisions made Saturday evening which were the results of something that happened Friday evening.
Friday night, while watching the NASCAR truck race, the electricity went off around 10:30. This meant I couldn’t watch the race until it came back on. I called the power company and went to bed.
Having not seen the completion of the truck race I decided to watch it ahead of the Xfinity race on Saturday evening. I had a plan, and it was scheduled on the calendar. But things on Saturday took longer than expected. So, I didn’t get started watching the races until later. This meant I was up later than planned. All decisions made by me.
While recovering from my accident in 2012 I found that I’m more productive when I get at least 7 ½ hours of sleep each night. This is why I was running behind Sunday morning. I chose the 7 ½ hours.
All of these were decisions I made.
Back to Sunday morning. My morning routine consists of showering, daily Bible reading, journaling, getting ready and daily planning. To be at church on time I need to leave the house by 9:00. I can’t go back and change the past, so this gives me a fixed time to get things done.
How do I decide what to do and what not to do?
It comes down to prioritizing. Of the things on the list what is the most important? This order is determined by having figured out who I am and what things are the most important to me. Shower and get dressed. After all, I don’t want to go to church in my pajamas. Next, Bible reading a prayer. Next, Journaling. Next, daily planning.
If there’s not enough time to go through the daily planning before going to church, I can do it after. The same is true for journaling. Both things are important, but not as time sensitive as the others. To Bible reading and prayer. These are more important, but I can use the YouVersion Bible app on my computer and listen to the daily reading as I drive to church.
I got everything done Sunday morning, except the daily planning. I made it to church on time and did the daily planning after I got back home.
Decisions are a combination of a list, a calendar, and a clock.
A list is just that, a way to keep track of all the things to be done. This can be handwritten on a piece of paper, a digital list on a computer, or smart phone. I prefer digital. I have it with me all the time and can move things around or check them off easily. I use OneNote for this.
A calendar is a visual way to schedule blocks of time. Again, this can be paper or digital. Like the list, I like the digital better because of always having it and the flexibility to move things around. Some things, like church, are fixed and I can’t change them. Some are like the daily planning and can be moved.
The one thing that we can’t change is time. We have a fixed amount. All we can do is to be aware of it and spend it wisely.
Everyone’s priorities are different. To be the most productive you need to be clear on what is most important to you. Once you’re clear on this you can work through your list, schedule things on your calendar, and spend your time wisely. This will help you to be more productive.
If you would like to know more about how I use these tools to be productive, schedule a free 30-minute consultation.
