Prioritise your time and never miss another deadline (possibly…)
At the risk of sounding like quite a boring and uptight person - and I do have my moments - something that I do pride myself on is my ability to organise my time.
I can sense you yawning already….
But this is important. We’re all getting busier, and the influence of technology has made us more impatient than ever. To-do-lists are getting longer and more urgent.
I hate letting people down and I also hate feeling overwhelmed – except for a few weird people, I’d guess you are the same.
So how do we keep on top of everything?
Well, we need to prioritise. Yes, of course we do, I can hear you thinking. We already know that. But wait… I mean really prioritise. I do it incredibly ruthlessly. And (smug alert), I do it so well that I almost never forget to do things, I never miss a deadline (without flagging it up well in advance) and I generally can stay on top of the things that matter.
I’ve shared my “technique,” if you can call it that, with a few eager colleagues when they’ve asked me to over the years. If you find yourself often feeling overwhelmed by an out-of-control inbox and think you could manage your time better, then please read on and I’ll explain how I like to do it. You might take something from it, or you might completely ignore it. Frankly, I’m not bothered what you do. The main thing is that it works for me, and something else might work better for you!
Eisenhower and MoSCoW
It all started about circa 20-years ago when our boss at the time came back from some offsite training where he’d been introduced to the Eisenhower Matrix. If you haven’t heard of it already, the Eisenhower Matrix is a popular time management approach that helps people make decisions about which tasks to tackle first based on their urgency and importance.
The boss explained the Eisenhower Matrix to me, I liked the sound of it and started using it that very day! While over the years, I’ve evolved it and created my own version that works perfectly for me, I’ve been using it every day since. What I’ve ended up with is something very similar to the Eisenhower Matrix but also that takes some inspiration from the MoSCoW method too. For those not familiar, MoSCoW introduces the principles of must-have, should-have, could-have and won’t-have or will not have right now, to prioritising requirements.
You might like the sound of Eisenhower and MoSCoW and fancy having a go at those. Go ahead and look them up. The most important thing is to find something that works for you and helps keep you feel calm and in control!
Here’s what I do.
I create four boxes for the working day ahead. Within these boxes, I add all the tasks on my to-do list, categorised as follows:
Box 1 (Top left)
Must do. In here I ONLY add tasks that absolutely must get done that day – whatever it takes! Don’t be tempted to add anything else. Included should be the meetings and calls you’ve committed to that day and those things with a deadline that day or that you must work on that day. You must be realistic here. If it’s too much to get done or something unexpected and mega urgent happens, then you’re going to need to decline or postpone some meetings, delegate some stuff, ask for help or in the rare worst-case scenario, flag a delay.
Box 2 (Top right)
Try to do. In here I include tasks that are important and may even be urgent, but where nobody will die if they don’t get done today. On those glorious days when you complete everything in Box 1, move to Box 2 and try to tick off a few from there too. Happy days.
Box 3 (Bottom left)
Unlikely to do. In here, I add my lower priority stuff. These are less urgent things or tasks that you don’t give much importance too. Don’t be tempted to list all your future tasks in here. Put those in your calendar instead and add them to a box once its time to start working on them. Oh, and I’ll let you into a secret, this box might also include a few things that might slip off the list and never get done…naughty.
Box 4 (Bottom right)
Waiting to do. This is where I list out the tasks where I am waiting for input from someone else before I can progress them. For example, where I can’t write a monthly report until I’ve got some data from finance. These are important things, but tasks that you can’t move forward now. Once you get what you need, then put it in box 1, 2 or 3 as appropriate, to be progressed.
Lastly and very importantly, I do the above exercise for the day ahead at the end of every day before I log off. The reason for doing it then and not first thing in the morning is key to keeping me feeling calm and sleeping well. This way it’s all out of my head and I can more easily switch off and relax in the evening, knowing the next day is mapped out and I can get straight into the important stuff in the morning.
Because I’m quite old school at times, personally I like to do all this by hand in a notebook. Firstly, I think there’s something in writing things down that helps them crystalise better in your brain and secondly, I enjoy the satisfaction of being able to scribble tasks out as I complete them the next day!
Give it a try
This whole exercise takes 5 minutes at the end of every day. I find it a nice way to end the day that allows me to go home and switch off from work more easily. Freeing me up to switch on to the stress of running after my kids instead.
It’s a simple approach that has served me well for almost 25-years.