My friend, Laura, and I are currently reading a book called, “The Productivity Project”, by Chris Bailey. The author has always been concerned with being productive and even took an entire year to figure out the best methods/tips, trying a whole variety of extremes along the way.
We just finished up a chapter called, “3 Daily Tasks”, which is right up my alley! Because I’m typically a methodical, linear thinker, three things is all I can handle at once. As a matter of fact, this has come up during my conference calls with Laura many a time! So we both chuckled when we saw the title – clearly it was written for me!
The premise is that for each day you decide the three important tasks you can accomplish that will benefit you the most. You stick with only three because you can recall three things easily. Once the list gets longer, it’s harder to keep everything front and center in your head. Ideally, you have a daily list as well as a bigger weekly list helping you steadily make progress towards your goals.
So I’ve been attempting to incorporate Chris’s tactics into play and I don’t think I previously really realized how often I get distracted throughout the day! Cell phones, demanding people, gut-wrenching videos on Facebook – it’s a lot! Just staying focused is proving tougher than anticipated.
And I have to chuckle when I can still only recall two of my three things! Weaving is always one of them and specific marketing tasks usually take up a second spot on the list. But that third item, I can’t always pull it up.
So, in an effort to be more successful at my three things, I’m starting with a few smaller changes to help me focus. I’m trying to be more aware of the time I spend on my phone – the amount of time and frequency. For instance, I have moved my phone farther out of my reach at night so I don’t wake up and immediately respond to people’s comments on social media. That can wait until after I’ve eaten a little breakfast and reviewed my three things for the day!
And I’m getting back into the habit of weaving first thing in the morning, even if it’s only for twenty minutes. That way I have one item checked off my list and I’m already feeling good about my progress!
Plus, I’ve discovered that I need to establish my three things the night before. If I get up and have to figure them out in the morning, it just invites procrastination into my day. So for me, doing a bit of planning the night before is the key.
Oh! And I HAVE to write them down! If it’s just a ghostly list hovering in the air six inches from my head, it’ll never stick. There’s something about the motion of writing that gives me a much better chance of recalling the information.
So that’s where I am currently, trying to figure out the best use of my time in order to grow a successful business and have plenty of time to enjoy it!
What tips do you use to stay on track?
Song of the Day – Peter Gabriel, “In Your Eyes”
