I don’t know if you are like me, sometimes I get fixated on a task or a comment, and just want to get it done now or respond immediately. Yet this isn’t always the best, safest or most time-efficient thing to do. There are two aspects to this thinking:
1. Have you got your priorities right?
I recently wrote about separating the IMPORTANT (something that moves your business forward) from the URGENT (something that needs doing now) from the NICE TO DO (something that you would like to do but is neither URGENT or IMPORTANT). You can read the full blog here.
How many of you create a To-do list every day or week and just plough your way through it? I bet your To-do list never gets shorter (tick one item off and add 2 more!) and you never know if you are really using your time most efficiently but nevertheless, you plough on!
Separating your To-do list as I outlined in last week’s blog (DO, DECIDE, DELEGATE, DELETE) will help you work out if it’s something you need to do now rather than just thinking you can do it quickly to get it off your To-do list!
2. Do you need time to reflect, to get a better perspective?
Sometimes I react to an email or something someone has said and feel impetuous and just want to respond immediately. This is rarely a good strategy and has gotten me in trouble in the past (does this sound familiar?)! So, holding yourself back and getting some perspective is always a better strategy than just replying now to get it off your To-do list. Sometimes we need time to reflect; time to stand in the other person’s shoes and to get some distance from the situation. When we do this our response is rarely the same as the response we would have given if we had replied immediately.
I try to apply both these strategies to my workload, my emails and my plans and the best part of this is that at the end of the day, I feel a sense of accomplishment and that I have moved my business forward.
If you want to have a chat about this or get some support with your workload then please do get in touch.