Creative Procrastination For Virtuoso Success! (Urgent vs Important)
Yes, procrastination can be a good thing.
Most of us, with great intentions of doing important things, don’t want little things like email, texts, phone calls, Facebook messages, or errands to get in the way. So, we do those first with the idea that we’ll have a clear mind and workspace for that important item? Right?
And what happens?
Three hours later you’ve done… little things. And wasted much of the day.
When you book yourself to your most important task (last week’s tip) make a conscious decision to procrastinate on the little things. Force yourself to NOT check email, Facebook, or your match.com profile, do not have CNN muted in the background, turn off your phone, mute that little email “ding,” and organize things later. Right now, start and focus completely on your most important task.
Amber De La Garza, The Productivity Specialist – says it like this: “Put your best into your best.” Put your best time, energy and mindset, into your best activity. First.
Oh, it feels good to strike three things off your to-do list, doesn’t it? But when they’re low value tasks you’ve wasted your freshest time of the day.
Later, when your brain is a little fried you can spend your remaining time and energy on lesser value tasks.
Finally, recognize the difference between “urgent” and “important.” Urgent things – phone calls, texts, emails, FB messages – are rarely important. Important things – writing, sales calls, practicing, strategic plans, marketing proposals – are rarely urgent.
If something is both urgent and important that takes priority: Like taking your sick child to the doctor. That’s obvious. The challenge is choosing to do the “important but not urgent” – working on a client proposal due next month – over the “urgent but not important” – clearing your email in-box or responding to texts. And finally, the not urgent and not important… just don’t do them and they’ll probably just go away.
Two great questions to ask yourself throughout the day:
“If I could only get only one thing done today what should it be?” Start with THAT activity.
“What is the best use of my time right now?” Do that thing now.
If you do this, it will work.
Mike
