Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the amount of things on your to do list? Do you feel disappointed in yourself when the list has not been completed? Has your list started to interrupt your thinking; perhaps when you’re talking to a colleague or during family time?
This used to be me until I had a moment of clarity — I was reminded of Habit One of Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effectively People: Be Proactive.
Often this can be misinterpreted as: “get things done before they need doing urgently”, however it’s much deeper than this. Habit One is a reminder that at all times we have a choice.
What I realised in that moment of clarity was I have a choice about where I put my energy and attention. And that’s really important for my well-being. This doesn’t mean I won’t have difficult things to do, but I can influence when I do them; choosing a time when my energy is high and my outlook is at its most positive.
When we make intentional choices about where we focus our energy, we start to feel more in control. And, that control is so important for our mental health.
Constant busyness, juggling shifting demands and the guilt of unfinished tasks can all take a toll on us. But when we take ownership of our priorities, we protect our peace.
Here are three simple things that I now do that make a massive difference to me.
1. Start every day with five minutes of planning. I take five quiet minutes each morning to decide my top three priorities for the day. These are non-negotiable and I always complete this list. This ensures that I can trust myself to do the things I said I would do.
2. Set some time to focus every day. Every day I choose a block of time when I mute notifications, close my inbox, and work without interruptions. This time allows me to concentrate 100% on the job in hand and the result is that I am more effective and get more things done.
3. Time blocking instead of a to-do list. Ironically, updating my to-do list became another item on my to-do list! I now block time out in my diary to do specific tasks.
I have much more control over what I am doing because I don’t have a diary full of meetings and a list of things to do that need to be fitted around my schedule. This makes me more discerning about the meetings I have and when I do the urgent and important tasks on my list.
I have by no means perfected these three habits; occasionally things drift. However, these three ways of working have dramatically improved my productivity.
So, I encourage you to rewrite your relationship with time; change our mindset. Instead of fighting against “time management” focus on being intentional, prioritising what really matters, and making choices that align with your values and priorities.
These things not only help us get more done, but they also help us feel better while doing it.