Do you ever feel you have so many priorities you don’t even know where to start because everything seems important? We all need help sometimes figuring out what needs to go on top of our to-do list. Doing so makes you feel less stressed because it will help you get things done. Read on for suggestions that might work for you.
- Top Three
- Pick your top three tasks
- Get started immediately on the first thing! The minute you get one thing done, you will be excited to tackle more
- Develop each into three steps or fewer
- Arrange each step into due dates from earliest to latest
- Print and post as a to-do list
Categorize, Sort, Evaluate;
- Categorize what you want/need to accomplish in a day, week or month. Look to see if each one is:
- Important (e.g., time with family, exercise/things necessary to avoid crisis such as bill paying)
- Urgent (tasks/activities that require immediate action, such as paying the bill or risking losing your heat). Note: too many of us leave the important things until they become urgent, which increases stress.
- Sort into four categories:
- Important and urgent
- Important but not urgent
- Not important but urgent
- Not important or urgent
- Evaluate: Where do you spend the most time? Does it line up with your actual priorities?
- Note: Most put their list in “not important but urgent,” which means putting off something, leading to stress.
- Category 1 will shrink when you focus on Category 2. For example, pay bills right away and you’ll have better control over your finances.
- Experts suggest spending 60-70 percent of your time on Category 2, 15-20 percent on Category 1, and up to 5 percent on Category 3.
Figuring out how to prioritize will allow you to streamline what you need to do, resulting in less stress and more productivity for you. Try one of these to get yourself feeling more in control.
For more tips and tricks, read our related blog posts or reach out to the local staffing team at Medical Professionals today!
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