Do you have to prioritize your work? There must be an app for that. Of course there is an app. If you choose to use such an app, does that mean you can stop prioritizing your work? Of course not!
Apps cannot take the place of you thinking through your work and how important something is to get done. The app still needs your input and you still need to rethink and reevaluate what you are doing throughout the day. So apps aside...
It is necessary to prioritize to get your most important work done. When you do, it feeds your energy for the day. That's one reason to begin your day with your priority. And here's more motivation.
- Fewer competing demands during the day because you are knocking of the things that need to get done.
- It's easier to go home at the end of the day if you are working on less important work later in the day. If you start a priority later in the day (that you knew you had to do), it makes it more difficult to leave work.
- You come more mindful of how you are measured when having your performance review; making sure you are working on those items that your company wants you to focus on and accomplish. If you are an entrepreneur, you still have to answer to someone, even if it's you.
Here's how to successfully prioritize:
- Take 5 minutes at the end of the day to plan the next day identifying your priorities.
- As you begin your day, ask yourself, "If I can only do one thing today and one thing only, what would it be?" That one thing is your priority. Remember, if you have two priorities (or more) then neither are a priority, one must be the priority.
- Identify why the priority is relevant; what's the impact of not doing it.
- Be realistic. Creating an overwhelming to-do list can sway you to do unimportant "small" tasks to get them off your plate leaving less time for your priority. Keep the day focused on those tasks that are important and necessary
Staying focused in today's world of distractions, including social media, instant messages, email along with jobs that encompass so many different tasks, skills and projects is challenging. Become more aware of what you need to work on and what you allow to distract you. It's how you self-manage your reactions that will keep you on top of your day and staying productive. Step back, breathe, and weigh your options before you react. How you do react will impact your priorities.