We deceive ourselves every day.
Does your time go to what FEELS important or what IS important?
Put another way, do you prioritize your schedule or schedule your priorities?
How do you determine what really is a priority? Weigh the consequences of NOT doing the task. If not done, will anything be adversely affected?
Too often we prioritize by considering the “benefit” of doing the task. It’s fairly easy to find a benefit of doing just about anything. I can surf the internet for a while—see what the competition is doing. After all, I need to stay current. Maybe I’ll call some old clients and see how they’re doing. That’s good for business. I can look on Amazon for new business books I should read. Have to keep my finger on the pulse of business.
It’s easy to find benefits. The examples may seem extreme but these deceptive activities consume our days. It’s not that we ARE busier than ever; we MAKE ourselves busier than ever.
If you ask yourself, “what happens if I don’t do this?” then use that answer to guide your prioritizing, your “to-do” list will shrink.
Shameless Promotion: It takes a little practice to change old habits. I have some tools that can greatly help with priority planning. Contact me. I’m happy to share them with you.
Chris Reich, Author of TeachU’s Business Talk Blog