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Welcome to Day 2 of 7 Days To Better Productivity & Time Management.
Today’s task will take about 1 hour.
Today we’ll learn a secret that will help you escape one of – if not the – biggest time-management traps there is.
If you’re signed up and logged in then today’s task will appear below.
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I do tackle the small jobs before big ones. It feels like I’d I just get them done, I will have complete focus and not be as overwhelmed. It’s not working very well. I’ll start to be aware of when I’m falling into this fallacy this week. And my priorities are kids, generating energy, time management, boyfriend and financial stability.
I am very anxious about knowing I can’t finish everything. I make lists and expect to finish them and when I don’t at the end of the day, I don’t feel accomplished. I know it isn’t a good way to think of it and I need to change my mindset. I know focusing on what matters should be my only goal. But I am overwhelmed with all everyone expects from me right now. i feel like I am on an endless treadmill. However, this week I will focus on my marriage and time with husband, taking care of myself for a change, including my health and down time, Focus on one part of my career instead of every aspect, cooking more at home, and purging things out of my life to make it more simplified. Fingers crossed!
I love your priorities for this week Lisa, relationships are so important. You can do this. 🙂
Kylie, Community Manager
It is actually a relief to know I’ll never get anything finally done. I have been spinning wheels getting the small stuff “out of the way.” I.e., never STARTING with the big stuff. For me, #1 is my health, so MAKE TIME for easy cooking healthily and for (gulp) exercise. The next priority has all sorts of psychic repercussions — declutter. (I was on my way to hoarding seriously). Will pledge to an hour a day walking or swimming, and another hour decluttering FLOORS. I fell again 2 days ago on bedroom piles. Don’t need to do that again.
🙂 You can do this, Carol! You’ll be surprised how exercise will help clear your mind and help you focus on what’s important.
Kylie, Community Manager
I have a husband, three kids, a job, volunteering, Toastmasters, etc…. So much! Where do I land in all this? At the bottom, as usual… That’s my first priority to change.
To be honest, I feel anxious. So may larger projects to complete that will get me where I’m trying to get to
great freeing exercise…I tend to let my time be eaten up by others wants and demands…learning to stay true to myself
Hmm. my comment disappesred. 2nd try: focus on health (walking daily) and decluttering (don’t ask) and let the little stuff (it’s big, but not in comparison) go down the list or disappear completely for the time being.
What a huge relief to read that it’s basically impossible to do everything. It’s actually quite freeing. I have narrowed down my priorities to my top 5 and have written them on post it notes so I’ll see them several times per day.
So glad to be doing this again. I have had decades of letting the minor control my life, which has crept back in. Time to refocus on the Major!
I have far too many priorities I know, so the advice to focus on the top 5 priorities for the next few weeks really helped, as I don’t have to feel I am giving up on some of those life goals, merely just deciding sensibly to focus on 5 of them over the coming weeks. Prioritising the priorities! I have 3 levels of priorities now having completed these exercises, becoming more granular as we go, but more importantly I know the top 5 to focus on in the next few weeks.
I completed today’s list and prioritised it without looking at the goals I had set for myself for this year (set at the beginning of December and not looked at since!). After I had completed the task, I compared my top five priorities with my goals – top five exactly the same! My task now is to put my list where I can see it everyday. I loved the simplicity of identifying what matters – it is the simplest method I have ever used. Thank you.
A day late because I had a deadline to meet and it took up the whole day. So my priorities include fitness, finish a project that will be completed today, gardening, making making hypertufa pots and putting away and downsizing Christmas decorations. Interesting how I have spent a lot of time telling myself ..just do this little thing and then I can start on the big project….now I can let some of that go and hit the big stuff.
Realising that you will never get everything done releases some of the guilt that I am not a superwoman. My priorities including working on my health and fitness, ensuring future financial security, practicing meditation daily and working on the survival and prosperity of our business.
I’m not sure how to signup, it keeps asking for my password and I put in and then the cycle begins again. I must be doing something wrong but don’t know what.
Playing catch up as my schedule suddenly changed for this week:
First, I am setting my self free of ‘need’ to read thru all those journals from my schools. Husband will be happy to see them disappear!
Second, I found it interesting to think in terms of goals for 3 months: I had health, exercise, meditation on my list. I thought about making meditation & exercises steps under health & immediately realized that they would get crowded out by other concerns (concerns that would be helped by focusing on exercise & meditation!) I dropped health from the 5 priorities & added exercise & meditation.
I like the idea of redoing priorities in 3 months. It lets me put something like exercise up higher, then it can become a habit & slip in under health later.
My priorities changed since July.. Financial peace is now a real priority. My health, My family, my finances, looking good, and being good at my job. It’s good to check in so we can be intouch on whats tasks are most important.
I will never get everything done is a simple and harsh realization to swallow. As I was working on step one and two the big question for me was how to determin what is minor/major. In step 3 that became apparent as I worked through that step answering what I felt rather that what I though I aught to put for answers. I have been spending too much time with work; hence why some things that I care about at home have become negleted. I like how it simplies our choices when we work out what matters.
This is a simple but almost radical idea that is seldom if ever recognized or remembered. . . the little things will NEVER be done! Reminds me of the title of that book from some years ago, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.” Well evidently this is WHY we shouldn’t sweat the small stuff . . . because it never goes away and if we start sweating it, we will ALWAYS be sweating it! I just printed Step B out. This is the first time I’ve been challenged to write down what really matters to me. I like your admonition to not write what I think “should” be on the list, but only the things I really do care about. I want to read this over right before I sleep and think on it. So I think I will be writing out day 2’s list on day 3!
I know I will never get everything done but I always still feel like I have to/want to. I will keep working on trying to accept that it is okay not to get everything done. My priorities are fitness, eating healthier, happiness, time with my husband and my time to relax. I do a lot of focusing on work and projects around the house. I really need to make the time for me and my family so I’m not so stressed all the time.