To-Do List
- Do tomorrow’s planning today.
- Before you leave the office, create a written to-do list that will help you get things done tomorrow.
- For example, before I leave the office, I write down the top three things that I want to accomplish tomorrow, and when I plan to work on them.
- Creating a written to-do list keeps you focused on what is important.
- On the other hand, if you do not have a written to-do list, you end up spending your day reacting to all of the little things that pop up.
- After lunch, you may want to take 5 minutes to determine whether you are on track, or whether you need to re-prioritize your to-do list.
- Before you leave the office on Friday, prepare a To-do list for Monday morning.
- You also may want to prepare a stop-doing list.
The Dreaded Task
- You can’t afford to postpone the difficult or the unpleasant.
- Even though you want to hide the dreaded task under a pile of papers, or put off a conversation that you need to have, you must make it a habit to always complete the dreaded task first.
- Why? The dreaded task does not disappear simply because you try to ignore it.
- If at the end-of-the day, you have an uncompleted dreaded task, you need to attack it and complete it first thing in the morning.
- Otherwise, you will gravitate to things that you enjoy, while the dreaded task lingers on your desk.
Prioritize
- After you analyze your tasks to determine what needs to get done, when, and how fast, you need to prioritize them.
- You need to prioritize your tasks so you do not spend the entire day on all of the little things that pop up instead of focusing on the more important tasks.
- You should also prioritize your time when you are not in the office.
- If there is something you want to do outside the office, you should schedule it on your calendar. Otherwise, it may not happen.
- Remember, you always find time to do what you want to do.
- For example, you should never say that you do not have enough time to spend with God, family, and friends. What you are really saying is that you value something else more.
Treat Prioritizing Your Time as a Strategic Issue
When it comes to prioritizing your time, you can treat it as a strategic issue rather than as a set of time-management techniques.
Here are 6 examples:
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- My dad told me to prioritize my time outside-of-the office around those who will cry at my funeral.
- I tell my family to prioritize their time around the only three things that are eternal: God, His Word, and People who will either be with God for eternity or separated from God for eternity.
- In addition, I tell my family to prioritize their time by doing what they want their spouse, children, family, friends, employer, employees, and pastor to say at their funeral.
- Prioritize your time around the Great Commandment, The New Commandment, and The Great Commission.
- Prioritize your time around always giving yourself fully to the work of the Lord as stated in 1 Corinthians 15:58. What is the work of the Lord? The answer is found in 1Thessalonians 2:8 that states you are to love and serve others and share the gospel.
- Prioritize your time around God’s gifts found in Romans 12:6-8 and around God’s spiritual gifts found in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11.