As you get ready for your day, you are probably taking inventory of how many tasks you have to do, how many places you must go, and the people you need to see.
You todo list can seem a mile long, and your day can seem daunting even before it begins.
But, before you charge into your workday, and try to complete all of those things, ask yourself a tough question:
“Will you do anything important today?”
Will You Do Anything Important Today?
You may have a lot to do today. Probably too much.
Yet, the question you must ask is:
“What will I do that’s important today?”
It may sound like a loaded question. Maybe it is.
Start each day by asking yourself, “What will I do that’s important today?”
The question isn’t how many things you will do. Nor how many meetings you will attend. Or the number of people you will interact with.
Because at the end of the day, the question isn’t, “Did you get the most tasks done?” Rather, it’s going to be “did you get your most important ones done?”
Finishing 57 inconsequential tasks is meaningless if you didn’t get your top tasks done. Instead of trying to do it all, pick three of your most important tasks to complete today.
Here are Three Tips to Help You Concentrate on Your Top Three Tasks:
- Pick Only Three – One of the biggest mistakes people make is trying to cram too many tasks into one day. Pick three of your most important tasks. And then dedicate yourself to completing them no matter what happens in your day.
- Do Them First – They are the most important todos on your list, so they should be done before anything of lesser priority. Get them done before the chaos of your day prevents you from getting to them.
- Keep Them Visible – Carry your top three things with you at all times. Not only will it serve as a memory device, but you will be ready to do them when possible. Some will say this will be burdensome. All the more incentive to get them done.
Do Three Important Things Today
At the end of your day, don’t say, “I got many things done today.”
If may sound productive, but it’s usually not effective.
Take satisfaction in saying, “I got the important things done today.”
Question: What three important things will you get done today? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
Good post, Craig. I started doing this about 6 months ago and it has revolutionized my productivity!
Thanks, Jeff.
How do you track your 3 most important tasks?
I use Wunderlist. I keep all of my to-dos on it, sorted by day. I then star my Top 3 and focus on them until they are done. I really like wunderlist because it has a beautiful interface, lets me do notes, subtasks, attach files, is cloud-based, and is free.
i never heard of wunderlist. usually used trello which was great and todoist which wasnt so great. just looked at wunderlist and it looks good. will give it a try. nice to learn something new 🙂
i swear you are better than any coach i have seen… you rely make a change in my life… i never understood why i am still upset when i finished 15 tasks. now i know – it was because i never finished the important ones the ones that move me closer to my goals
Thanks, Ella. Appreciate the kind works.
I find when you get the 3 big things done… not only are you more effective, but all those little things seem to follow. 🙂
Thanks for sharing Craig – most helpful content. I’ve tended to measure my effectiveness by how many tasks rather the 3 most important. Will put into practice from now…
This is superman doing things…
You don’t use your power to save the kid from the other corner…(You might do that though)
In similar analogy, we should use our energy, focus and time to kill the most important task. Then everything else falls in place.
I do have a similar take on life. I tend to do few important things daily.
Today being a weekend, I met my close friend, understand human psychology and observed many phases of life…
Everyday is amazing. Stay awesome.
I’ve had this as a mantra for about 7 years – approx since I turned 40… It’s been a day today where now I see others writing about this approach all of a sudden.
These things can range from 1) Make a cake 2) Fix the fence 3) complete a project plan on something – they can range from time-consuming (go for a 20 km walk) to very short (phone my boss). Things can be defined by pre-determined outcomes, or offer opportunities for exploration.
I do more than 3 things, but I know which ones are important and that will give me a sense of satisfaction and forward-motion.
I also don’t feel I have to do them first in the day, nor avoid doing less important or meaningful things in between.. Watching a film with my fella in the evening could be one for example – and when it is, I know I’m there 100%.
All this helps me breathe.
These are great tips for every day. After all, such little things make us happy, and forgetting about it we miss this chance. Recently on Twitter came across a wonderful source https://twitter.com/calmerry_com?lang=en This also reminded me that I need to be grateful for everything we have and live with a positive. After all, negativity destroys and makes us unhappy