It always feels so good to accomplish things on our to-do lists. Sometimes I will even do something that’s not on my to-do list and then add it to the list just to immediately cross it off. I know as silly as this sounds, it is effective in providing me a boost in self-satisfaction. Prioritizing where to start, which is most important, and what to do next are many of the questions that keep us stuck from ever beginning. We operate in a rushed state, getting things done just in time. This hurried pace can add to our anxiety and overall dissatisfaction because we only do the things that must get done and never have time for the things we would like to do. What if I told you, that you could do both without the hurry? Keep reading to learn how. (Most of the process below come from what I have learned from The Life Coach School in Self Coaching Scholars regarding a process they call Monday Hour One)
Prioritizing your time will provide you the space to prioritize everything else in your life from your physical space to your health, wealth, and relationships. Choosing what you do with your time directly effects everything else in your life. That is why time is such a valuable resource and so powerful when utilized correctly. The method to decluttering your time consists of six steps.
1) Decide to begin and set aside 1.5 undistracted hours – This first step is to make that initial commitment to sit down and begin the process. This is an important step though, because this is where you decide to take action to take back control of your time.
2) Download To-Do List – This step consists of downloading EVERYTHING you have in your head or on multiple to-do lists (let’s be honest, you know you have multiple!) onto a new clean sheet of paper. I like to divide the paper into columns with ‘Personal’, ‘Work’, and ‘Business’. You can make it your own.
The point here is to get it all out. Even things like put towels in the car for the beach trip or run half-marathon are items to write down during this step. I know this seems tedious, but trust me, putting all of this on paper opens up space in your mind. You might even have a sub-to-do list under pack for beach trip.
When you think you are done with this step, don’t move on just yet. Ask yourself, “What else?” as many times as it takes until you don’t have anything else that comes to mind.
At this point in the process, you will probably look at your piece of paper and feel overwhelmed with thoughts like “I could never get all of this done.” That is completely normal and totally okay. The fun part about this to-do list is that at the end of the calendaring step you get to throw it away!
3) Focus Time – At the completion of the to-do list download, you will notice that some of your items will need blocks of uninterrupted focus time. The idea is that at the end of the focus time, you will have produced a result. This could be things like putting together a project proposal, writing a blog, or organizing your pantry.
You can use the focus time for something in your personal life or in your work life.
The key here is to have uninterrupted time to focus all of your brain power on completing it. Also, by limiting the amount of time you have, your brain is forced to stay on task.
4) Calendaring – Now the fun part! You get to organize all of your to-do items onto the calendaring app or planner of your choosing. If you work better with a paper planner and will always have that with you, that is a perfectly fine option. I like to use Google Calendar because it is easy to use and I always have it with me on my phone. The idea is to find a platform that you like the usability enough that you will actually use it.
Once you have selected your calendaring platform, you now decide where each item on your to-do list is to be scheduled and how much time you allot for each task.
First schedule your fun time and downtime. Don’t you want your life to have some fun in it? This is as important to schedule as is going grocery shopping, so schedule in your dinner time with family or a chat with a friend. Schedule in taking a nap on Wednesday afternoon. Whatever is important to you, put it on the calendar.
Next calendar your Focus Time, those 2 hour blocks of uninterrupted time for your most important projects.
Schedule your sleep.
Schedule when you eat.
Now look over your to-do list and see what items need to be accomplished in the next 7 days. Schedule everything in the available time left. Ever time you schedule an item, scratch it off your list.
Anything that doesn’t need to get done in the next 7 days, decide when you want to do it and put it on the calendar farther in the future.
If it’s a task that you decide is not something you actually want/need to do, then scratch it out. If you aren’t sure, put a reminder on your calendar 6 months down the road to revisit the item then to decide if your opinion has changed.
At the end of this step, every item should be scheduled and scratch out. Now you throw away your to-do list and smile!
5) Follow Through – All of the steps up to this point are very important to setting yourself up to win. This step, however, is the step where you get to meet yourself and say “Yes” to honoring your previous commitments to yourself.
The follow through step is undoubtably the most important. Every time you follow through on the task you previously committed to on your calendar, the more self-confidence and self-trust you build.
Early on in this process, you may realize you don’t trust yourself to follow through. Don’t wallow in the self-pity of this realization, just decide that you are learning to become someone who does follow through. Go back to your calendar and then get to work.
This will change your output and you will learn the art of prioritizing things in your life.
6) Reflection – At the end of the week, you get to take a moment to look back over the previous week. Pat yourself on the back for the things you completed and your follow through. See where your calendar worked and which parts you want to change for the upcoming week. The following weeks should take less time on the to-do list download, because the first week was so comprehensive. During this reflective time, think about which tasks or projects are your priority for the next week that will most benefit from the Focus Time slots.
Final Thoughts on Prioritize
This tool I am sharing with you today, if implemented, will change your life. I suggest giving it at least 3 solid weeks. Stick to your calendar and blow your own mind by seeing how much you can accomplish when you are intentional.
This tool is the most beneficial one I have found to help me prioritize and follow through.
That doesn’t mean all of the things you do will be easier or fun, but the energy you usually spend on deciding, debating, and convincing yourself not to act, will now be funneled into creating the results you want.
Please share your comments or questions below. If you get stuck on any part, I want to help you through it!
