5 Simple Steps To Get Things Done

Have you ever wondered why you always falling behind on your tasks? You feel like you have so many things to do but you have no idea where to start. Here are five simple steps to solve this problem.

Step 1 - Capture (Collect what has your attention)

Anything that gets your attention you need to write it down, for example, any time in the day if you think about doing something you have to do then immediately capture it on paper. This way you can make that you don't forget it during the day and now you can actually do something with it.

A simple exercise that you can do is to write down anything that comes to your mind like your spouse's birthday, a work presentation, picking up laundry, reading your favorite book, etc. This process is called mind sweep when you have all the tasks in one place then you can actually put on a plan to complete all of these tasks.

Step 2 - Clarify (Process what it means)

Now once you complete your to-do list then you can take each task and apply the second step on it which is Clarify. Take the task and ask yourself is it actionable? if yes, then you identify what is the first step you need to take to start this task. For example, if your spouse's birthday is coming next week on Monday then the first step will be to create a list of the things that you need to do like creating an invitation list, preordering the cake, buying a gift, etc.

If the task is not actionable right now then you can do one of these three things to it:

• Trash - Remove the task from the list.
• Incubate - Set up a reasonable date to open it again.
• Reference - Put it away as a reference so you may need it in the near future.

Tip: Some tasks take like 2 minutes or less to complete so if you have a task that you think you can get done in 2 minutes then immediately do it. If no then you can delegate it to someone or defer it.

Step 3 - Organize (Put things where they belong)

To organize the tasks you can use a calendar or what I like to do is to use an app like Any.do or Microsoft To-Do, this way you will have all tasks in a safe place that you can access anytime from anywhere.

You can organize your tasks by context like creating lists and labeling them as Calls, Home, Office, Learning, etc.

In addition, you need to take into consideration that it's important to set priorities for your tasks to make sure that you complete the most valuable ones first. There is a simple system that can help you do just that which you take the task and assign a letter to it to identify the priority of it.

• A: Task that is urgent and has to be completed now and has an immediate impact on your life like studying for a major exam.
• B: Task that is important and can be done later but it has to be completed soon as it has a major impact on your life like exercising.
• C: Task that you should do to improve your life or to prevent you from getting hurt like researching a trip before actually traveling.
• D: Task that you can delegate to someone better than you to do it like cleaning the car or doing laundry.
• E: Task that has no value of completing it.

Tip: You can create lists for Projects to which you can add sub-tasks to and it's a good idea to create another list and call it Waiting On which you can use to track the tasks that are not pending with you or you don't have control over them.

Step 4 - Reflect (Review frequently)

To get ahead on your tasks and measure your progress it is a must that you build a weekly review on your tasks to see where you are. Also, to reflect on your projects and keep an eye on your outcomes.

The numbers of how many tasks you have completed and how many projects you have finished can show you the truth about yourself and how disciplined you are and are you a procrastinator or not.

Step 5 - Engage (Simply Do)

The final step of this process is simply to take action on your tasks and actually get engaged in the activities required to complete the tasks.

Start with A tasks first which have the highest value and once you complete those then you start on your B tasks and so on, keeping in mind that you don't engage with B tasks until you finish all your A tasks.

Tip: Use the 80/20 Rule to start with the most valuable tasks first. for example, if you have a to-do list that has 10 A tasks in it then take the most important two and start with those first.

Conclusion

I hope this system can help you get things done with ease and I know that having a lot of things to do can be overwhelming sometimes but at least now you can start applying these steps and take control of your time.