Priorit "ize"
Do you think you can multitask? When asked about multitasking, Earl Miller, an MIT neuroscientist said, “You're not paying attention to one or two things simultaneously, but switching between them very rapidly” Even for people who can jump quickly from task to task, it is more effective to sort out what is most important and give that task all or your focus until it is complete. It is only possible for us to do one thing at a time so it is imperative that we prioritize our task list to make sure we are moving forward.
1. Cut the fat and eat the fruit
We often focus on tasks that make it to the top of the list, however, we can easily forget to take look at the bottom of our list and cut the fat. As you start to list the tasks of your vision you will see some ideas and actions that get lower and lower in priority. It's a good idea to consider dropping a good portion of those items so that you can spend time on the top. Reducing your list will help that overwhelming feeling you get when you look at a list so long you have to scroll to see the bottom. If the idea or “to do” list item is worthwhile it will come back around some other time. Also, look for low hanging fruit. Things that you can do quickly and easily that will help you to check off a box and shorten that task list. You should feel a sense of accomplishment by removing items from the top and bottom of your list so remember to do both.
2. Remove roadblocks
Some tasks will have dependencies tied to them that will hold up the project for an undetermined amount of time. Try and identify the roadblocks and plan them out so they don’t hold everything up. Using a giant chart can help clarify exactly where the holdups can happen so you can bump them up on your task list and remove the blockade and keep moving forward.
3.Set milestones
Milestones are a good way to see actual progress. Set them in your planning and prioritizing phase and reward yourself when tackling them. There should be several easy to attain milestones defined in the process so that you can look forward and back to see that you are moving.
4. Tell a friend
Show someone your plan. Let them help you scrutinize and press the idea. Another set of eyes is always great to give you a bearing of where you stand and how realistic your plan might be. New perspective and accountability from a trusted advisor is unmatched in value so seek it out. Also, look for people who are honest, not just someone that tells you everything is awesome. That is never helpful when an advisor just makes you feel good, hard truth will make the idea stronger even though it's not fun to hear.
5.Create Deadlines
If you don’t put a deadline on yourself, you will never get around to doing anything. Procrastination is a killer and we are all susceptible to it so put a timer on each task in and do your best to keep that deadline.
6. Don’t get stuck here
Every step has the potential to cause a hang-up. Don’t plan your idea to death. Move on to the next step and start actually doing something. This phase can feel like you are working but really you are only planning the work. I know I get stuck here sometimes just reorganizing and prioritizing but never actually doing. That is a big snag for me, but the next step will be where the rubber meets the road and we start to get traction and see more movement.
Tools:
- Trello
- Again Trello is a great all-around tool for listing, prioritizing and adding deadlines. You can have granular cards with images, notes, and task lists that can be shared for easy collaboration.
- Asana
- Asana is a great project management tool that does a wonderful job at listing the projects, tasks, and subtasks in a visually pleasing way. Like Trello, it is easy to share with others and good for collaborating on projects big and small.
- Tasks
- Apple tasks app is great for very simple ideas that need only a single list. You can add, delete, move and create deadlines in minutes for small projects or sections of big projects that you can migrate to another tool later.
- OmniFocus
- If you are looking for a bit more detail in a task list this is a nice tool to try. OmniFocus is not an overly complicated tool but it still has some decent feature to check out. It does, however, have a price tag of $9.99/month and there is a small learning curve to get all of your money worth out of the product.