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2 Critical Mistakes In Time Management Prioritizing

How To Prioritize Time Management

Nathan F. Shaw

October 26, 2006

Time Management is about deciding what to do and when to do it. But methods of prioritizing for time management worked in the industrial era, but not the computer/information age.

Yes I do prioritize.

But I certainly don't schedule activities to time - except if it's a one-off event that goes on a calendar.

Example: I don't schedule discretionary activities (like when I read a memo or report) to time. I do schedule my best friends wedding to time, which goes on the calendar. Not many things should be scheduled to time in the new time management computer age paradigm.

So how to prioritize?

I prioritize my time management firstly by having a running list of next step activities.

Then when I'm in a certain location I have a list showing me a selection of next step activities I could focus on at that location. I choose what to do by asking 'what is the most powerful thing I could do at this time'.

I don't pre-select an 'order of priority'. That never works. You know it.

People who try to prioritize by level of importance (mistake 1), and people who try to schedule specific activities to time (mistake 2), always always always fail in my experience.

There's too many distractions, interruptions, changes in your mood and energy levels, and new inspirations or projects that reveal themselves as you move through time.

Willpower does not last long.

So the bottom line...

Don't prioritize by level of importance. It's all important.

Time Management Prioritizing Stage 1

Schedule according 1st to order of what is possible first, second and so on.

Example, you can't bake the cake until you've collected all the ingredients first.

Time Management Prioritizing Stage 2

Then prioritize your time management schedule to actions appropriate and possible depending on your location.

For example. You can't read a report on the car journey to and from work, but you can listen to recordings.

Time Management Prioritizing Stage 3

Then prioritize by moment-to-moment decisions using your action list.

Then you'll find that all of the 'little things' that used to get in your way, actually weave quite well into the 'bigger' things, and then everything gets done, your level of self-satisfaction jumps through the roof, and you leave your contemporaries and competitors behind in the dust.

Try it and your time management prioritizing will be massively improved instantly.

And these days I almost never burn my cooking.

Ooo speaking of which....

Ok I'll let it burn just to give you a recap.

Time Management Prioritizing Has 3 Essential Stages

1st - create a list of actions you need to take to get whatever needs doing done.
2nd - categorize those actions by location of suitability.
3rd - make in the moment decisions of what to act on right now depending on steps 1 and 2.

Best wishes with beginning to apply this new paradigm computer age time management.

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