Feel like there aren't enough hours in the day? Rethinking what you put on to your to-do list might help.
Try this trick.
Why not try to shorten your list with the Eisenhower Matrix? We often conflate urgent tasks with important ones, and this approach helps you focus on the latter.
Prioritize.
Imagine a quadrant with one axis for ‘importance’ and one for ‘urgency’, and plot all your to-do-list items within the four sections.
Execute.
Keep only the tasks that rank high in importance on your own task list, separating them into ‘do first’ and ‘do later’ categories.
Use your best judgement.
With the rest, delegate the urgent tasks that aren't important and simply delete the ones that are neither important nor urgent.
Alex Potter, co-founder at Kaizn, a performance/growth consultant company. Here are his principles for effective work.
1. Build your morning routine
The first hour of the day is where most of your battles for the next day are won or lost. Set a daily wake-up time and use 60 minutes to prepare for the day ahead.
2. Own your day
Build a robust default diary to give yourself time and space to manage your workflow and personal time. Allow yourself permission to make time for things that energise you.
3. The art of challenge
Try reframing a challenge as an opportunity to gain experience or grow from. Look for the benefits and drawbacks of any event in order to remove reactive decision-making.
4. Performance breathing
Breathwork can provide energy and focus, or calm you. If you’re anxious or overwhelmed, close your eyes and breathe mindfully through your nose driven by your diaphragm.
