You’ll often hear business owners talk about the excruciatingly long list of things that they need to get done. They’re overwhelmed with no idea what to do first and often; they end up focusing on things that could have been put off for another time. If you want to get things done, you need to have a strong focus and know how to prioritize your to-do list.
Create a laser-focused business mindset to pinpoint what activities will bring you the highest number of clients, inexpensively and in a short period, while eliminating what is causing unnecessary expense and waste of time. Once a business has identified its service/product it should not focus on improving or altering it; but rather on marketing it.
As I always say to my clients, “Your future success depends on what you do now.”
But how do I create a to-do list? What should I prioritize?
Ask yourself which of your tasks will make your business the most money. How much time will this job take? How much effort does it require to complete? Which project has a long-term impact on my business?
You’ll be surprised that despite all the technology available to you, the solution is relatively low-tech. In fact, all you need is a couple of sheets of clean paper and a pen. Start listing all of your tasks, in no particular order. Now draw a cross in the middle of the other sheet of paper so that you’ve created four quadrants.
What is important is that you get these tasks out of your head and on paper. Once it is there you can’t ignore it, pretend you don’t really need to do it or procrastinate. Did you know the longer you leave these tasks in your head the less room for creativity you have?
Label the boxes: Box 1, Box 2, Box3, and Box 4.
Determining which items on your to-do list should be prioritized is a matter of recognizing the impact of each task and how much effort it will take to accomplish. For example, the items on your list that will bring in the most money would be classified as a high impact task. And the projects that will take plenty of resources and time would be considered a high-impact job.
Assign each task to a box based on their level of impact and effort:
Box 1 = High Impact, Low Effort
Box 2 = High Impact, High Effort
Box 3 = Low Effort, Low Impact
Box 4 = Low Impact, High Effort
You may assume that High Impact, High Effort items should be done first. However, you’ll find that accomplishing tasks in Box 1 first thing in the morning increases your chance of successfully finishing your to-do-list faster. Guess what should always be a priority? You guessed it – Marketing.
How? Why?
Many of us put off projects when we are overwhelmed by how big they are. This is the case with items in Box 2. If we were to start our day with Box 2 items, we’re likely to lose motivation quickly. If we were to get the easier high impact tasks out of the way, we’ll gather enough steam to proceed with the “big” projects.
Furthermore, we are motivated because we already feel that we’ve accomplished something that day knowing that those completed items have a significant impact on our business’s long-term success.
Once you’ve wrapped up your Box 2 items, move on to Box 3. This is to avoid draining your energy towards the end of your day. You’ll find that you’ll breeze through items in Box 3 because they require the least amount of time and effort. And Box 4 is left for last because low impact tasks mean that they don’t contribute to the long-term success of your business and can, therefore, wait.
Talk soon,
Simone
P.S. And remember that if you want to tick things off on your to-do list quicker, you need to know how to commit to one task at a time. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted by other projects until that one has been completed. When your mind starts to wander and you already start to make plans for the next task on your list, and you haven’t even finished the task at hand, you’ll only overwhelm yourself. Your future success depends on what you do now.