TRACK AND SCRATCH Activities to Be More Effective at Work
58% of the poll takers stated that they feel overwhelmed at work at least sometimes (The Huffington Post). It’s easy to feel buried when our days are filled with activities and “to do’s.” But when was the last time you evaluated your activities and task lists? Can you distinguish what you SHOULD be doing or what you SHOULD STOP doing?
Watch this ONE MINUTE video and see how we help our clients to feel less overwhelmed.
Advice #1: STOP AND START DOING
STOP:
- Spending most of your time managing crises and other people’s agendas
- Trying to do it all
- Planning sporadically or not at all
- “Giving in to the pressures of the moment” (Franklin & Covey, 1989)
START:
- Focusing on your highest priorities
- Eliminating the unimportant
- Planning every week
- Staying true in the “moment of choice” (Franklin & Covey, 1989)
Advice #2: MAKE GOOD HABITS STICK
Follow the steps outlined in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to get the most out of your day.
Advice #3: DEFINE WHAT’S IMPORTANT
Practices above should be applied to all daily activities. But first put activities into quadrants. Stephen Covey defines four quadrants of activities as:
Quadrant 1 – Urgent & Important
Activities that require immediate attention and can’t be postponed. While at first seem unavoidable, these activities may consume all your time and cause stress and burnout.
Quadrant 2 – Not Urgent & Important
Big picture activities that may not require immediate attention but are of a high priority. This is the quadrant you should focus on the most to make difference in your life.
Quadrant 3 – Urgent & Not Important
Those are so-called noise or interruption activities, that may seem urgent but in reality, should be eliminated due to unimportance.
Quadrant 4 – Not Urgent & Not Important
Down-time activities to free up your brain. Everyone needs it and it is smart to have those incorporated into your day.
The trick is to spend most of your day in quadrant 3. We can show you how to get there. Schedule a free coaching session today or email your questions to [email protected].
