A coachee of mine asked me a question: »How could I be more focused and achieve more?«
I said: »Why do you think you have to focus more?«
He said: »Because I have so many things to joggle with and I feel I move too slow.«
One of the misunderstandings in time and task management is the idea that you can do them all. You can’t. Nowadays it is very unlikely you will ever run out of tasks. We must accept the fact that there will always be more tasks than time and energy. It is good enough to do the most important things. It must be good enough because there is no other way. But still – you have to decide again and again, which task deserves to be taken forward.
Let this reflection be your guide: »Based on all the information I have and my understanding of the circumstances - what should I do now? What is the task I should pick now that will bring the biggest positive effect in my endeavour or in my life?«
One way or another, you have to pick your next task. Then, protect yourself from interruptions and just do the chosen task. Finish it.
Finalize.
Complete.
Check the checkbox.
When it is done you can check the situation and pick the next one.
You can’t do all the tasks but you certainly can do one task at a time. Sometimes you have to slow down to go faster.
What is your experience with tasks? What is your system of selecting the right task to pursue?
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