HOW TO BECOME A TIME NINJA -- PART 2

IMPORTANCE  IS THE KEY.
 
 
Welcome back to AwildaRivera.com!! I am super stocked to share Part 2 of the TIME NINJA series with you. In part one we covered how to create Goals and identify the relevant tasks or projects associated therewith. Part 2 will address how to prioritize those tasks in a strategic way so that their completion creates momentum.
 
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We have all had the thought “I know what to do, but I have absolutely no idea where to start”, this thought can be paralyzing.  However, if the way to achieve Success is through constant intentional action, then one can not afford to become paralyzed and take no action. 
 
GOOD NEWS – I have a few questions you can ask yourself that can help you to not only prioritize your tasks, but also facilitate the completion of those tasks in a logically progressive manner.
 
BUT FIRST – You need to Understand the difference between Urgent & Important.
 
Putting out fires, thinking on your feet and getting things done in a bind are all apart of the cost of doing Business in 2017. The issue is that those things all fall into the urgent category. Humans are really good at understanding when things are urgent and taking corrective action, for example:
 

• going to the Doctor when you wake up with a Fever, 
• Getting Gas when the like is blinking in your car,
• Filing your taxes the day before the deadline to avoid a penalty,
• Fixing a Email Marketing glitch that just sent all your subscribers the same email 3 times.

 
Unfortunately Humans are also really good at putting things off that are not Urgent. Now of course there are things that should be put off until later like catching up on House of Cards, Cleaning your Sneakers, or finishing that book your Father recommended because they are neither important nor relevant to accomplishing your Goal.  HOWEVER, when examining the importance of tasks related to the accomplishment of your Goal you should ask yourself these 3 questions:
 
1.  Does the completion of this activity help me make material progress towards
     my goal?

• Be honest with yourself here! You need to be clear about what is going to help you make the progress you desire. When you are clear about what you need to do then you are more likely to avoid wasting a ton of time on tasks that are not going to move the needle forward.  If the task is not going to help you move towards your Goal then table it for a later date.
  
  
• Your brain will also begin to narrow down the list of tasks you generated through the exercises in part one of this series to a leaner group of activities. The tasks that remain have been determined by you to be the most likely to help you make tangible & immediate progress towards your goal.

2.    Does this activity have the potential to become urgent?

• We have already established that when Things become Urgent Humans pay attention. However it’s the tasks that we have determined to be Important but have very little prospect of ever becoming Urgent that we have to make a special effort to prioritize. If  we fail to make the important items a priority then we run the risk of making very little to no progress towards our Goal  because we are focused on urgent or irrelevant matters.
  
  

3. Does this activity require that I complete other tasks prior to getting started?
 

• ALWAYS ASK YOURSELF THIS 3rd Question!! The answer you generate will help to start to create a logical order of operations for the narrowed list of tasks.
  
  
• Creating a task accomplishment order  will help you to build momentum from one task to the next, as the prior task is necessary for the execution of the present activity.
  
  

 
In a NUT SHELL --
Any task that causes you to answer “Yes” to question 1 is DEFINITELY IMPORTANT. You must be proactive!  Its imperative to address any tasks that have the potential to become Urgent in a timely fashion so that you can avoid having to spend time putting out unnecessary fires.  Lastly, having a clear understanding of the nature of the task is essential to creating an effective strategic plan for the chronology of activity. 

Until next time guys..... Keep your eyes peeled for Part 3 of this series! 

 
Missed Part ONE of the "How to Become  a Time Ninja" Series? Read it Here!    

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