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Priorities versus To-do’s: How to Succeed Daily
This post is a glimpse into my thoughts on a way to move forward in your daily routine and start winning more regularly with your schedule. After several posts that focused on planning, I had several questions about my priority list. I do not use a To-Do List. I will say it again I do not use a To-Do List. Many people use them and can get a lot of tasks accomplished throughout the day. I used to use them. All the time. I am a planner and most planners love list making. I am not any different. I make lists for everything. I have notebooks that contain my lists. I read over my lists. So having To-Do List seems natural.
But I now use a Priority List for increasing the efficiency of my day. I have been using this type of list for awhile now. Priority : a thing that is regarded as more important than another.
I use my brain dump process and then create my priority list. Did you read my post about using a brain dump and how helpful it can be to you? Check it out here.
After my brain dump and task organization, I review my list and choose my top 3 priorities.
I define my daily priorities as what I MUST accomplish during that day in order for me to define my day as a success. I am a total believer in the fact that if you do not plan your day, other people and other things will plan your day for you. Your day can be filled up with tasks that relate to nothing that you need to get done or things that are not what you deem important.
I maintain 3 priorities a day.
Now you may say, priorities are not any different that having a To-do list. With a To-Do list, every task has the same weight. Everything is on the same plane. Nothing takes precedence over another task- how do you know where to begin? What happens if you don’t finish all the items on your list? Priorities let you mentally focus on what is important to you for that day. And that can change daily.
Priorities guide you to a specific focus for your day. I even put self care on my priority list on some days. I make myself a priority.
I have adapted my use of a priority list from various sources. Many of my examples come from the business world as I am an entrepreneur. Keeping a household together resembles a business in so many ways: various personalities, different appointments, events that have to happen, deadlines that need to be met. One of the methods I have found that assisted me is the Getting Things Done Method by David Allen. It is a method that relates directly to productivity. I also really like the Eisenhower Matrix that focuses on categorizing tasks from urgent and important to not urgent and not important. Find out more about the Eisenhower Matrix here: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_91.htm
If you are really interested in increasing your ability to get things accomplished during your day and move on to new goals, see which of these methods really resonate with you and then try them out. The only way to find out what works is to identify what you like, try it out, and see if it works. You just have to put something into practice.
Why don’t you try making a priority list tomorrow and see how it helps you progress through your day? Let me know what you think about using a priority list.
I am passionate about optimal work life balance and I can help you excel in both areas without compromise because I have found systems of planning, organization, and personal development that help achieve goals.
We all want to accomplish more in a day. You will be able to do that once you try a priority list. I encourage you to try it, so you can create a daily routine you can follow that helps reduce your stress while allowing you to do more things you enjoy!
Be you, be focused, be well! Find Your Flourish! |Shanna|
Recent comments:
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Shantryce- Thank you so much for taking your time to read this post and make a comment. I am hopeful…
Thank you for such great information. I especially liked the paragraph with the questions about what our passion is and…
Aha, I could sense you were a planner! You make a lot of great points. It’s easy to be very busy doing things that don’t actually matter to us. Having a priority list keeps it at bay. I’ll try that.
I’m not much of a planner but when I want to be more productive, there’s no beating a good plan. As the saying goes, “Fail to plan, plan to fail”
Rudiano- Thank you! Definitely try the priority list. It helps with planning, but also is not so structured that you feel constrained. I appreciate you reading and taking the time to comment. |Shanna|
[…] to accomplish for each day. I do not utilize a To-do List. I prefer a Priority List much more. Read here to see why I choose priorities over To-dos to make my day more […]
[…] Use a priority list– This is a key to my daily success. I use a priority list each day. Find out more about that here. […]
I am a Daily list maker and I used to feel like I don’t know where to start with everything some days, so I now have one list broken into two section – Top 3 things that MUST get done and then a list of everything else if there is time, i find that works so much better and wish I had done it this way years ago!
Fee- This is a great system! It sounds like you discovered how to use priorities for yourself. Wonderful! I am a strong believer in using them and find that they do help me stay focused while getting things accomplished. |Shanna|
I’m definitely a priority list maker
Jo- It is such a great practice to use, isn’t it? I am glad it works for you! |Shanna|
I always have 2 lists. One of things that I must do today and one that need doing but are not that important.
Kim- These are useful titles for lists. I like how you have 2 only so it doesn’t get overwhelming and still keeps you organized. That is great. |Shanna|
I really need to follow a few of these! #Blogtober
Lydia- Thank you for checking out this post. Hopefully you can try a priority list soon in your daily routine. |Shanna|