🎯 Work Smart Wednesday - May 22, 2024
The question I start every day with, the procrastination matrix, and a quote on closing options
Work Smart Wednesday
👋 Hey there!
Here is your weekly dose of Work Smart Wednesday
In these emails I will share with you 3 things to help you work smarter in 3 minutes or less. That leaves you with 10,077 more minutes to conquer your goals this week
1. ❓ The question I start every day with
It is likely that you have a lot of tasks you feel you need to complete. It is likely that all of those tasks seem important, yet you probably recognise that not all tasks are equally important.
Is it more important to feed your children or update your logo?
To reply to that cold email or file your taxes on time?
To improve delivery efficiency or to get new clients?
While I have discussed some strategies that help clarify priorities before, such as “Even Over Statements”, I have found a simple question to be one of my favourite methods to quickly clarify priorities and ensure I do work that moves the needle. The question is:
What one thing can I do today that will move me forward the most?
I start every day with this question, and it has been among the biggest value adds for my business. It is something I adapted from the M.I.T (most important task) productivity tactic and The One Thing.
The 1 thing must always be a task that I can fully complete in less than 1 hour (sometimes this means breaking down to one small part of a bigger task).
There are hundreds of things I can be doing, but I know my time and energy are limited. I need to strip that list back to just 1 thing I will do right now that I think will make the most difference. One thing keeps it focused and leaves enough “slack” in my schedule to still put out fires.
Personally, I am strict in ensuring I answer this question within 60 seconds of starting work. I want to avoid analysis paralysis - spending time trying to find a perfect answer rather than taking action - so I usually go with my gut feeling. I can review if that was right later using an After Action Review (more on this in a future edition of Work Smart Wednesday).
Am I wrong sometimes in what that 1 thing I should work on is? Yup. And that is absolutely fine. I don't need to be right about it all of the time, the benefit from being right even a small percentage of the time so significantly outweighs being wrong that it is still worth it. Consistent focused action trumps inconsistent disorganised action.
Try it this week. Before you do ANY more work, write out the question and answer it. Answer it within 60 seconds. Do that 1 thing first, do not do anything else until that 1 thing is done. You will get more done, AND more important things completed.
What one thing can I do today that will move me forward the most?
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📩 My favourite template to identify areas for improvement in your business. Not sold anywhere, this template is only normally available to those that work with me 1:1. I rotate these templates monthly. This template is only available in May.
2. 🤹♂️ The procrastination matrix
I wrote on my LinkedIn earlier this week that I have changed my mind on the Eisenhower Matrix, most people use it incorrectly. I have recently significantly updated my usage of the tool and you can read more about that on this LinkedIn post.
The catalyst for my change was a fantastic Wait But Why article by Tim Urban, and I would like to share this original article with you.
Link to the article: https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/03/procrastination-matrix.html
It was a really great read that came with many insights. I recommend that you read it.
Some quotes:
"People who are really on top of their life—really in control—tend to have plenty of space in their schedules.”
“Writing 300 blog posts while I was supposed to be dreaming up brilliant business growth strategies wasn’t “easy” in the sense that I didn’t have to work hard to write them—it was easy in that there was nothing at stake. Stakes are really what’s hard for a human.”
"The Impostinator seems productive, but she’s really an imposter—a procrastinator wearing a productive person mask. By spending all of her work time in Q3, she seems busy—she is busy—but she never seems to make much progress on her real goals."
3. 💡 Quote I'm pondering
Highly focused people do not leave their options open. They select their priorities and are comfortable ignoring the rest. If you commit to nothing, you’ll be distracted by everything - James Clear (Author of Atomic Habits)
Counterintuitively, committing to do less often leads to you accomplishing more. This quote from James Clear helps to highlight why. Commit to a thing and do it.
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That's it! I can't wait to hear what you think. What did you find most useful? What do you want more or less of? Reply to this email now and let me know
Also, if you have anything interesting to share, I want to know about it😊
Have a great week,
John
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