By CJ McClanahan
Tell me if this story sounds familiar.
You get to the office at 7:45 a.m. on Monday morning. The first thing you do is to open your email. A few minutes later you get a call and then dive into your weekly staff meeting. The next thing you know, you look up and realize that it is 4:30 on Friday afternoon. Exhausted, you wonder, “What just happened?”
Unfortunately, this narrative is far too common in the lives of most professionals. The result is often a whole bunch of activity but very little achievement.
It doesn’t have to be this way. You can change this pattern and the good news is that it doesn’t require a Franklin Planner, an iPad or an executive assistant (although that can help).
First, set aside 15 minutes on Monday morning before you open your email and write down a list of the activities/projects that absolutely must be completed by Friday at 5 p.m. This is a short list of critical items that will help you to achieve your goals. Keep this list in front of you so that you can refer to it throughout the day.
Next, buy a nice journal that looks different from every other notepad in your office. Use this notepad to document the many “to-do’s” that pop up throughout the day (a Post It note is not a to-do list). The items that make it to the list are the simple activities (call a client, send TY note, and download a relevant podcast) that most people assume they will just remember. Unfortunately, most people recall this “to-do” at 3 a.m.
Finally, limit your email correspondence to no more than four times per day. There is a significant amount of research indicating that keeping your email open and checking it sporadically throughout the day is killing your productivity. The reason is that these interruptions, although minor, distract your train of thought and it takes a long time to get it back.
I guarantee that if you develop these simple habits you will see a significant change in your life. You will feel more in control, make better progress towards your goals and feel less stress.
As with just about everything, it’s your choice. Choose wisely.