5 Ways to Stay Focused on Your Highest Priority Work!

Don’t be a time manager, be a priority manager. 

– Denis Waitley

Yesterday, I wrote a post titled, “6 Reasons Why Your Priorities Get all Screwed Up”

If you read that article, then you may have thought, “Hey that’s great, but what do I DO about it?”

This post answers that question for you.

Here are five techniques you can use to keep yourself on-track and focused on your highest priority tasks:

1) Identify and Commit

In order to do high priority work, you need to first identify what that high priority work is!

Ask yourself:

• Where do I want to go/what do I want to achieve?
• What is the best, fastest way for me to achieve that?
• Am I willing to do that, with the energy and consistency required?

If the answer is “yes,” then you have identified your highest priority activity. If “no,” ask the questions again, starting with, “What is the next best way for me to achieve my goal?”

You don’t have to always commit to the number one best way, but if you find yourself repeatedly, saying, “no, I’m not willing to do that,” you may want to look at how committed you are to your goal.

This doesn’t have to be a one time thing. Feel free to revisit once a month, quarter, year, etc.

2) Change How You Measure “Success”

We live in a results-oriented world. I have nothing against results – in fact, I appreciate how much results matter. However, if you base your day-to-day success only on results, you can encounter two problems:

1. You may get discouraged when implementing long term strategies that don’t pay-off immediately.
2. You may be fooled into believing that you are doing well, when in fact you have just been lucky.

By all means, monitor, measure, and analyze your results. However, when it comes to day-to-activities, measure your success by how well you accomplished the tasks you have determined to be high-priority.

If you do what you planned to then you had a successful day, even if you didn’t get an immediate result. If after a few weeks or months you still have no results, then it’s time to revisit your plan.

3) Block Out Distractions

Emails, phone calls, conversations with co-workers and family members. These are all interruptions that can shift your attention onto lower priority activities.

You don’t have to isolate yourself in a pod all day (but if you can, go for it!), but when you are working on higher priority items, limit your distractions and keep working until you are done.

Close your email and web browser, shut off your phone, close your office door, etc. Do whatever you must to stay focused and get things done.

4) High Priority Work First, Shiny New Sexy Stuff Later

Work first, chair races second...

The point of this article is not that you should never deviate from your plan. That would show a distinct lack of creativity and flexibility (pretty silly advice for an improviser to give, no?).

However, few opportunities are so fleeting that they must be pursued “right now!” As such, make sure that when you chase a bright, shiny, sexy, new opportunity that you do so after completing your high priority work.

“After” can mean later in the day (high priority work in the morning, fun new stuff later), later in the week (Monday and Tuesday are for sales calls, Wednesday through Friday are for fun creative work), or days or weeks later (let me finish this project first, and then, once it is complete, I will try this new thing)

Smart producers will use the appeal of trying something new and fun as motivation to get the high priority stuff done…

5) Get an Accountability Buddy

One way to stay on track is to have an “accountability buddy.” This is someone who you check in with regularly (daily or weekly) and discuss two things:

1. What your highest priority activities are for the next day or week
2. How successful you were at finishing your highest priority activities for the previous day or week.

Your buddy doesn’t have to be a business partner, employee, or supervisor. The best accountability buddies are often friends and colleagues who understand what you do, understand what you need, and will do a good job of not letting you off the hook when you skip your high priority activities.

Knowing that you are going to have to report on and take accountability for your success or failure in completing your highest priority activities can be a great motivator.

Of course, the accountability is mutual, so you need to keep your partner on-track too. That way it’s win-win for you both!

Stop Reading and Get to Work!

Look, I’m very happy that you are choosing to read my blog. I want you to keep reading it, keep coming back to it, and keep spreading the word about it.

However, let me ask you a question: Have you already completed your highest priority activities for today!

If the answer is “no,” then bookmark this page and get back to work!

Unless, of course, you have identified “reading this blog” as one of your highest priority activities, which would be very awesome indeed. In that case, carry on…

P.S. Hey, if you like this post, why don’t you share the love and click the Facebook “Like” button at the top of this page…?

***
Do you want help making better long term decisions? How about help figuring out what exactly it is that you want? Or maybe you know, but your problem is that you don’t know how to put together a plan to get you there?  Or perhaps you have a plan, but never feel motivated to follow it? Or you jyst get easily derailed when things go wrong? If so, than the Smart Ass Success! Learn the 7 Steps to Getting What You Really Want – Even If You Have No Idea What That Is! FREE E-Book is for you! It addresses those questions (and more) to help you get on the path towards figuring out what you really want – and then getting it! Don’t let another year pass you by. Click here to download your free copy now!

About

By Avish Parashar. As the world's only Motivational Improviser, Avish uses techniques from the world of improv comedy to engage, entertain, and educate audiences on ideas around change, creativity, and motivation. Connect with Avish on Google+

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