How would you like to have 4 simple criteria to help you know how to get the most important things done?
Let’s say you have a bunch of flexible tasks that need to be done some time this week:
- Oil change
- Order prints of photos
- Get registered for online program
- Call auto-insurance to renegotiate
- Schedule day with family to go to park
- Call guitar teacher
- Reorganize toys in family room
- Fold up camping supplies
- Discuss new finance process with spouse
- Return library books
These are the kinds of things people end up procrastinating, They’re all “important,” and they’re essential to keep our families, homes, and jobs going, but it often feels like our list keeps getting longer and longer and longer.
Some people use ABC-123. That’s how I learned to manage tasks, but I couldn’t usually get these things done in one day, and since they are all flexible for the WEEK, I ended up rewriting them over and over.
Others use methods to gauge the urgency and importance which again can be really helpful, but I still ended up using a lot of energy looking at my lists and trying to figure out how to get everything done.
Today I’m sharing 4 criteria I learned from David Allen. I’ll share how these criteria will make this list feel practically effortless, and I’ll help you get started today creating your own!
The criteria are:
- Context
- Time
- Energy
- Priority
Let’s start with Context. In this image below, you can see how I’ve segmented my list into 5 categories. My cartoon images represent:
- Things to do at home
- Phone calls
- Errands
- Computer tasks
- To Discuss (things I need to talk about with someone else)
When I segment my tasks into these categories, I know exactly where I’ll need to be while doing the tasks. For example, if I have free time at home, I could choose to do tasks in the home, computer, phone calls, or “to discuss” categories. If I am across town for a meeting, I might look at my list and decide to complete a few errands while I am already close to the store.
Next is Time.
We typically want to add things to our lists that will take 10 minutes or so to complete, but sometimes we need to give ourselves more buffer.
Perhaps we need to call our insurance, complete a lengthy computer task, or have an important conversation. These are all things that will take longer than 10 minutes, and we need to give ourselves plenty of time–maybe even blocking out time on our calendars.
In the image below, I wrote the time required (in minutes) next to each item. That way, when I have some open time to complete tasks, I know exactly what can fit into my schedule.
The next category is Energy. This is my favorite because my energy tends to fluctuate.
In the next image (below), I am writing H, M, or L (High, Medium, Low) next to each task.
This helps me know whether or not a lot of energy is required for a particular task.
For example, if I need to have a very important conversation about a new finance process with my husband, I need to recognize that this will take a lot of energy. This isn’t a task I should try to complete if I’ve slept poorly or if I am in a bad mood.
The final category is Priority.
Why is this one last? If the task is on the calendar, it is high priority, so I look at my calendar before the Next Actions List. I need to complete any date-specific tasks before moving onto the flexible tasks on my Next Actions List.
Everything on the Next Actions List is important and should be completed some time this week. If it doesn’t belong on this flexible list, it should be written on my calendar or have some kind of calendar reminder attached to it.
4 More Suggestions
(1) I also encourage you not to just put “HAVE TO” items on your list. We can also add things in that increase our fun, strengthen our family, build our faith, and really give us something to look forward to:
- Guitar chords
- Find dates to go to an amusement park
- Shop for new plants
- Set up lunch with work friends
(2) Keep this list simple–just a few items, with calendar reminders or a next-in-line list for things that can wait.
(3) Remember you can customize this list–we have a video explaining how this works that we’ll link below!
(4) These Next Actions work alongside our calendar, routines, and project work.
I also want to mention that I don’t segment my list with each of these four categories every time. As I’ve practiced this process over the years, I am able to determine the length of time, energy, etc. needed for my tasks just by looking at my list.
If you are just getting started and your to-do list feels kind of overwhelming, I highly recommend trying this method out! Let us know how it goes in the comments section of this post! 🙂
Related Links!
Video: Customize the Way You Organize
Video: “I Can’t Make Myself Do the Things On My List”
LearnDoBecome YouTube Channel!
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Thank you as always for your encouragement and insights. I look forward to listening to the podcast every week. 🙂 The idea that caught my attention today was Eric talking about time and ENERGY being two of our most precious resources. Time I have frequently heard, but energy makes so much sense too; to think of it also as a resource to use wisely and in the best ways, recognizing that it isn’t endless. And we all have the same amount of time, but we have different energy levels.
So glad you’re enjoying the podcast, Karen! And thanks for sharing your a-ha moment! It’s so true that we often budget time and money, but our energy is so precious. 🙂 Sending lots of love as you do your most important work!