As a business owner, it’s crucial for you to prioritize tasks to give you more time to spend with clients and to advance your practice. Here’s a simple approach to organize your efforts and maximize productivity.
Consider categorizing your day-to-day tasks into four quadrants as defined by Steven Covey.
- Important and urgent (Quadrant I)
- Important but not urgent (Quadrant II)
- Urgent but not important (Quadrant III)
- Not urgent and not important (Quadrant IV)
Prioritize Important and Urgent Tasks
Address important and urgent tasks first, such as client meetings and deadlines. Be proactive in tackling these items. For example, if you know you’re facing a complicated client review that’s been on the calendar for weeks, put time on your calendar to work on it in advance. That way, when the unexpected happens, you’ll still have time in your day to take care of less urgent matters.
Escape the Trap of Important but Not Urgent
Important but not urgent tasks, like setting goals for your practice and professional development, are items that you may be tempted to push aside because they often lack clarity and are time consuming. To avoid procrastination, break down abstract or time-consuming goals into practical steps and hard deadlines. For example, if you want to set aside time for an off-site team meeting, set a date and work backward to plan 15 minutes a day until you have a set agenda.
Don’t Get Distracted by Urgent but Not Important Tasks
“Busy work” tasks like answering a question from a colleague, generating reports and answering emails often interrupt your day. While they cannot go ignored entirely, they don’t carry the same weight as the quadrant I or II tasks.
The goal is to be able to automate or delegate, allowing systemization or others to assist with the urgent but lower-level musts. Automating meeting reminders or training your administrative assistant to generate reports are great examples of how to get those tasks off your plate so you can stay focused.
Delete Not Urgent and Not Important Tasks
Try to eliminate time-wasting activities like excessive social media scrolling. While the goal is to tackle, reduce, systemize and delegate your to-do list, take a step back from “filler” activities and ask: Do I have space for this now? Is it providing the relief I need based on the time it’s consuming?
Make Room for What’s Important
By restructuring your task focus, you can make room for high-priority activities without neglecting smaller tasks. This approach allows for both productivity and downtime, ensuring effective time management.
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