Lesson nine - manage your time
We've all come across the infamous phrase "just do it" at some point in our lives. It's a simple and straightforward command, but putting it into practice is a whole different story. How do we actually "just do it"? It's the million-dollar question that rarely has a satisfying answer.
As I delved deeper into the world of procrastination, I discovered that its roots often lie in emotional barriers like fear of failure and uncertainty. Overcoming these obstacles requires a combination of honing specific skills to handle our emotions and adopting practical time management habits. While my usual focus is on managing the emotional aspects of procrastination, this article concentrates on adopting practical time management habits.
I have developed a four-step system that has significantly improved the way I manage my time and has genuinely helped me "just do it". My system combines various time management frameworks, including the Eisenhower Matrix, Getting Things Done, the Pareto Principle, and Eating the Frog. Drawing inspiration from these frameworks, I’ve simplified them into a daily habit that can work for people trying to overcome procrastination. The system involves four key steps:
Capture
Prioritize
Divide
Schedule
I’ll take you through each of these steps in more detail. Before I do, let me highlight the importance of this by pointing out something we all know but rarely acknowledge. Our time is limited.
Each of us has a finite number of weeks in our lives, and it is impossible to accomplish everything we desire. Regardless of the time frame—be it a day, month, or year—there will always be tasks left unfinished. This realization underscores the significance of mastering effective time management. This system empowers you to progress what is most important and find contentment with what you are not able to do.
The beauty of this system is its versatility. You can apply it to various time horizons, such as a day, week, month, year, or even your entire life. For the purpose of this article I will focus on applying these steps to a daily time frame.
Step one: Capture
Many of us wake up each day without a clear idea of what we want or need to accomplish. While this may not be an issue for some, if you often feel overwhelmed by your tasks or disappointed with your progress on important goals, it’s worth trying a different approach.
The simplest way to address this is to write down the things you want and need to do each day. This can include both enjoyable activities and necessary chores. For instance, you might have to complete an assignment, pay a bill, and meet a friend.
Adopting the habit of recording your daily tasks can liberate your mind from the burden of remembering everything. This allows you to focus on the present moment and engage in more meaningful work. When your mind is constantly preoccupied with various thoughts and tasks, concentration and productivity become challenging.
There are numerous apps, notebooks, and planners available to help you organize your tasks. It's important to find a method that suits your preferences. While a simple scrap of paper can be effective for planning, investing in something visually appealing and of high quality can be worthwhile.
This investment serves as a signal to yourself that the task is important. It creates a sense of value, commitment, and accountability. It reinforces the significance of utilizing the planner effectively and motivates you to follow through on your goals. Additionally, when you have a visually appealing planner, it enhances the experience of using it, making the planning process more enticing and enjoyable.
Regardless of the tool you choose, designate a section for each day and record your tasks. It's often helpful to do this the night before, so that you can harness your morning energy to make progress.
If you're like me and the majority of people, you will likely jot down more tasks than you can realistically complete in a single day. This brings us to the second step in the process: prioritization.
Step two: Prioritize
Prioritization is the process of determining the order in which tasks should be tackled. It is a highly valuable skill that should not be underestimated. Many people tend to rely on what can be called "deadline-driven prioritization" or "procrastination until urgency." They put off tasks or projects until the last possible moment, often when a deadline is looming and the pressure becomes overwhelming. The trigger for starting a task in this approach is typically a feeling of panic or being overwhelmed. While some people defend this approach by claiming they work better under pressure, it has two significant drawbacks.
Firstly, constantly waiting for urgency to strike leads to a perpetual state of stress and anxiety. It can result in reduced focus, diminished work quality, and an increased risk of errors or mistakes due to time constraints.
Secondly, it causes neglect of tasks without explicit deadlines. Many important tasks and life goals do not come with predefined deadlines. By solely focusing on urgent matters, individuals often overlook crucial but non-urgent activities like personal growth, building relationships, self-care, or long-term planning.
To overcome these drawbacks, it is crucial to adopt proactive approaches that allocate time for important goals, even when they don't seem urgent.
There are various methods for determining the importance of tasks. One approach that works for me is the "zoom out" method. Essentially, it involves expanding your perspective beyond the immediate time frame you're planning for. For instance, if you're planning your tasks for the week, zoom out and ask yourself, "What is most important for me to complete this month?" Similarly, when planning your day, zoom out and consider, "What is most important for me to complete this week?" This helps break the cycle of habitually focusing only on what feels urgent.
From there you can trim your to-do list down to include only the important items. Although it may sound obvious, many people tend to focus on unimportant tasks simply because they are easy to accomplish. However, life is short, so it's essential to eliminate unimportant tasks from your to-do list.
Next, if there is an especially urgent task you can focus on that first. Otherwise, focus on your most important task from your zoom out exercise, even if it doesn’t have a looming deadline. This sets you up for step three: divide.
Step three: Divide
After prioritizing your tasks or goals, the next crucial step is to divide the top one or two items into smaller, actionable steps. This breakdown is essential for removing any ambiguity that might hinder task completion.
Ambiguity is the nemesis of procrastination. When we set vague or overly broad goals, our brains feel uncomfortable with the uncertainty of what exactly needs to be done. For example, stating "finish my English essay" lacks specificity and often leads to procrastination.
Moreover, when tasks appear large or complex, they can create a sense of overwhelm. Chronic procrastinators tend to have ambitious plans, but the sheer magnitude of those plans can prevent us from taking action.
To combat these challenges, it is crucial to divide tasks down into their component parts. By focusing on the smaller aspects of the overall task, we can eliminate ambiguity and reduce the feeling of overwhelm. For instance, when faced with writing an essay, we can break it down into simple steps such as opening the document and writing just one sentence.
Once the task is broken down, you are well-prepared for the next step in the process: schedule.
Step four: Schedule
Once you have broken down your most important task of the day into smaller parts, the next step is to estimate the time required for each step and incorporate them into your schedule.
Consider the specific times when you can work on tasks and organize your day around your top priority or goals. Remember to include activities that bring you joy and hold significance for you.
People who tend to procrastinate often struggle with estimating time accurately. This can happen in two ways. Firstly, they often underestimate the time needed for a task, resulting in insufficient allocation, leading to unfinished or delayed work. On the other hand, they can also overestimate the time required, turning a task into a bigger challenge than it actually is, which discourages them from starting. Improving your ability to estimate time is a valuable skill for overcoming procrastination.
To develop this skill, assign a time estimate to each item on your to-do list and then record the actual time it takes to complete the task. When you mark a task as complete, note the difference in time between your estimate and the actual duration.
Take that moment to celebrate your own progress and reflect on what went well and what didn’t go as smoothly. If there is anything you want to change the next day, make a note of it. Consistent reflection like this leads to consistent improvement, which builds up over time.
So there you have it, that’s the four-step process for managing your time. I highly recommend developing a daily habit around the four-steps. Although as I always say, start small! Aim for consistency rather than perfection!
Key ideas:
Capture: Begin or end each day by writing down your daily tasks. This will free your mind from the burden of remembering everything.
Prioritize: Organize your daily to-do list based on both importance and urgency. Give priority to tasks that are important and urgent, and remove tasks that are not important.
Divide: Breakdown the top one or two items on the list into smaller, actionable steps. By focusing on the smaller aspects of the overall task, you can eliminate ambiguity and reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed.
Schedule: Estimate the time required for each step and incorporate them into your daily schedule. Enhancing your ability to estimate time is a valuable skill for overcoming procrastination.
This article is an adaptation of the ninth audio lesson of Doer: the science-based guide to overcoming procrastination. For good! Discover the root cause of your procrastination and start mastering the skill of accomplishing important tasks by downloading "Doer" today!
