How often do you feel like you want to accomplish the important tasks each day, but find that you are completing the urgent tasks instead?!  If this is you – keep reading as I give some suggestions to overcome . . .

Real Life Time Management Scenario #7 –  I set my goal and detailed daily action steps, but the demands of the day always take precedence and real progress continues to elude me.”

Prioritizing (and accomplishing) the IMPORTANT over the URGENT is difficult!

My advice – schedule!  Really, it is as simple as 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . .

  1. Decide on the important task you want to complete.
  2. Schedule a date and time in your calendar to complete this task
  3. Complete the task

Step #2 is the key to this strategy.  By scheduling a time in our calendar to complete the task, we give more importance to the task than if it was buried on an endless to do list.

Plus, by scheduling a specific time to accomplish the task – we start to view this as an appointment.  You wouldn’t miss an appointment with a prospective client, or a doctors appointment, or an appointment with a friend – right?  The same philosophy holds true in this scenario.

[Tweet “By scheduling time to complete the important tasks – you will finish!”]

Did this real life time management scenario speak to you?  I’ve offered suggestions on a couple of other challenges this month.  Check out any that apply to YOUR life.

  • “This may sound ridiculous, but I’m so busy, I don’t even have time to read about time management techniques, let alone practice them.”
  • “I’ll look into streamlining my schedule a few weeks from now when I have a little more time.”
  • “When I’m trying to reach a goal, I track my progress on notes of paper that I keep all over the house, and my system is taking me more time than it saves me.”
  • “I want to take steps to use my time better, but I when I slip up I get down on myself.  It’s hard to keep putting the effort in.”
  •  “I’m working hard to use my time better and make progress towards my goals, but it’s sort of a lonely process, and I think it would be more inspiring if I had people encouraging me and noticing the small successes.”
  • “I have a great idea, but I don’t know where to start, and the project is floundering. I will probably give it up and just keep on with my regular routine.”

Be sure to stop back as I tackle Real Life Scenario #8 – I feel that I must read newspapers before I can recycle them.  I don’t put my subscription on hold when I go out of town.  So then I have a ton of papers to go through when I get back, along with the new ones.  I feel that I might be missing something that I should or would want to know about.  Then I feel that I can’t read other material such as books or newsletters that I would like to read.  I know logically that there isn’t enough time in a day or a month (or longer) to read everything that I would like to read – so much to read & not enough time.”

Your turn!  How do you make sure you accomplish the IMPORTANT tasks each day?   Please share!

Would you like to join my supportive environment as you diligently work towards accomplishing the IMPORTANT over the URGENT?  The Motivated for Action Group Coaching Experience starts soon.  Here you can be a group with like minded individuals striving to create change!

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