Do What Matters Most

Do What Matters Most outlines the importance of time management in anyone’s life and explores highly efficient methods to set goals for short-term and long-term intervals, as well as how to achieve them by being more productive and learning how to prioritize.

First thing first, learn how to prioritize. Make a list of the things you have to do, and divide them by importance and urgency. Essentially, you’ll want to have four categories: high-stress and high-priority, high-stress and low-priority, low-stress and high priority, and low-stress and low-priority. The key is to plan ahead and spend most of your time in the last category.

But what about the bigger picture? Goals, ambitions and life objectives should define the little things we do each and every day. For this reason, it’s important to set annual goals in both your personal and professional life using the SMART method. This acronym stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.

For example, instead of writing down goals such as: “I want to lose weight.’’, try to make them sound more like: “I will lose 5 pounds by December 3rd, 2021.’’. Defining your goals to the last detail will give you a sense of urgency, making your mind and body work harder to achieve them.

If your routine feels chaotic, unstructured and you often end the day feeling like you could’ve been more productive, chances are you could benefit from a new approach to your time management and direction in life. Making the most out of your days should be a priority, as the way you spend them will define your future.

Start by taking a look at your calendar and freeing 20 to 45 minutes to plan the next week ahead. Be careful to have it done by the end of the week, and not on Monday morning, so as to have sufficient time to do it. Always plan according to your goals and personal ambitions that you’ve learned how to define in the previous lesson.

Turn vague ideas into action. Ask yourself, what is it that you can do next week to get one step closer to your goal? Then, plan accordingly. It is particularly important to do so, as it will help you be consistent and stay on track, instead of letting the momentum and occasional bursts of inner motivation run your days.

Also, be strict while planning your weeks. Have your plan cover an entire day. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t leave room for breaks or some unstructured time to regroup yourself, but try to be organized and build a productive routine. Take your sticky notes and phone reminders to the next level by planning ahead.