One of the important techniques to become productive is to resolve to do your most important tasks. You must resolve to do your most important task before everything else. This action should take place first thing in the morning. You do the task you hate and the one with the most impact on your life.
“The hardest part of any important task is getting started on it in the first place”
Eat That Frog!
Brian Tracy
Becoming Productive
You must set goals in three of the most important areas of your life. Have personal, relationships, and business or career goals. Put pressure on yourself and not wait for someone to come and motivate you. Set and create deadlines for yourself to achieve your goals.
Improving Productivity
First, plan each day in advance, select your most important task, and then start on that task first thing, before you do anything else.
Second, work nonstop for 30-90 minutes with no diversion or distraction, and then give yourself a 10 -minute break.
Third, start again and work another 30-90 minutes flat out.
Reward yourself after this 90 minute to 3-hour work period.
How to make you start?
Set Time Blocks and decide to work for a period at a time. “Swiss cheese” a task when you resolve to work for a specific period. You can work as little as five or ten minutes and stop. Take one bite of your frog and then rest or do something else.
How to handle big tasks or projects?
One technique that you can use to cut a big task down to size is the “salami slice” method. With this method, you lay out the task in detail, writing down every step, and then resolve to do one slice of it. Just like eating an elephant one bite at a time.
My Take
One of my favorite productivity techniques is to do my most important task every morning.
Practical Insights
- Resolve to do your most important task
- Carve Time Blocks to work and concentrate
- Use the Swiss cheese method to motivate yourself to start
- Turn off all phone notifications
- Use the Salami method to break down huge takes into simpler components. Handle each task a piece at a time
- Schedule a particular time in advance for a task or a project.
- You must create an inner drive. A sense of urgency.
- Act Now!
