The Tuesday Roundup
When prioritizing your tasks, the concept of big rocks can help you make sure you’re using most of your time on the tasks that make a big impact on your primary goal. Here’s a short guide to the big rocks framework for you to put into action.
How does this simple method make you more productive? Well, productivity isn’t about doing a lot of stuff. It’s about getting the important stuff done. But if you’re running around doing all the little stuff … sure, you did a lot and you were very busy, but how much did you really accomplish? Oftentimes we can look back on our week and say, “I didn’t get a lot done, but I sure was stressed doing it!”
If you’re struggling with how to rank your tasks, the Eisenhower Matrix might help. This framework helps differentiate between urgency and importance. Try using the matrix to get a sense of which tasks should rank highly on your task list – they’ll be the ones in the top left quadrant.
Part of my framework for focusing time is reviewing your calendar. As you reflect on what you got done from your task list, don’t just look at what boxes got checked. Actually look at your time and see what you spent it on. Does it align with your primary goal tasks that you prioritized for the week? Members of the Let’s Build Community get an exclusive weekly journal to put the framework into action. If you want to see visually how you’re spending your time, use the journal and your calendar to help you do a calendar audit like this.
Remember that part of effective prioritization is recognizing the difference between work and rest. To stay in the game, you’ve got to avoid burnout. Optimizing for the long term takes reflection. This article will take you through strategies to understand your needs and warning signs of burnout.
Figure out what your personal warning signs are that come up right before you go down the burnout path. This will be different for everyone, so unfortunately, I can’t give you the answer. You’re looking for the starting domino habit that triggers you to prioritize energy withdrawal activities over energy deposits.
To get access to the weekly priorities journal and more resources like it, join the Let’s Build Community.
Let me know your thoughts here or on Twitter. If you have other resources that help you focus your time, share them here or in the community.