{"id":6666,"date":"2014-05-23T04:00:54","date_gmt":"2014-05-23T09:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/michaelhyatt.com\/?p=6666"},"modified":"2014-05-23T04:00:54","modified_gmt":"2014-05-23T09:00:54","slug":"cut-your-to-do-list-in-half","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/cut-your-to-do-list-in-half\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Strategies for Cutting Your To-Do List in Half"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whenever I ask a friend how they are doing, they inevitably respond, \u201cBusy. Crazy<\/em> busy.\u201d It seems like all of us have more to do that we can possibly get done.<\/p>\n\n

One of the most helpful time management principles I\u2019ve ever found is David Allen\u2019s Two-Minute Rule<\/a>. The basic concept is that you take immediate action on anything that can be done in two minutes or less. This is the key to becoming more productive.
\nTo implement this, you should do these kinds of actions NOW. Why? Because it will take longer than two minutes to add the action to your to-do list, organize it, get back up to speed later, and complete the task.<\/p>\n

Instead of going through that whole rigmarole, you just do it and move on to the next task. It is a huge productivity booster. And it will keep your to-do lists much<\/em> shorter.<\/p>\n

In addition to the two-minute rule, here are four strategies for cutting your to-do list in half:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Understand the five basic decisions.<\/strong> With any given input (email message, physical inbox item, etc.), there are only five actions you can take:\n
      \n
    • You can DO<\/strong> it by taking action now yourself.<\/li>\n
    • You can DELEGATE<\/strong> it to someone else who is better qualified or has the bandwidth.<\/li>\n
    • You can DEFER<\/strong> (or schedule) it to do later.<\/li>\n
    • You can FILE<\/strong> it for later reference.<\/li>\n
    • You can DELETE<\/strong> it and forget about it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
    • Make a decision and then act.<\/strong> This is the most important part\u2014make a decision. Most of the decisions you and I make are not that consequential. You can afford to be wrong occasionally.\n

      It is better to make a decision and move on than waste precious time trying to get it right. (Obviously, I am not talking about big decisions that require significant risk or investment.)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    • Don\u2019t second-guess yourself.<\/strong> This is unproductive. You can spend an inordinate amount of time questioning your decisions. What is past is past. Let it go.\n

      Don\u2019t get bogged down in \u201cthe paralysis of analysis.\u201d Learn what you can and keeping moving. Like someone once observed, \u201cIt is easier to steer a moving car than one that is parked.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    • \n

      Set a time-limit.<\/strong> Parkinson\u2019s Law states: \u201cwork expands to the time allotted for it.\u201d For example, I may go online right before lunch, say 11:00 a.m. I then give myself 30 minutes to process the emails that have accumulated since I checked earlier that morning.<\/p>\n

      On average, I can go through 70 emails in this amount of time. The deadline helps me be more productive.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      You will get better with practice. Consciously try to implement this principle. Nike got it right with their slogan: \u201cJust do it!\u201d This applies to task management as well. Ready, set, go!<\/p>\n

      How many items are currently on your to-do list? How many could you have eliminated if you had just taken the action when it first appeared?<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Because it will take longer than two minutes to write the action down on your to-do list, organize it, get back up to speed later, and complete the task. … And it will keep your to-do lists much shorter. [smartads] Here are four ways to cut your to-do list in half: Understand the five basic decisions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":26150,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[182,827,417,45,243,1032,30,607,674,89,79],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n4 Strategies for Cutting Your To-Do List in Half<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Whenever I ask a friend how they are doing, they inevitably respond, \u201cBusy. 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