The starting point of higher productivity is clear goals. For a goal to be
effective in guiding behavior, it must be specific and measurable. It must be
believable and achievable. It must be written out and time bounded. The greater
clarity you have with regard to your goals, the more you will get done and the
faster you will accomplish what you do.
The second key to high productivity is clear, written plans of action. Every
minute you spend in planning will save you as many as ten minutes in execution.
Make a list of every single step of the task, or of your day, before you
begin. Always work from a list. Think on paper. Working from a list keeps you on
track and gives you a visual record of accomplishment. The very act of writing
out a list and referring to it constantly should increase your productivity by
at least 25 percent from the time you start doing it.
Third, set priorities on your list. Think the list through before you begin
the first task. Use the 80/20 Rule continually Identify the 20 percent of
activities on your list that can account for 80 percent of the value of your
entire list. Begin your work on the items in the top 20 percent before you do
anything else.
The most important measure of the importance or value of any task is the
potential consequences of doing it or
failing to do it. An important task or activity has significant consequences.
An unimportant task has few or no consequences at all.
Completing a critical assignment for your boss or for a major client or
customer is a top priority because the consequences of failing to do it can be
significant. Having lunch with a coworker is an activity of low value because
the consequences of doing it or not doing it are insignificant.
Use the ABCDE Method Daily
Use the ABCDE Method to set work priorities. Place one of these letters
before each task on your list before you begin.
· An "A" task is something that is important. It
is something you must do. It is something for which there are significant
consequences if you do it or fail to do it. If you have more than one "A" task
to do, organize them as A-i, A-2, A-3, and so on, in order of importance.
· A "B" task is something that you should
do. There are consequences if it is done or not done, but it is not as important
as an "A" task. Never work on a "B" task when there is an ‘A" task left undone.
Refuse to work on a lower priority when there is a higher priority waiting.
· A "C" task is something that would be nice
to do but has no consequences at all. For example, reading the paper, going
for coffee with a coworker, or calling home to see what’s for dinner are all "C"
tasks. They contribute nothing to your job or your success. Never work on a "C"
task when there is a "B" task left undone.
· A "D" task is anything you can delegate to
someone else. The rule is that you should delegate everything that can possibly
be done by someone else so that you can free more time to do the few things only
you can do.
· An "E" task is something you can eliminate
altogether. Doing it or not doing it has no consequences at all. It is something
that may have been important in the past but that you can discontinue today with
no real effect on your job or your future.
