Posted on: 25 November, 2001
Author: Dr. Donald E. Wetmore
We all have "too much to do". True? Sure 'nuf. And that saysa lot of good things about you. That you have "too much todo" suggests that a lot of people have ... ... in you. I mean, pe We all have "too much to do". True? Sure 'nuf. And that saysa lot of good things about you. That you have "too much todo" suggests that a lot of people have entrusted muchconfidence in you. I mean, people who are drifting aboutearly each afternoon begging co-workers for something to do,may not have earned that confidence from others. And thisapplies not only in our work lives but in our personal livesas well.But this creates a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it'sgreat to enjoy the confidence of others. Yet, having "toomuch to do" often creates the stresses and distresses thatmay reduce your overall productivity.I divide our responsibilities into two categories: "Crucial"and "Not Crucial". Crucial items give us the "biggest bangfor the buck" for the time spent and is the most productiveuse of our time. It is the logical use of our time. "NotCrucial" gives us emotional relief. It's doing the littlethings, the junk mail, desk dusting and the like, that,while necessary, do not really advance our daily successvery much.When we accomplish the "Crucial" things in our life we aredoing "business" v "busyness". We are making progress versuswheel spinning. Have you ever had a day when you were busythe whole daylong but when you got home that night you knewyou had not accomplished a darn thing? (We can fool theworld sometimes but we cannot fool ourselves.)Doing the Crucial things builds up our self-esteem and ourmotivation level. Ever notice when you've had a reallyproductive "Crucial" day how that positive momentum carriedforward into your evening hours? You are more inclined to dothe woodworking, spend time with the kids, or work onhobbies, when you've had a great day. But when you've hadone of those "Not Crucial" days, the motivation and momentumlevels are reduced and when we come home that night, many ofus just want to block out the day with that all importantexercise, "click, click, click", the sound of the TV remotedevice, surfing us through a multitude of channels that failto grab our interest.I really believe that most people, intuitively andinstinctively, want to be good time managers. It makessense. The better we manage our time, the more results wewill enjoy. It's the logical choice.So let's say it's the start of your workweek and you have alot of "things to do", some of which are "Crucial", some"Not Crucial". Intuitively and instinctively you and I wantto be good time managers. Therefore, where does ourattention gravitate towards? Do we focus on the "Crucial" or"Not Crucial" tasks? The "Crucial"? Sure! Logic tells usthat. The more "Crucial" things we do, the more productivityand success we enjoy.But, you know what? When given a choice between "Crucial"and "Not Crucial" items, we will almost always do the "NotCrucial" items and ignore the "Crucial" items in spite ofthe fact that we all want to be productive in our day.Why?Because we are driven more by emotion rather than logic.You see the "Crucial" items are typically longer and harderto accomplish. The "Not Crucial" items are typically morequick and fun and emotionally satisfying.We need to get over to the "Crucial" side more often toincrease our personal productivity.Get your free copy of "Power Prioritizing" which gives yousimple tips to more effectively prioritize your day. Getyours now. Email your request for "power" to: [email protected] you like to receive free Timely Time Management Tipson a regular basis to increase your personal productivityand get more out of every day? Sign up now for your free"TIMELY TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS". Just go to:http://www.topica.com/lists imemanagement and select"subscribe" or send email to:[email protected]. We welcome you to ourlist! Article Tags: Crucial Items, Crucial Things Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com