Page 14 - timemanagement

Wellness@Boston Page 73

lives like the sand and water and gravel. If we had put all the smaller things in
first, the gravel, sand, pebbles and water, would we have been able to fit in

the rocks? No. Therefore, the order in which we do things or prioritise dictates

whether or not we will be able to ‘fit it all in’ to our busy day.

How to prioritise

Having a long list of things you have to do, a simple “to do” list, can be quite

overwhelming, leading to the feeling that you are swamped and not coping.
Prioritising your listed activities will undercut that feeling by putting you back in

control. Use the numbers one to four to mark the activities you have listed as
shown on the next page:

Priority 1 activities are of high importance and high urgency. In other

words, these are tasks which must be done today. There is no possibility

of postponing them; to do so would invite unwanted consequences.

Priority 2 activities are of high importance and low urgency. These
activities are important to your long-term planning, but can be postponed if

necessary. Do not, however, fall into the trap of postponing the activity for

so long that you never get around to doing it.

Priority 3 activities are of low importance and high urgency. These are
activities which are not terribly important in terms of achieving your goals.

Priority 4 activities are of low importance and low urgency, and can

safely be left until another day if time doesn’t permit.

The first step of this planning process is simply to list, as they come to mind,

everything that you plan to do that day. The next step is to prioritise these
activities. Once you have prioritised the planned activities, you’re ready to

start your day. As you complete an activity, cross it off your list, or mark it with

a tick to indicate that you have dealt with it. You’ll feel a sense of achievement
as you cross off or tick items; it’s a visible indicator of what you are achieving.

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