Personal Development 101 – Module 4 Instantly Cutting Your Todo List In Half
Hi, and welcome to week four of Personal Development 101!
- Sid Savara
Course Recap
So far we’ve discussed:
- Your dreams
- A life purpose
- Decided on one goal to focus on this year.
- Outlined some ideas for how to make time for yourself to accomplish your dreams
Just in case, here’s last week’s module:
Personal Development 101 – Module 3 The Biggest Obstacle Stopping You From Achieving Your Goals
This week I want to talk about the most important part of my day – the morning. It’s where I plan out what needs to be done, and have a strategy to help ensure I get in the right frame of mind to start my day.
At this point in the course, we’ve established a direction you’re heading in this year, with a specific goal in mind you want to achieve. In the coming weeks we’ll talk about strategies to be productive, and how to focus on what needs to be done.
Your Most Important Tasks
“Take as much stuff off your plate as possible, so you can focus on doing what’s important, and doing it well.”
- Leo Babauta in Zen To Done
Last week we looked at some areas where we could find more time to accomplish your goals and achieve your dreams. In particular, I tried to make a distinction to cut out low value or no value items from your life, to make time for what mattered.
Building on the exercise we did last week, this week’s exercise is short and to the point. You already know what you want to accomplish this year, and should set a milestone for what you want to accomplish every week (though to be honest, I don’t always stick to this myself). There are two strategies that I want to talk about that help me be productive day to day. These strategies enable me to get more accomplished, stay focused, and help me make sure I’m not just doing things right – but that I’m also doing the right things.
Exercise 4
- What Are My Most Important Tasks? One of my favorite concepts in Zen To Done is the idea of having three Most Important Tasks (MITs) every day. Every morning, pick 3 things that you want to accomplish that day – tasks that if you accomplished them, the rest of the day would be a bonus. Make sure that at least one of these tasks relates to your long term goal. So, my challenge to you is – pick at least one most important task right now, and make it a priority to complete today.
- Start The Day Right. Let me ask you – do you wake up invigorated and motivated every morning? For me, I sometimes do – but there are other days where I drag myself out of bed and need to get myself motivated. That’s why I set up a series of what I call start pages. These are a set of pages that have a short, single theme – and an affirmation I read to myself every morning. I keep it open in my browser and try to remember to read it a few times a day. Click through and pick a start page now, and I recommend you set it as your home page – Click to visit Sid’s Start Pages. That way rather than opening a web browser and seeing your email, Facebook, or something else that may or may not be related to your goals – you’ll immediately see something motivating and inspiring to help you focus.
You don’t really need a worksheet to write down your three most important tasks, but why not? Here’s a short, simple worksheet you can fill out if you desire. Please download it to your computer and open it. Click to download it now – Module 4 – Your Most Important Tasks (PDF).
As I mentioned, this concept of most important tasks (MITs) is discussed in further detail in Zen To Done, and if you’re curious you should click through to read my review of Zen To Done now.
Don’t forget - read your life purpose daily, focus on weekly progress towards your goal and make time for it every week. And now, you have a couple new weapons to add to your arsenal in personal development – most important tasks, and start pages.
Sincerely,
Sid Savara
sid@sidsavara.com
P.S. This powerful exercise is something I can’t take credit for – while it has enriched my life and I encourage you to use it, the concept for your Most Important Tasks is heavily discussed in Zen To Done.
P.S. – Did a friend forward you to this page? Get the full course (all 8 modules) for free here: Free Personal Development Training, Personal Development 101
Free Personal Development Training
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