Prioritize Your List - Turbo Charge Your "Tasks"

We have a Master List that has your KRAs (your #1's), and your 2's (twos) and 3's (threes) assigned to each.

You have that done, right?

Now we Turbo Charge your life by Turbo Charging your list of tasks.

How can we get even more productivity from this list? Well, here's how;

1. Next to each number one, we are going to place another number next to it. It will be a 1, 2, or 3.

2. If the task takes longer than an hour to do place a "1" to the right of the first "1" . Remember, we are working with the KRAs right now.

3. Next go through the list of KRAs, and place a "2" next to each "1" that takes less than an hour, but more than 15 minutes. Next place a "3" next to each remaining KRA that takes less than 15 minutes.

3. Your list of KRAs should look like this 1,1 or 1,2 or 1,3. You can place a hyphen instead of a comma if that works for you. Your list of KRAs would then look like this; 1-1, 1-2, or 1-3.

4. Now, what you are looking at is this. Your 1-1's are more than likely your most important and critical items you have to get done for your long term success with your firm. Check it out for yourself. If this is not true, go back over your 1-1's and see if they are not really a 1-2 or possibly a "2".

5. Now you should do the same exercise with your "2's" on the Master List. And then the "3's".

Your MASTER LIST should now have the Priority (1, 2 or 3) and the length of TIME that each one should take to complete (1 for over an hour; 2 for under an hour - but over 15 minutes, and 3 for under 15 minutes.).

This is critical.

From today forward, you are now writing your "to do" or task on the MASTER LIST.

A couple of critical points:
1. You are not "allowed" to do the task without writing it down first.

2. We assign a priority to each task after we write it down. Why do you think we do this? This is a critical question to answer. In the next post, we will address this.

3. We Turbo Charge the list with another number that represents the length of time it will take to get it done. Why do you think we do this?

Productivity Improvement Number 3 - Prioritize

OK. So to recap:
1. Write down everything on a sheet of paper where you keep all your "To Do's".
2. Don't do anything without writing it down first.
3. Know what 5 to 7 things you do (categories) that make up your KRA's (Key Result Areas).

Now, you have your list - let's call it a "Master List" - because it has everything you do on it.

Scan the list for all the KRA's. Those are the items on the list that contribute the most to what you were hired to do ( help you be the most successful at doing ). These should have a "1" (one) placed in front of the item.

Now scan the list for items that are a "2" (two). These are items that are important, but usually don't contribute much to what you HAVE to do to be successful. It might be "Filing an Expense Report" for example or "Providing a Report for Someone". . . these are secondary in nature.

After you completed this task, scan the rest and place a "3" (three) next to the remaining items. These should be tasks like "Pick up laundry" or "Get new pens." These don't contribute to your success but you have to get down and in some cases, you DO NOT have to do at all.

Three's may be delegated or discarded or deliberated. Deliberated means to; Ask yourself why you have any 3's on the list? This is where some of us as professionals, pick up hours of time. We tend to do what is fun and easy. And these are 3's. They are an excuse to procrastinate. They allow us to feel like we are working, when in reality we are not, because 3's don't contribute to what we were hired to do.

Now look at the list. Look hard. Do you see what I am talking about? Do you see how this simple, non-technical tool, allows you to see what you are doing?

If it doesn't, you are probably not FORCING yourself to write down everything before you begin it.

But it gets even better. The next post, allows us to turbo charge the list.

Productivity Improvements - Number 2: Your Key Results

Now, we have a "To Do" list. Your "To Do" list should include EVERYTHING you have to do. It can be on a clean sheet of paper. Just use a sheet of paper and list everything - every day - that you have to do. You may have several sheets of paper with your "To Do's".

Next - Your KRAs.

Think about this question; What have you been hired to do?

List out the five to seven things or areas that contribute the most to your ability to be successful. If you are a consultant, one area might be getting business. Another might be, completing your project on-time and well. Another might be, training and growing your staff.

Whatever you do, you have only five to seven key areas that will contribute to the results that you have been hired to do.

Write these seven down on a separate sheet of paper. You may scratch through any one of these seven - after you start thinking about it. In other words, you may be revising your list as the week goes on. But write them out. You may think and feel that you know what your seven KRAs are, but until you write them out, you cannot crystalize them.

One last thing - on the "To Do" list you created. Always work from a "To Do" list. Don't do anything without first writing it on your To Do list. The power of writing forces you to think through what it means and starts to put a priority behind it.

Save Time On The Internet - Using A "Feed"

Now for something really cool. Check out this from YouTube. A really smart guy is making the web easier for you and I to use.

You will see the RSS Feeds in the SideBar to the right of this Blog. It is now the smart way to access your favorites. This video is less than 4 minutes and explains how we can use the Web better and more conveniently.

A Feed is below . . . All you have to do is click on it and it saves it and brings it to YOU!

Before You Even Start Work Do This

First thing in the morning make your list. Don't go into the office without a "To Do" list. If you go into the office first and then try to work on the things that you try to remember, you will be pushed and pulled by the phone ringing, emails flying and people stopping by your office to say, "Hi."

Working without a list, is productivity suicide. You will never get done the things you were hired to do. And the only place to create the list is at home or some place safe, like at Starbucks.

You can do this that morning which I prefer to do, because it "fires" me up to get started. Or you can do what others prefer to do, and that is the night before - before you leave the office or before heading off to bed, to clear your mind.

Nothing high tech. Work from a piece of paper, or your Day-Timer (Am I the only one left using paper?).

However simple this sounds, you will be amazed at the amount of productivity improvements you will see generated in your own work.

One last note; if you are a manager - encourage your staff - strongly - to do the same. Better yet, pass this Blog Post on to them.

Productivity Improvement Number 1 - The Biggest

Make Lists
This is the number one thing any one can ever do. Making a list of the things you have to do is great for remembering what you have to do of course. And this is what everyone thinks a list if for. But it is not the only thing!

A list - or the exact benefit - THE MAKING of the list is the REAL Benefit!

Making a list helps you think!!!! It forces you to think through the objective.

It makes you think about the item and determine how you are going to do it, when you should do it by, and it helps you eliminate procrastination!

A list. Simple, yet so effective. And so very important. More on lists later.
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December - Personal Productivity Month

December will be dedicated to improving Personal Productivity. In this month's BLOG of Joe Murphy 180, I will cover a variety of tools that will help you or your executive management increase productivity.

These are not secrets - but things you may have done at some time, and maybe still do. You can reapply these or take some of the "twists" that I have found work and see if they can improve your ability to get things done.

One thing I should state: Productivity for productivity's sake is a fools game. It's about getting things done. Even better, it's about getting the right things done.

Enjoy this month's blog and best of luck for closing 2007 and making 2008 a great year!