Is your to-do list getting in the way of what matters?
It is the start of the work week, and you have resolved to get some big things done and off your to-do list. The list is long and intimidating. Aside from your daily work tasks, there are a few weighty, important projects that need to be begun or progressed. Then there are the meetings that have been booked, the ones you know about at least, and there will be others that are scheduled at the last minute that will require your input. You have an inbox that must be managed, and there will be a string of interruptions throughout the week – people and pressing issues that will make claims on your attention. Aside from that, you have a whole lot of personal chores that you have been meaning to get to.
Whether your to-do list is on paper, on a device, or in your head, how can you approach it effectively, without just starting at the top and trying to work your way through it?
Step 1: Prioritise
In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey popularised the time management matrix, a model named after the US president Dwight Eisenhower, who publicly expressed his concern that continually responding to immediate crises left too little room for thoughtful work on long-term problems. The matrix divides activities into four quadrants, according to their urgency and level of importance. Allocating tasks according to the quadrants is useful for prioritising the attention we give to commitments in our careers and our personal lives.
The first quadrant includes tasks that are urgent and important: crises, pressing problems and deadline-driven projects. We don’t have much choice about doing these. If we are sure that they are truly relevant and urgent, one strategy is to tackle them as they occur, and take note of the lessons that they provide.
The second and most important quadrant encompasses activities that are not urgent but are important. These include problem prevention, planning, creating, strategising and relationship building - the tasks that move the needle in our professional lives. Time spent in quadrant one lessens the time available for quadrant two, whilst time spent in quadrant two tends to circumvent some of the crises that monopolise our time and energy.
There is discipline involved in directing our time and focus here. If these activities align with your values and what is important to you, Covey describes the second quadrant as a ‘natural, exciting place to invest your time’. The conscious effort and deeper thought required for this high-level work is significant, but the creation of solid strategies and solutions is deeply satisfying, and yields a greater sense of agency and control.
In my coaching practice, clients draw out the matrix on a blank piece of paper, and fill in a list of quadrant two activities. They are often surprised at how little time they actually spend here, despite being clear on what activities are important. Being intentional about recognising where their value lies leads to more effective allocation of both time and effort.
Step 2: Schedule
The next thing is to schedule quadrant two work into your calendar - this requires chunks rather than slivers of time. Whether you use an electronic or a physical diary, block off time for these important tasks. Treat these commitments as you would a customer meeting – arrive punctually, and well prepared.
Be wary of overscheduling your day – back-to-back deep-work sessions are unrealistic. There will inevitably be requests for your input, and time also needs to be allocated to less strenuous and basic administrative tasks. In The 4-Hour Workweek, Tim Ferriss advocates scheduling routine tasks, particularly checking email, to reduce interruptions and repeated setup time. You could try setting a timer to check your email just three times in a day - at 8am for fifteen minutes to identify any truly urgent tasks that may affect your morning; at 12pm for an hour before lunch to respond where relevant and action straightforward items; and at 3pm, with your diary alongside to schedule relevant tasks.
Ferriss also advocates effectiveness before efficiency. Efficiency concerns how economically you complete a task; effectiveness concerns whether it advances your goals. Getting through a long list quickly does not necessarily mean you have spent your time well. Being mindful of scheduling the tasks that matter and staying focused on the quality of the work rather than the quantity is what makes the difference.
Step 3: Batch and Delegate
Quadrant three includes activities that are urgent but not important: many interruptions and calls, some mails, some reports, some meetings and matters that seem pressing. The idea is to delegate or defer these activities – either to someone who can execute them well, or to a later timeslot where they can be grouped together with other tasks.
Cal Newport talks in Deep Work about batching administrative work, and this works particularly well in practice. I have a subfolder in my inbox for administrative requests and tasks. Once a week, I set my timer (pomodoro technique style) for two or three consecutive fifty-minute sessions, with a ten-minute breather in. I tackle the folder, along with a physical file for other similar papers. Grouping these related tasks requires a similar mindset, and I am able to power through and get them done. Whatever I don’t get to, I carry over for the next week’s admin-blasting session.
Delegating requires some discipline too, but can become a way to empower a co-worker, provided that they are briefed thoroughly on the purpose and required outcome of the designated task.
Step 4: Minimise and Remove
When Covey’s book was first published in 1989, social media and the distractions present on our cell phones did not exist, but aimless scrolling would almost certainly have appeared in quadrant four if they did. This quadrant contains activities that are neither urgent nor important: ‘appearing busy’ work, some mail and phone calls, and self-imposed time wasters. When I coach clients, we discuss a few strategies that help to manage distractions and disruptions. The first is to disable notifications on their email and phones. These are often unnecessary interruptions that cause a shift in attention from focused work.
The second is to be intentional about time on social media, using it instead to connect, be inspired and to learn, rather than to scroll as a form of boredom or procrastination. Many clients find that setting personal rules about social media use makes it more rewarding as a means of unwinding at the end of the day. The third is to set up barriers to interruptions in the workplace, either by closing a door for the duration of an important task, or by putting on headphones with music that helps you concentrate or white noise, or by having a pre-agreed signal to co-workers in an open plan office. In my previous office we each had a light that we kept on our desks and would turn on if we did not want to be interrupted.
Do the things that move the needle
Whether your disruptions are self-inflicted or externally orchestrated, taking steps to manage them can free up a surprising number of hours in a week. How you decide to spend those hours is an individual choice. Stephen Covey includes ‘recreation’ as a quadrant 2 activity – important, but not urgent. Prioritising and scheduling time with loved ones, as well as for ourselves, is central to his seven habits of effectiveness.
Ultimately, getting the right things done is about more than making headway on a list. It is about choosing where to direct our time and attention, so that there is room not only for meaningful work, but also for the people and activities that make our lives feel fulfilling.