If you find that your work days seem to get away from you, make it a habit–starting TODAY– to refocus your priorities on a DAILY basis.
The keys to staying on track are to review your progress DAILY and to ask more questions before jumping in. Here are some that can help you get and stay on track. Nurture the habit to start and end your day going through each of them. These questions will help you focus your day and bring you back to center if you end up off track. Used consistently, you will accomplish more and reduce your stress and anxiety.
Bonus tip: If you oversee other employees, share these questions with them. It’s a great way to upgrade everybody’s work life and improve results.
- What’s the most important thing I should be doing right now?
- Did I meet my daily objectives? If not, what prevented me from doing so? Note: Each day identify your top three priorities and measure your progress against those items.
- Am I being honest with myself?
- What ONE THING can I do in the next five minutes to move this [project, task, meeting] forward?
- Am I being realistic with my time line?
- Am I crystal clear on the scope of the task/project?
- What do I need to do differently tomorrow?
- What can I delegate?
- Do I REALLY need to attend the meeting?
- Can/should I renegotiate the timeline?
- Do I have all the information I need to begin or complete a key task/project? If not, how do I get that information?
- Am I relying on input from others? If so, how do I ensure that I get what I need from him/her/them in order to meet the established deadline?
- Do I need approval/authority for any part of the task and, if so, how will I ensure that I get that approval?
- What, if anything, could prevent me from completing this project? How can I prevent or handle any roadblocks?
It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities. (E.C. McKenzie)
Before everything else, getting ready is the key to success. (Henry Ford)
