Managing Time & Staying on Schedule

Do I write the article? Study? Do laundry? Call back my aunt? Order that book? Go to the grocery? Go work out? Get my car repaired? Do my taxes? So much to do! Maybe I’ll just research the article first. Or watch just one episode of the new series. Or this. Or that.

How do you decide what to do? Perhaps you have heard about the Eisenhower matrix to help with prioritization, an executive function skill that can be oh so hard for Turbo Thinkers. It is a simple rubric that helps you decide what to do immediately, plan for later, delegate or eliminate. In order to categorize your tasks you need to know what is urgent, which is tied to a deadline. You also need to know what is important, which is tied to your core values.

How can you define not what is important to someone else, to your family or to your social media followers, but what is important to YOU? You are the only person that knows deep in your heart who your most authentic self is. What is important to you drives your identity, your purpose in life and your vision. When you determine that a task has importance you can live with intent. You can be in alignment with how you want to live your life. You can get one step closer to the person you want to be. When you take action on what is important to you, you achieve a sense of fulfillment and happiness.

So take a look at your list. After you determine the urgency, ask yourself if your task is important to you. Is it linked, directly or indirectly, to your core values? If so, then do it or plan it. If not, eliminate it or delegate it. Life is too short to worry about something that will drain your energy rather than boost it. What can you do today, so that when you put your head on your pillow tonight, you will feel a sense of fulfillment? So that you feel like you fed your soul and got one step closer to your dreams? So tap into that intrinsic motivation and prioritize. Once you have clarity, you can take that first step.