Discussion Forum > Food for thought
We tend to think in different terms here. When you get past those, the idea becomes clearer:
1. He recommends < 4 todos per day, but he's only talking about 3 hours of the day, not the whole day.
2. I think what he suggested was in line with Do It Tomorrow, except that the process of establishing a list, and the time of establishing is different.
3. The plan didn't actually happen, and Tom did many many things not on that short list. Most of the day was unmanaged action, although it still matched the "todo list" to some extent.
So what remains for us is:
(a) Take time to think about what's most important. The SF response to that is to act on that, and put it in C2 to keep acting on it. Never have more than 4 such things.
(b) You don't need to plan out in detail how the future [of projects] may unfold, just get to work.
(c) Keep up with SF for the rest of the day. Keep your 1-4 item focus, and minimize the chaos by staying on top of the little things too.
1. He recommends < 4 todos per day, but he's only talking about 3 hours of the day, not the whole day.
2. I think what he suggested was in line with Do It Tomorrow, except that the process of establishing a list, and the time of establishing is different.
3. The plan didn't actually happen, and Tom did many many things not on that short list. Most of the day was unmanaged action, although it still matched the "todo list" to some extent.
So what remains for us is:
(a) Take time to think about what's most important. The SF response to that is to act on that, and put it in C2 to keep acting on it. Never have more than 4 such things.
(b) You don't need to plan out in detail how the future [of projects] may unfold, just get to work.
(c) Keep up with SF for the rest of the day. Keep your 1-4 item focus, and minimize the chaos by staying on top of the little things too.
May 2, 2011 at 15:12 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
Sorry, for copyright reasons I've had to remove the part of DS's post which gives Tom Peters' entire article. It is too long for a "fair use" quote. You can still read it all by clicking on the link.
May 2, 2011 at 15:42 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
It echoes exactly what I have found. It is easier to get 20 things done by working a list of three to four at a time. Focus and prioritization are key to achievement which is really interruption management. Time management systems will not pick your priorities and keep you focused on important tasks, only you can do this and that simple stuff works. Thanks for posting it.
Gerry
Gerry
May 2, 2011 at 16:11 |
Gerry
Gerry
Oops, sorry for the overly-long quote.
The idea of 1-4 items seems like a less clearly defined 3 Tasks method that was floating around here for a while.
The idea of 1-4 items seems like a less clearly defined 3 Tasks method that was floating around here for a while.
May 2, 2011 at 17:08 |
DS
DS
What I got the most out of that article is that you should spend a few minutes at the beginning of the day to think about your short- to mid-term goals. In the article, this helps the author align his tasks with what he wants. With SuperFocus, it helps ... er... /focus/ your intuition. Coincidentally, that's also the overarching lesson I learned from Mark Forster's "How ... Make ... Dreams ... True" book. (And is one of the "Seven Habits...": Begin with the End in Mind.) Spend ten minutes in the morning. Spend five. The benefits are well worth it.
May 2, 2011 at 19:08 |
jFenter
jFenter
Point for debate: I think it's better to spend 10 minutes in the evening thinking about the next day, rather than 10 minutes in the morning.
May 2, 2011 at 21:01 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
Alan,
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
May 2, 2011 at 21:14 |
leon
leon
Morning or evening... the choice is probably a personal one for each of us. I know from experience that an evening of reflection has no effect on me the next morning. I think the important point is that a few moments' introspection can be extremely healthy to one's direction and that introspection should be done regularly and frequently.
May 2, 2011 at 22:26 |
jFenter
jFenter
I agree that a few minutes to Plan Daily (as FranklinCovey would say), either in the morning or the night before, is worthwhile. I also make a side list of the Big Three tasks that I want to accomplish each day. (This side list contains three tasks that are already entered in my SF notebook, and I write the page# next to each one.) I put the Big Three list on a Post-It, and stick it in C2 on the last (active) page of my SF notebook, to also remind me that no task can go in C2 until C1 is filled (my own personal rule variation), at which point it is not the last page so I then move the Post-It to the new last page.
May 2, 2011 at 22:36 |
ubi
ubi
From: tompeters! management consulting leadership training development project management
http://www.tompeters.com/entries.php?note=006635.php