I almost didn’t write this blog today.

When I looked at what I had to do this week, my list was definitely full. Ugh. I’m not seeing a lot of space for something like…..a blog post. 

Some items on my list are both urgent and important, while others are just urgent, or just important. And then, of course, there are also items that are neither urgent or important...but they're still staring at me.

It almost doesn’t matter if they’re urgent or important--if they’re on my list, they’re taxing in some way.

Picking tasks to work on

It can be difficult to decide how to accomplish all of the things you want to accomplish.

Case in point--this blog! I was not in the mood to write this blog. Not only that, but I was tempting myself to not even work on it. I negotiated with myself for about 5 minutes before  finally deciding that, you know what, maybe writing about my indecisiveness will be useful for others.

It made me think about this cartoon I saw earlier this week:

This is beyond relevant for my situation today. At this moment, I don’t have any fires to put out, but I do have plenty of emails to get back to. (This includes some that haven't even arrived yet!! But I’m already formulating that perfect response.) I also have some important projects I’ve tabled again and again that can use my attention. Their progress is beneficial in the big picture with everything I'm doing, but it's easy to look past them. The cartoon above underlines this exactly. Because it is not timely or urgent, I'm not as inclined to work on it.

This blog is definitely one of those items that is not urgent but is very important to what I'm doing. Not only does writing help get ideas out of my head and onto paper, but it is also a form of marketing. It replicates me in places when I'm not there. Hello!

Additionally, for those that are not on my email list, I have created a drip where you will be introduced to each of my blogs along your journey. So this serves as a way to get to know me as well.

The point here is that my blog is a very important part of my business but it does not have urgency associated with it, especially given that I like to get ahead on things.

So what is the solution?

The first step is understanding that every task has varying importance and urgency levels. If you don't know where each task stands, then there is no way to evaluate it. The biggest culprit? The dreaded single to-do list that is unsorted, undated, and unprioritized. (Or also known as the hundreds of post-its method.) Stop. No more. It's time to create a list that serves you instead one where you become victim to.

So first, consolidate all of your lists into one place so that they're not scattered among different locations and various formats. Next step? Give each task a deadline, if applicable, and a priority, ranging from urgent to optional. You'll start to see how each task is different.

The next step is to start calendar blocking. Create periods of time where you are focused only on the most meaningful work for your business. Carve out between 1 to 4 hours per day where you're working on your business instead of in your business. That way, you're always in a constant state of improving things versus trying to catch up and only dealing with emergencies. 

The fourth step is, well, to actually utilize the time as you’ve planned it! Work on your business! Focus on the important stuff! For some people, this might mean clearing out your calendar so that you only focus on the task at hand. Another idea is to decide at the beginning of the week what you're going to be doing during these dedicated times so that you're not distracted. Even another idea is to turn off any notifications (airplane mode?) so that you remain uninterrupted during those time periods.

My secret hack has been to form an accountability group. I meet and work with other people for the sole intention of completing a content hour. During this time, I only work on my blogs. So far, it’s been wildly successful. Of course, life sometimes gets in the way. If that happens, I still don't give myself an excuse not to show up. I will be at the call--I just may not work on my blog. My experience has been that 90% of the sessions I attend, I end up working on my blog. Accountability really works!

Urgency is a false flag. Prioritization is key to getting what you want from your life. Do what you need to so that you can live life on your terms.