One Secret Ninja Trick to
Slay Your Dragon Today and
Enjoy The Holidays
If you’re anything like me, just crossing everything off your to-do list is a monumental accomplishment, never mind adding in the extra errands, shopping, wrapping, preparing and visiting that comes with the holiday season.
Sometimes, the festivities of Christmas may not feel so festive when the time crunch is on.
Even without the holiday rush, there never seems to be enough time or energy at the end of each day to get to the other things I’d really love to do: take the kids out for a hike, volunteer, finish writing that book or the oodles of art projects that are half-started, create that killer blog post or craft an amazing new coaching program. These things always feel just out of reach and I know I’m not alone here.
Many of you have a secret, undeveloped creative life that you’d love to pursue if time or money were not an obstacle.
There is a tonne to write about list building and time management, but this one simple strategy can make a massive difference with how you manage your time this holiday season and into the new year. It’s based on a quote from Steven Pressfield:
“...the Principle of Priority, states that (a) you must know the difference between what is urgent and what is important and (b) you must do what is important first. What’s important is the work.”
When your inbox is exploding, your devices are pinging with alerts, texts and calls…they scream for your attention like a two year old’s temper tantrum. These intrusions all feel so critically urgent. In reality, they’re not. With all kinds of information buzzing at our fingertips, it’s difficult to remain focused on any single task.
At times, I feel like I’m suffering from electronic-induced ADHD. I know my kids are!
I feel myself falling into a pit of social media junkdom. Like an addict, I crave those instantaneous trending updates and gossip to get my dose of compelling drama that flows through my newsfeeds.
By constantly checking in, updating and responding with every little ping or ringtone, we get the illusion of being productive, when really, we’re just busy. The “urgent” distractions flying in on your devices are usually related to other people’s goals and not to your own. These evil little gubbins are stealing away your valuable productive time.
I declare 'I'm guilty' and draw my sword to reclaim control of an invaluable commodity ~ my time.
What’s urgent demands attention right now. The house is burning down. One kid is about to poke another kids’ eyeball out. The dog just got sick all over the laptop. The school called because your child is sick. Those are absolutely urgent.
What’s important tends to be much quieter and often relates to our own goals, objectives and desires and not to the goals of other people. Important things require us to work, to think, to find solutions, to innovate and try something new, if necessary. Important things are always easy to push to the back burner while we deal with the screaming two-year old.
This valuable trick has helped me immensely.
I hope it makes a difference for you too.
- Take a look at your “To Do” list. (You have one of those, right?)
- Mark each item with an “I”, for “Important”, or a U, for “Urgent.”
- Devote the first hour or so of each day to the “I” stuff
Devote that first time block of the day to what’s most connected to your heart, your health, and to your life.
This method of time management ensures that the important ‘I’ stuff receives your valuable attention first before checking email, Twitter, returning texts, chatting with your neighbour or playing with the cat.
If you’re anything like me, you have more than one raging dragon on your list. Whether it’s exercising for your health, journaling for your soul or crafting marketing material for your business, pick one raging 'I' list item, your dragon for the day, and take him down first.
The ‘U’ stuff will always get done because it has to.
Of course, call the fire department if the house is burning down and pick your sick child up from school. If some ‘Urgent’ little time gremlin, like Facebook, tries to take your attention away from the 'I' item you're focused on, ignore it until you get the important work done for the day.
The most productive feature intrinsic to all electronic devices is the OFF button.
The world will still be there when you power back up. Crossing ‘I’ stuff off the list and moving forward with a big project is always awesome. The sense of relief and accomplishment you’ll feel for the rest of the day once the dragon is slayed: priceless.
Start with this one step and you’ll be amazed by how much you get done. Teach this technique to your children and your staff and see how productivity improves all around.
I'd love to hear what you think of this message. What is your key tip for managing your time? Share in the comments below.
If you've enjoyed this message, please share it with your friends. If you’ve found it useful, chances are, they will too. Until next time, Slay Those Time Dragons!
About the Author:
Andrea Raco, Certified Professional Coach, Founder of Coach for Life, Creator of 'Your Masterpiece Life' ~ a program designed to help you build the life you love, curator of Gold Key Club and Coach For Life Connections, is a wife, a Mom of 4, Breast Cancer Survivor and lover of LIFE.
Private Message at andrea@coachforlife.ca or comment below if you'd like a copy of her Free E-Book
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