What to get things done more efficiently this year? Try following these 4 steps…

In this step the goal is to dump all the things you can think of that you have to do and get them out of your head and onto paper. An electronic list is fine as well.

The point is that you stop holding your “to do” list in your head and externalize it in some way.

In this step the goal is to organize your list into three categories, or “buckets”: Work, Home, and Personal

By organizing your tasks into these three buckets, you can begin to build boundaries into your life that keep you working more efficiently and on task. Keep in mind, the more often you switch “buckets” of your focus throughout the day, the less effective you become (this is known as the cost-switch effect).

In this step the goal is to decide which task needs to come first based on importance and urgency.

It can be tempting to do that which you are most comfortable with, but it’s important to challenge yourself to be courageous enough to prioritize.

It can also help to block out time throughout your week to dedicate to each bucket/task so you don’t waste time reorganizing yourself throughout the week. This will help you better manage time, keep you more accountable, and guard your goals from life interference as much as possible.

Based on the time and energy that you have at hand, you execute by asking yourself “and what would I need to do that?” and keep asking yourself this question until you break the task down to its next smallest step.

Then, by executing this next smallest step to nudge the project alone, you can chip away at big goals with surprisingly efficient progress.

I hope these tips help!