One of the books I often refer to when sharing my ideas is Sean Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens (based on his father’s book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People). This past week has seen me reminded of one of those habits I have not been applying.
Habit #3, according to Covey, is entitled “Put First Things First”. It is about prioritising and doing the most important things before tackling the most urgent things. I recall working with some students from my previous college, discussing an example that Covey gives in his book, about having a pile of rocks and needing to fit them all into a bucket. One approach is to put them randomly into the bucket, unfortunately you soon discover that they will not fit and they spill over the top. However, if you selectively pick out the largest rocks, placing them in the bucket first, and then choose smaller rocks and place them in the bucket next, the smaller rocks fill all the smaller spaces and before you know it, they will all fit in the bucket.
Convey goes on to recommend when planning your week, to think about the most important things you need to do. Schedule them into your weekly planner and ensure that you allocate the time to complete these important tasks. After this, start to schedule in those other tasks that might be urgent, although less important. As I now sit and look at my To Do List for the coming week, really considering what are the most important things I need to do, my diary presents a host of new opportunities!
Winnis says
I totally agree with that Paul – first things first – a ‘cuppa’ to start the brain ticking over to prioritise the rest!!!!!