1399: How To Prioritize Tasks With A To-Do List by Brian Tracy on Productivity Advice

[00:00:00] This is Optimal Work Daily, episode 1399. How to Prioritize Tasks With A To-Do List by Brian Tracy of BrianTracy.com. And I'm Dan, your personal narrator here on OWD. Welcome to today's episode where we're going to hear from Brian. So let's do that as we optimize your life.

[00:00:22] How to Prioritize Tasks With A To-Do List by Brian Tracy of BrianTracy.com. 85% of Americans admit they don't know how to prioritize as well as they would like. How do you feel about the matter? Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the amount of work you have?

[00:00:38] Have you ever missed an important deadline or forgotten to do something important? That's okay, I have a solution for you. You see, these are symptoms of unpolished time management skills. All you need to do is refine your prioritization skills and start or return

[00:00:53] to efficiently evaluate your tasks with a proper to-do list. Sounds easy, right? But lots of people tend to be surprised when I mention there's more than one type of to-do list. To-do lists are key for efficiency because they list everything you have to do,

[00:01:07] the most important tasks at the top and the least important tasks at the bottom. Leverage your organizational skills. Your ability to improve your organizational skills and prioritize tasks is a measure of your overall competence.

[00:01:20] The better the plan you have, even if it's as simple as creating a to-do list, the easier it is for you to overcome procrastination and get started, to eat that frog and keep going.

[00:01:30] One of your top goals at work should be for you to prioritize tasks by using your organizational skills to get the highest possible return on your investment of mental, emotional and physical energy. The good news is that every minute spent planning saves as many as 10 minutes in execution.

[00:01:46] It only takes about 10 or 12 minutes for you to prioritize tasks by planning out your day and creating a to-do list. This small investment of time will save you at least 2 hours, 100 to 120 minutes, in wasted time and diffused effort throughout the day. Create your to-do list.

[00:02:03] Put your organizational skills to work and prioritize by always working from a list. When something new comes up, add it to the list before you do it. By knowing how to prioritize tasks, you can increase your productivity and output by 25% or more

[00:02:16] from that first day that you begin working consistently from a list. Having such a system in place will make it much easier to achieve everything you desire, especially long-term goals such as writing a book.

[00:02:26] Improve your organizational skills and make out your to-do list the night before at the end of the workday. Move everything that you have not yet accomplished onto your to-do list for the coming day and then add everything that you have to do the next day.

[00:02:39] When you make out your to-do list the evening or the night before, your subconscious mind works on the list all night long while you sleep. Often you will wake up with great ideas and insights that you can prioritize tasks

[00:02:50] and use to get your job done faster and better than you had initially thought. The more time you take to make written lists of everything you have to do in advance, the more effective and efficient you will be.

[00:03:01] This time management analysis is the same tool I've used to consult with thousands of people over the last 30 years, and now it's my gift to you. Your four masterminds are the ones who will help you to make your to-do list the best it can be. Your four masterlists.

[00:03:16] There are four different lists that you need to create for different purposes to enhance your organizational skills and manage your time. First, you should create a masterlist on which you write down everything you can think of that you want to do sometime in the future.

[00:03:30] This is the place where you capture every idea that comes to you or every new task or responsibility that comes up. You can then prioritize tasks later. Second, you should have a monthly list that you make up at the end of the month for the month ahead.

[00:03:44] This may contain items transferred from your masterlist. Three, third, you should have a weekly list where you plan your entire week in advance. This is a list that is under construction as you go through the current week.

[00:03:57] And four, finally, you transfer items from your monthly and weekly lists onto your daily list. These are the specific activities that you are going to accomplish that day. As you work through the day, tick off the items on your to-do list as you complete them.

[00:04:10] This activity gives you a visual picture of accomplishment and improves your organizational skills. It generates a feeling of success and forward motion. Prioritize tasks for ultimate efficiency. When you have a project of any kind, begin using your organizational skills by making a to-do list of every step

[00:04:28] that you will have to complete to finish the project from beginning to end. Prioritize tasks by organizing the project by priority and sequence. Lay it out in front of you on paper or on a computer so that you can see it.

[00:04:39] Then go to work on one task at a time. You will be amazed at how much you get done in this way. Remember that the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80-20 rule, says that 20% of your effort tends to produce 80% of your results.

[00:04:53] So prioritizing efficiently is a must. As you work through your lists, you will feel more and more effective and powerful. You will feel more in control of your life. You will be naturally motivated to do even more. You will think better and more creatively.

[00:05:07] And you will get more and better insights that enable you to do your work even faster. Master your time When you use organizational skills to prioritize tasks and plan each day in advance with a simple to-do list, your day will go by faster and smoother than ever before.

[00:05:24] You feel more powerful and competent. You eventually become unstoppable. You just listened to the post titled How to Prioritize Tasks with a To-Do List by Brian Tracy of briantracy.com. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Do you ever find yourself getting caught up in comparison,

[00:05:45] seeing the successes of others and wishing your life looked the same? If so, then you know how difficult it can be to manage these feelings. Therapy can help you focus on what you want instead of what others have, so you can start living your best life.

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[00:06:15] It's entirely online, designed to be convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist and switch therapists anytime for no additional charge. Stop comparing and start focusing with BetterHelp.

[00:06:30] Visit betterhelp.com slash workdaily today to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp.com slash workdaily. And thank you so much to Brian for this great post today. Brian Tracy is the Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International.

[00:06:48] He and his company help people achieve personal and business goals quickly and easily. He has studied, researched, written, and spoken for 30 years in the fields of economics, history, business, philosophy, and psychology, and is the top-selling author of over 70 books. Brian's talks and seminars on topics like leadership, selling,

[00:07:07] self-esteem, goals, strategy, creativity, and success psychology are super effective in creating both immediate changes and long-term results. Brian's also active in community and national affairs, and he heads up three companies that are located in Solana Beach, California. So come by his site, briantracy.com.

[00:07:25] And again, a big thanks to Brian for letting us share his work. But that's going to do it for this episode. I appreciate you being here today. Hope you have a great rest of your day, and I'll see you right back here tomorrow, where your optimal life awaits.