Here\nit is, the new year, and I bet you will soon list a bunch of goals and to-dos\nfor 2022. Not a bad idea!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But\nthis year, I encourage you to get realistic<\/em> about how you set their\npriorities. There are right ways and wrong ways to prioritize to-dos. Do it\nwrong, and the list won\u2019t get done\u2014it will just be another bust on your new\nyear\u2019s resolutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your\nsuccess will be significantly higher if you use MYN and 1MTD<\/a> principles to prioritize that list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n First:\nLimit Your High Priorities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nfirst error is putting too many items into the high-priority section. I\nunderstand why we do it\u2014we\u2019re all loaded with important to-dos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But\nthe problem is, if everything is a high priority, then nothing is!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Both\nMYN and 1MTD solve that by limiting the visible critical list to 5 items\nmaximum. And in MYN you schedule and hide many items to a later date when\nyou\u2019ll have more bandwidth. Consider doing the same with portions of your New\nYear\u2019s list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next:\nLimit Use of Deadlines<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nsecond error is to put deadlines<\/em> on too many tasks. Some people even add\na deadline to every<\/em> task, and that\u2019s wrong!<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\ntotally understand why we do this\u2014we think a date commitment will help us\nfocus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But\noverusing deadlines leads to too many tasks having fake<\/em> deadlines. And that<\/em>\nleads to us losing respect for the deadlines we write down\u2014we just skip them\nwhen the deadline arrives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both\nMYN and 1MTD have built-in approaches that solve that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Use\nUrgency Zones<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nmain approach is using urgency zones<\/em> to classify tasks in both MYN and\n1MTD. These zones have distinct timeframes built in. For example, the Critical\nNow zone is for tasks that you must do today. The Opportunity Now zone holds\ntasks you\u2019d like<\/em> to do soon<\/em>\u2014either today or in the next ten days\nor so. And the Over-the-Horizon zone stores tasks that can wait quite a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Using\nthese urgency zones, you avoid putting deadlines on most tasks. Rather, you\nsimply sort tasks into these zones using managed approaches\u2014and task timeframes\nare now defined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But\nof course, some tasks do have true deadlines\u2014indicate them if so. But don\u2019t\nmake up deadlines just to pace your work. Rather, use start dates<\/em> to do\nthat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Use\nStart Dates<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In\nMYN we assign start dates<\/em> to all<\/em> tasks. Doing that defines when\nyou want to consider starting a task. Start dates allow you to hide tasks to\nthe future. It\u2019s a fantastic way to time-pace your work without creating false\ndeadlines. And it keeps the list you examine daily pared down in size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To use start dates effectively, however, you\u2019ll need to advance from the simple 1MTD system to the more advanced MYN system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start\nManaging Your Tasks this Year<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n These\nfeatures (and many more) of 1MTD and MYN offer proven methods of focus. They\nprevent your list from becoming bloated and discouraging yet provide the tools\nyou need to manage a long list of tasks\u2014and to complete them over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, when you create your list for 2022, create it in either a 1MTD or MYN to-do list<\/a>. By doing that, you really will<\/em> complete your goals this year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Here it is, the new year, and I bet you will soon list a bunch of goals and to-dos for 2022. Not a bad idea! But this year, I encourage you to get realistic about how you set their priorities. … Continue reading