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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIf your task list is too big and poorly prioritized\u2014if tens or even hundreds of items are critical\u2014you\u2019ll abandon the list and go back to acting on low-priority emails and projects, just because they are in front of you. And then you’ll get even further behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But if you deprioritize<\/em> consistently, and promote only key tasks, it keeps your list fresh, relevant, and well-focused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, as a professional, you should use every tool you have to deprioritize your lower-value tasks\u2014and do that deprioritizing aggressively. That way, at any given time, you are only presented with your most important tasks, and you don\u2019t spin your wheels on low-priority actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tools In 1MTD and MYN for Deprioritizing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And the good news is, that\u2019s exactly what the 1MTD and MYN task systems<\/a> are designed to help you do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are a few of the tools built into 1MTD and MYN that help you deprioritize low-value tasks\u2014these are tools that help you focus on only those tasks that will pay off for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Urgency Zone Size Limits (1MTD and MYN)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n First, the three main Urgency Zones have size limits\u2014and you should enforce them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n –If your Critical Now zone (your must-do-today tasks) reaches more than 5 Items, you will move the lowest there down to the Opportunity Now zone (and review that list tomorrow).<\/p>\n\n\n\n –If Opportunity Now reaches more than 20 items, you move excess items down to Over-the-Horizon and review those only weekly\u2014or even less often. See the urgency zone definitions in the image below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By doing that deprioritizing daily, you keep your critical list fresh and reasonably sized. And notice, I am not asking you to delete<\/em> all excess tasks\u2014most of us hate to do that. Rather you are moving them into regularly reviewed lower-priority lists. So, you are acting responsibly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hiding Tasks Until Relevant (MYN Only)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n MYN goes beyond 1MTD in this way: It gives you tools to schedule certain tasks to remain hidden until they are ready for action. That\u2019s what the Defer-to-Do and Defer-Review processes in MYN provide for you. Defer-to-Do is for tasks you strongly intend to do on a given future day. And Defer-to-Review is for tasks you merely want to review<\/em> or reconsider<\/em> at some future date. All the MYN-eligible software products like Outlook<\/a>, Todoist<\/a>, Things<\/a>, Toodledo<\/a>, and more<\/a>\u2014they all have features that enable you to enable these processes. Study the linked video courses to see how.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More Prioritizing Tools<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s just the tip of the iceberg. 1MTD and MYN have multiple other tools to keep your task list clean and fresh, so you focus only on high-value tasks. Re-commit today to putting these systems in place and re-energizing your task list.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Every professional I know gets far more tasks handed to them each day than they can possibly act on. So, here\u2019s a tip that will help you be successful with managing an overwhelming list of tasks. You Must Deprioritize Aggressively … Continue reading ![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.michaellinenberger.com\/images\/max-and-review.png\")
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