Learning to distinguish between the urgent and the important

Emergencies are the worst enemy of the results. They interrupt what you're doing, you do lose the thread and often are not even really matter. They are a source of stress for the worker, and also because of lack of motivation, the rush, it's natural to quickly finish the task, but so mediocre. The key is planning.

Can an emergency plan? What is possible is to book a time slot each day for possible contingencies. Quique Gonzalo, founder of personal productivity app Hightrack distinguishes between these two concepts: "An unforeseen does not help you achieve your goals."

In any case, a number of guidelines that will help you better manage your time and avoid unnecessary anxiety states.

Set your priorities

In the book Start: human productivity written by Quique Gonzalez and Berto Pena Hightrack founding, we insist on the need to get their priorities straight.These "help you say no to a compromise that does not suit you, to ignore a task that does not have to rule out an activity that no longer brings him to discard a bad habit that harms you and stop a project that does not make you grow ". Make simple and direct questions, and write the answers.

Find your motivation

In Brave New World, the masterpiece of Aldous Huxley, were productive citizens despite not having a goal. This idea is not plausible.

"Whoever has priorities have reason, having reasons is interested and who is interested in doing things and moving." Conversely, "the lack of priorities or motives encourages daily chaos and unproductive," says the book Hightrack. Useless to spend day and night in the office if you lose sight of why it is there.

Select an action plan

There is no better motivation than a long-term goal, but to reach it you have to go slowly. In business school ESADE, recommend to entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs "a set of milestones (technology companies often talk about milestones), and celebrate when it exceeds each of them." Make stops along the way will also help to look back and take stock of the achievements made so far.

If it's constant repetition of certain attitudes or activities will create a habit. Works like a spiral. Step by step, will reach their goals, and this in turn will motivate you to keep working, improving, striving.

Plan your day

Once you have your priorities, motivation and clear goals, it's time to mark assignments to do that day or that week. Without the prior work described in the first three points, probably draft a list of tasks, but it is difficult to establish the order based on the relevance of each, and their contribution to the achievement of its goals.

The founders of Hightrack distinguish here between useful tasks (which give more results), empty (that do nothing) and false (stolen time and energy, and away from the results). The common thing is that no more than two or three of the first on the same day.

Leave room for possible failures, delays or unexpected events. "They will arrive safely. The best way to beat them is leaving a mattress to react," says the aforementioned book.

Be realistic, do not upload more tasks than one might assume. "Generally, the concentration is maintained for about 45 minutes, so it is advisable to rest for a few minutes to stop the task, and then continue with it in a more effective manner," say the experts Imantia executive development firm.

And, occasionally, logoff. "It is important to plan spaces where the email is closed and concentrate and serene work is done," the National Commission for the Rationalization of Spanish Schedules points.

Complete tasks

"People are very good starting things but not finishing them so good." The book Start: Productivity human states that "a completed task is a task less," while "a task halfway perhaps an emergency tomorrow."

Anyway, remember that not all contingencies are urgent. Take a few seconds before rushing to stop what you are doing to get to it.

Anticipate the unexpected

In addition to a well-planned schedule, there are ideas that arise in day to day if properly recorded, can save considerable time tomorrow. "Many ideas have little value at the time they are born but become useful later. If the catch first, then can recover, develop and use. The same thing happens to the reference material (websites, quotations or references)" exposed from Hightrack.

The boring tasks also

"Best I leave this for tomorrow"; "And I'll do it later"; "I'm dry of ideas." They are no more excuses to postpone, and again, those tasks which are most boring him. They call it procrastinating. Looking on the bright side of this work that both frightens priori, leave it for last. You can apply the gamification yourself, imposing a small reward when finished, to serve as a stimulus.

The working environment meets here a very important role. "Who would like to go to a job where you are not happy or the weather is unstable? Positive emotions are always going to curb the effect of negative emotions, so it is important to promote pleasant working environment "comment from Imantia.

Is not stuck

There is nothing worse than the stress concentration. Imagine an unforeseen occurs, and it turns out to be urgent and important. Will not block, think first about how to reorganize your day and focus on overcoming the first step of its new task, then the second, and so on until the end.

Identify your 'anti-tasks'

As important as knowing what to do is knowing what not to do. His list of the anti-tasks can compose habits, gestures, routines or even people.

Hightrack proposes the following methodology: "Make two columns in one type of bad habits, gestures or activities that distract you, wasting time or wear without getting results in the other tasks that keep debs (false labor).. and those that have to do but who must devote energy fair (white work). "

Know yourself

Some people can concentrate better first thing in the morning, who works best in the evening, and then there are the owls. There are better and worse choices, especially if we talk about organizations that allow telecommuting or at least some flexibility in schedules.

Knowing your biorhythms will allow you to develop a more realistic and productive agenda, setting tasks that require greater concentration at the times of day you feel cooler tse, and more mechanical functions in periods costing you more work.