One small change that did wonders for me ever since I've been diligent about it is to do the hard things first. It might seem like common sense, but this small change has made a world of difference.
We all have a lot on our plate, but not all tasks in our inbox carry the same value and priority to us. You might have "clean up the office" or "inbox zero" next to "finish X crucial assignment". And many times, the quickest task is the one we choose to do first. And it makes sense why it is appealing. Checking off a task makes us feel accomplished, and task manager apps treat each completed task the same, a little swoosh sound and a strike though it.
Not only that, but the difficulty level of a task doesn't affect its value in your to-do list. Each task is worth only one point, regardless of how hard or easy it is. So, if you have a list of 10 tasks to accomplish today, it won't matter if you start with the hardest or the easiest one. You will still have 9 tasks left to finish afterward.
But research shows that we are more productive and focused in the first hours of work in the day. Making it a good idea to prioritize these types of tasks early in the day when we're fresh and alert. If I have 10 things to do in a given day, it's a much better feeling to complete *just* the 1 or 2 that were high priority than the opposite.
I use the free version of todoist (here's my video on it) and my tasks all carry a priority label, and as long as I finish the highest priority tasks in a given day, I feel like that day was won. And the best part here is that once you finish the high-priority tasks, the low-priority ones almost seem like leisure in comparison.
❤️ Monthly Favorites
✍️ Content
Want to be healthier? Hang out with your friends - I have a hard time keeping up with my friends, and need every reminder I can get my hands on of how important personal relationships are for my well-being. The pandemic made this even harder on all of us.
⚙️ Hardware/Products
Smart Jump Rope - This is the rope that got me into jumping rope after multiple attempts. It tracks every session seamlessly and motivates me to keep going. In the first session, I jumped for only 5 minutes and was embarrassingly exhausted.
📚 Book
The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - I’ll be finishing it this week, but I’ve seen enough to recommend it if you’re into mysteries and thrillers.
Thanks for reading :)
Sergio