The 2+8 Method: How 10 Minutes of Planning Revolutionised My Workday
It's never about how much you do; it's about what you do.
If you have six important meetings today and all meetings go successfully, have you been productive?
If you also have twenty tasks related to emails that need to be responded to, people who need calling back, or follow-ups that need to be made, and you only manage to complete five, does that mean you have not been productive?
The problem with the word “productivity” is how we measure it. Adding tasks to a task manager is easy, but not so easy to complete them.
The number of tasks you have in your task manager should not be the way to calculate how productive you’ve been. Your task manager is a tool to collect things you may or may not need to do (it’s surprising how many tasks you don’t need to do if left for a few days).
To judge whether you have been productive is to look at what you did rather than what you didn’t do.
There will always be little things you cannot get to for one reason or another. Yesterday, I was away from the office for most of the day and could only respond to twelve of my forty-eight actionable emails. Yet, I completed the three critical tasks. That, to me, was a productive day.
The thirty-six emails I did not respond to can be addressed today, and I know I have two hours of catch-up time scheduled for tomorrow morning to address any remaining items.
This is one of the reasons why the 2+8 Prioritisation Method works. It focuses your attention on what matters. If you accomplish only your two must-do tasks and four of your important tasks, you can go home knowing that you had a productive day. You’ve completed your most important tasks.
Another way to look at this is to assess your productivity on a weekly basis rather than daily.
There are too many things that can derail a day. An upset customer, an emergency at home or an off-sick team member. All of these are outside of your control.
Yet, if you were to create a realistic plan for the week that includes the essential tasks that need to be completed, you would give yourself a much better chance of ending the week knowing that the right things got done and you had a productive week.
I had two recording sessions scheduled last week for recording a new course. I was only able to do one of those sessions. Yet, as I sit here and write, I feel okay with that. The project moved forward.
Although I did not complete as much as I would have liked, when I did my weekly planning, I was able to decide whether to add an extra thirty minutes to my two recording sessions next week.
It’s not about the number of things you do that determines whether or not you have been productive. What matters is that the critical things you identified needed to be done got done.
Homework.
If you haven’t looked at the 2+8 Prioritisation Method (or have stopped using it), have another look. It’s simple, takes around five minutes to do each day, and helps you stay focused on what is essential.
(You can download the 2+8 Prioritisation Worksheet for free here.)
Further Help.
Here are a few resources to help you use the 2+8 Prioritisation Method.
How To Prioritise Using The 2+8 Prioritising Technique →
Are You Overthinking Productivity? →
How To Prioritise Your Most Important Work. →
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