530: Understanding What Truly Matters, Making Strategic Decisions, and Effectively Allocating Your Time and Resources

Managing priorities is more than just making a to-do list. It’s about understanding what truly mattersmaking strategic decisions, and effectively allocating your time and resources.

So, let’s dive right in!

1: Understanding Priorities

First things first, what exactly are priorities? Priorities are tasks or activities that are more important than others and need your immediate attention. They’re the things that will move the needle in your life or business.

You already knew that, right?

But here’s the kicker: not everything can be a priority. If everything is important, then nothing is important. It’s about distinguishing what’s urgent from what’s truly important.

Example: When Steve Jobs he returned to Apple in 1997, the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. Jobs realized that Apple had lost its focus. They had dozens of products, and none of them were exceptional. So, what did he do? He cut down the product line from dozens to just four, focusing on the few that mattered the most. This laser focus on priorities brought Apple back to life.

2: The Eisenhower Matrix

One powerful tool to help you manage your priorities is the Eisenhower Matrix, named after President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He once said, “What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important.” This matrix helps you categorize tasks into four quadrants:

  1. Urgent and Important: Tasks that need immediate attention.
  2. Important but Not Urgent: Tasks that are important for long-term goals but don’t need immediate attention.
  3. Urgent but Not Important: Tasks that need immediate attention but are not important for your long-term goals.
  4. Not Urgent and Not Important: Tasks that are neither urgent nor important.

The goal is to focus most of your time on the second quadrant—important but not urgent. These are the tasks that lead to long-term success and fulfillment.

Practical Tip: Take a few minutes at the start of each week to list out your tasks and categorize them using the Eisenhower Matrix. You’ll be surprised at how much clarity this brings.

3: Setting Clear Goals

To manage your priorities effectively, you need clear goals. Without clear goals, it’s easy to get lost in the sea of tasks and activities. Here’s a simple framework to set effective goals: SMART.

  • Specific: Clearly define what you want to achieve.
  • Measurable: Ensure you can track your progress.
  • Achievable: Set realistic goals.
  • Relevant: Make sure your goals align with your overall objectives.
  • Time-bound: Set a deadline for your goals.

Take the example of a project manager at a tech company. Instead of setting a vague goal like “improve team productivity,” a SMART goal would be “increase team productivity by 20% in the next quarter by implementing agile methodologies.”

In Michael Hyatt’s SMARTER framework for goal setting, the E and additional R stand for:

  • Exciting: Goals should be personally compelling and inspire you to take action. If you’re not excited about your goals, you’re less likely to stay committed to them.
  • Risky: Goals should stretch you and push you out of your comfort zone. They should be challenging enough to inspire growth and innovation, ensuring that you’re continuously developing your skills and capabilities.

The full SMARTER framework, then, stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound, Exciting, and Risky.

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4: Time Management Techniques

Managing priorities also means managing your time effectively. Here are a few time management techniques to help you stay on top of your priorities:

  1. The Pomodoro Technique: Work for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. After four Pomodoros, take a longer break. This helps maintain focus and avoid burnout.
  2. Time Blocking: Allocate specific blocks of time for different tasks or activities. This helps ensure you’re dedicating time to your top priorities.
  3. The Two-Minute Rule: If a task takes less than two minutes to complete, do it immediately. This prevents small tasks from piling up.
  4. Batching Similar Tasks: Group similar tasks together and tackle them in one go. This reduces the cognitive load of switching between different types of tasks.

Practical Tip: Experiment with these techniques and find what works best for you. The key is consistency and making small adjustments as needed.

5: Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Even with the best strategies, it’s easy to fall into common pitfalls when managing priorities. Here are a few to watch out for:

  1. Procrastination: Putting off important tasks can derail your progress. Combat this by breaking tasks into smaller, manageable steps.
  2. Overcommitting: Saying yes to everything can overwhelm you. Learn to say no and prioritize what truly matters.
  3. Distractions: In our digital age, distractions are everywhere. Create a distraction-free environment when working on important tasks.
  4. Perfectionism: Striving for perfection can lead to paralysis. Focus on progress, not perfection.

Example: Think about the story of J.K. Rowling. When she was writing the first Harry Potter book, she faced numerous rejections and distractions. But by managing her priorities and focusing on her goal, she eventually created one of the most successful book series of all time.

6: Tools and Resources

There are plenty of tools and resources available to help you manage your priorities. Here are a few I recommend:

  1. Trello/Asana/Milanote: Great for project management and tracking tasks.
  2. Evernote/Notion/Obsidian: Perfect for taking notes and organizing information.
  3. Google Calendar: Essential for time blocking and scheduling.
  4. Focus@Will/Idagio: A music service designed to improve focus and productivity.

Practical Tip: Try out different tools and see which ones fit your workflow. Remember, tools are meant to assist you, not complicate things.

Conclusion: Taking Action

Managing priorities is an ongoing process. It requires regular reflection and adjustment. But by understanding what truly matters, setting clear goals, and using effective time management techniques, you can make significant progress towards your personal and professional aspirations.

Remember, it’s not about doing more, but doing what matters. Take a moment today to reflect on your priorities and make a plan to tackle them head-on.

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Finally, thanks for listening and remember, “Leaders read and readers lead.”

527: 7 Biblical Principles for Being Purposeful, Present, and Wildly Productive with Jordan Raynor (an Encore Presentation of Episode 422)

I love books on the topic of productivity. It’s a topic about which plenty of books have written. Some might argue we don’t need any more books on productivity.

jordan raynor

That is not the case for the latest productivity book I read. It’s now at the top of the list of best all-time productivity books in my view.

It’s written by author Jordan Raynor and it’s called Redeeming Your Time: 7 Biblical Principles for Being Purposeful, Present & Wildly Productive.

Jordan is a serial entrepreneur. He also serves as executive chairman of Threshold 360, a venture-backed tech start-up that has built the world’s largest library of 360-degree virtual experiences of hotels, restaurants, and attractions.

He’s a highly sought-after speaker on the topic of faith and work; he has spoken at Harvard University, SXSW, and many other events around the world.

I hope you’ll click the play button below to learn more about Jordan and his work. For a summary, just keep scrolling.

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521: The Future of Behavior Design with Dr. BJ Fogg (an Encore Presentation of Episode 324)

While technically today’s featured book was released in 2019 (December 31 to be exact), I’ve dubbed it my favorite book of 2020!

Upon reading it, I immediately wanted to share it and attempt to teach its concepts to others. That, to me, is the mark of a great book.

bj fogg

What is this amazing book?

Well, it’s the New York Times bestseller Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything by Dr. BJ Fogg. Or, as BJ would now call it if he could rename it, Tiny Habits: The Future of Behavior Design.

The book sleeve on the front cover says confidently, “This book will change your life.” Just yesterday, my wife saw the book on my desk and asked if the claim was true. I answered with a resounding “YES!”

With breakthrough discoveries in every chapter, you’ll learn the simplest proven ways to transform your life. Whether you want to lose weight, de-stress, sleep better, or be more productive each day, Tiny Habits makes it easy to achieve.

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520: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – 30th Anniversary Edition (an Encore Presentation of Episode 319)

What an honor it is to be asked to participate in the launch of the 30th Anniversary Edition of the #1 business book of the 20th century!

And what a treat it is to talk to the son and namesake of the author himself, Mr. Stephen M. R. Covey.

stephen m r covey

I can honestly say, if the Read to Lead Podcast were to come to an end after today, I would be at complete peace with that.

Why? Because today I am privileged to conduct what is arguably the single most important interview of my 30+ year career.

Not only is Stephen M. R. Covey an accomplished author in his own right (with a New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book under his belt), but he’s agreed to field questions from a handful of those impacted by his father’s book over the years.

By “those impacted” I’m talking about you! That’s right. Every question I’m posing to Stephen was submitted by a listener to the podcast.

Of course, the book I’m referring to is called The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: 30th Anniversary Edition.

This is a ‘can’t miss’ conversation!

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513: How to Do More of What Matters to You with Ali Abdaal

I’ve been a fan of today’s guest for several years and have probably watched over 100 of his YouTube videos. So, when the good folks over at Readwise reached out about making an introduction, I was elated.

ali abdaal

I’m talking about the world’s most-followed productivity expert, otherwise known as the one and only Ali Abdaal.

Ali has written a brand new book that was released this past December, and I am delighted to feature it, and my chat with Ali, in this week’s episode.

That book is called Feel Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You. It’s already appeared on a few bestseller lists and, at last check, already has over one thousand reviews on Amazon. Go Ali!

We think that productivity is all about hard work, Ali says. That the road to success is lined with endless frustration and toil. But what if there’s another way?

Ali, though, has uncovered an easier and happier path to success. Drawing on decades of psychological research, he has found that the secret to productivity and success isn’t grind – it’s feeling good. If you can make your work feel good, then productivity takes care of itself.

Armed with Ali’s insights, you won’t just accomplish more. You’ll feel happier and more fulfilled along the way.

I hope you’ll click the play button below to learn more about Ali and his work. For a summary, just keep scrolling.

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