Struggling To Focus?

Try this method

I am assuming you clicked this article because you are looking for ways to accomplish your looooooooooooong lists of task/assignments/to-dos. You are bombarded with activities that are all tagged as urgent or rush. And you don’t know how to deal with it. If my assumption is right, then let’s get straight to the point and not waste your time.

Photo by Daria Nepriakhina on Unsplash

Since you have trouble focusing on what task to do, it means that you are overwhelmed and confused with which task to prioritize.

Following the principles behind the Eisenhower Decision Matrix, I created a personalized method of deciding which tasks to tackle first.

Here’s how to do it.

1. On a sheet of paper, create four columns.
2. On the first column, list down all of your activities. Let’s call this the “Task” Column.
3. On the second column, rate each task in terms of importance, with 10 as the highest and 1 as the lowest. Let’s call this the “Importance” Column.
4. On the third column, rate each task in terms of urgency, with 10 as the highest and 1 as the lowest. Let’s call this the “Urgency” Column.
5. On the fourth column, multiply the rates you got for the importance and urgency column, For example, I rate Task A as follows: Importance = 9, Urgency = 8, then 9 times 8 = 72. Let’s call this column, “Priority” Column
6. After you have done Step 1 to 5, rearrange your list of activities based on the results you got from the Priority Column. Put on the top list, the activity with the highest number, followed by the second, third going down to the lowest number.
7. Now, all you have to do is create a calendar of activities. Write the date needed to accomplish each task.

What’s the importance of doing this activity?

The ranking will determine which task you should focus on. The activity with the highest ranking is probably the first task you need to complete. The lowest ranking will be the task that you can do later or decide not to do anymore.

Final Thoughts

Keep in thought, that this is just the beginning. You may call it, Phase 1. Since other factors may affect your productivity like motivation, resources, required skills, and other humps along the way. But by trying this method, you will be on a headstart. Sometimes, all you need to know is that you are going in the right direction. All things will get clearer along the way.

P.S. Let me know your thoughts about this. Do you have a similar method? Let me know in the comments section.

Another P.S. I found this amazing illustration on Facebook. It’s funny and amazing at the same time how the creators precisely describe how we feel and act on our work. You can check out more about Liz and Mollie on their FB Page here.

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