How To Prioritise So You Consistently Work On What's Important

Podcast 177 This week, I’m answering a question on how to prioritise your work and avoid getting caught up in the trivial, low importance tasks   You can subscribe to this podcast on: Podbean | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | TUNEIN   Links: Email Me | Twitter | Facebook | Website | Linkedin Email Mastery 2021 Course Download the FREE Areas of Focus Workbook More about the Time Sector System The FREE Beginners Guide To Building Your Own COD System Carl Pullein Learning Centre Carl’s YouTube Channel Carl Pullein Coaching Programmes The Working With… Podcast Previous episodes page   Episode 177 Hello and welcome to episode 177 of the Working With Podcast. A podcast to answer all your questions about productivity, time management, self-development and goal planning. My name is Carl Pullein and I am your host for this show. Before we get started, just a quick apology to those of you who were listening to this podcast on Spotify. Last February I upgraded the quality of this podcast and Spotify stopped updating the episodes. It turns out Spotify will only accept the lower quality versions of podcasts which are MP3 files. I was using M4A files as part of the upgrade,  However, I will reinstate the MP3 versions so Spotify will begin accepting this podcast once more.  Okay, on with the show.  This week, it’s all about prioritising and knowing what to prioritise and what to ignore—yes, I said that right, “what to ignore”.  You see, the problem is there are far more tasks to do each day and week than time available and we are not machines. We are apt to feel tired, lethargic and distracted at times and for most of us, these times are unpredictable.  So while we may think we are managing time, we are really better off managing our energy levels. Understanding that concept can really help us to prioritise our days better.  So, before we get to the question, just a little reminder that I have a new bundle of courses available that will give you four of my best courses PLUS two bonus courses, which will give you a time management system that will take the stress out of everything you have to do, and give you the tools and know-how to bring in your goals and dreams.  The Ultimate Productivity Bundle is priced at an amazing $175.00 which saves you 55% off the price of buying all four courses individually.  If you want the complete package with lifetime access, then this is the bundle for you. You save yourself $110 and you get everything you need to build an amazingly productive and fulfilling life.  Okay, it’s time for me now to hand you over to the mystery podcast voice for this week’s question. This week’s question comes from Paul. Paul asks: Hi Carl, I have a lot of tasks coming at me every day and I struggle to know which ones to do. Most of them really are not that important, but I always feel I have to do them when I probably don’t. Do you know of any strategies I can use to better prioritise my work so I am working on the important things more often?  Hi Paul, thank you for sending in your question.  I am sure this is a common issue for many people. There is so much being pushed on us, that it can be very hard to know what to work on. The most important part of prioritising though is planning. You see, if you are not planning then everything will seem important because you have not taken the time to look at what’s on your plate without the day to day rumble of emails, tasks and messages. It’s like you need to get off the road for a moment, climb the hill and look at your landscape and see where you are going. Without that bigger view, you will likely be travelling down roads that will take you nowhere near where you want to go.  So, strategy one is to plan the week. Now, this does not mean spending an hour or two going through all your projects as some productivity systems recommend. You know what projects need your attention—or at least if you are paying attention to what going on in your life you should do.  At the