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It’s smarter to reserve more complex tasks 5. Prioritise what matters by making your
for when you feel your most focused, and the to-do list early
mindless ones for when you feel drained. Are you one of those people who makes your
After you make your task list, use a simple to-do list each morning? I can’t blame you—I
coding system to indicate where tasks used to be that very same way. Here’s the
fall on your energy spectrum. You can downside of that approach: it leaves room for
choose the symbols that work for you. For everybody else to dictate the most pressing
example, use an up arrow to indicate really priorities of your workday. You probably
mentally demanding tasks (like creating that aren’t creating your list until you’ve checked
presentation) and down arrows for things in on emails and other requests that came
that are far more routine (like filling out your in since you left, which means those things
expense report). Or opt for a smiley face and immediately earn a spot on your task list (even
frowny face. Or simply star the more high- if they aren’t time-sensitive).
energy tasks. Instead, try making your to-do list for the next
day before you log off for the night. You’re
You have some flexibility here, but notating
your to-do list in this way will help you truly far more likely to jot down the bigger, more
make the most of the time you have during important priorities then, rather than letting
your workday. your inbox completely rule your schedule.
When you return to the office tomorrow, you’ll
4. Stop feeling frazzled by silencing have an instant reminder of what you actually
notifications wanted to focus on.
It’d be nice to blame all of our distractions on 6. Stop reinventing the wheel by creating
the things around us, but we know that isn’t templates
the case. A lot of our focus-stealers are self-
imposed, especially when it comes to digital Every job includes some repetitive tasks,
notifications. but that doesn’t mean you need to start from
scratch each time. Templates can help you
The advice to silence your notifications when ensure consistency while also saving time.
you really want to get work done isn’t exactly
new, but I’m willing to bet that you still haven’t Do you find yourself sending a similar email
implemented it. on a frequent basis? Save it as a canned
response so you can quickly drop it into a
Summon your courage and finally give this blank message and customize the details. Are
a try. Turn off all of the push notifications on you a writer who’s always starting with a blank
your phone. Close your email tab. Set yourself page? Create a template that has the bare
to “do not disturb” in your instant messaging bones in place for you.
platform. That will give you some much-
needed uninterrupted time to focus on your In a similar vein, it’s also helpful to create
actual work. a cheat sheet for yourself. Whether it’s
instructions you’re always digging through
email threads to find or photo dimensions you
can never remember, pull all of those details
22 March 2024
