A few readers asked for more details about Knowing what to do next.
Let’s say you have a list of things to do, and a few tasks are added throughout the day. Here is my specific methodology.
I try to check my professional emails only a handful of times a day. If it’s more than that, I get too distracted and unable to focus on the work at hand.
If a new task can be done in less than 5 minutes, I do it immediately. If not, it’s added to my todo list. I also copy a link to the specific email. This prevents me from having to copy the entire email and context into the todo list.
Urgent tasks are prioritized over non-urgent ones. Keep in mind I don’t usually commit to deadlines, so urgency is a fluid concept.
If someone is waiting for my work to be complete, I consider that an urgent task. I never want to block someone.
If I’m unmotivated to work on a specific task, I just shift to another task. There’s no point spinning your wheels when you can get more done on other things. I’ll eventually return to it, and push through it as needed.
If I need deep concentration, I try to schedule the task in the morning, or when I have a long break between meetings. Often I turn off messages and email while focused.
The takeaway
These methods originated from the Getting Things Done methodology. The key is finding a methodology that works for you