How to Get Started on Overwhelming Amounts of Work
Write down everything you need to get done., Identify urgent tasks., Identify valuable work., Cut items from your list., Make a short task to-do-list., Set smart goals., Start with small, achievable goals.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Write down everything you need to get done.
By visualizing your work, you will start to get a better sense of the work that is urgent and the jobs that are less important.
The process of writing it down may reduce some of your anxiety over the workload, since you won’t have to hold it all in your head anymore.Make a list of everything you could do today.
Write down a list of all the things you want to get done today.
Be ambitious and don’t worry if it seems like a lot. -
Step 2: Identify urgent tasks.
Reviewing your ambitious to do list for the day, circle the items that are urgent and cannot be ignored.
Urgent items are tasks or jobs that will have negative consequences if left undone today.
If there is anything that needs to get done right away, you should list it as your top priority.
Finally, order the urgent tasks on your list by writing “urgent, 1,” followed by “urgent, 2” and “urgent, 3”.
Complete urgent tasks in order of priority., Beyond the most urgent tasks on your list, you should prioritize the most important work.
Circle the important work on your to-do-list for today.
To assess which work is important, think about how many people will be impacted by it.
If a lot of people are impacted by a job on your list, it is probably very important.
Order the important work on your list by writing “important 1”, “important 2” and so forth.
Once you have gotten the urgent tasks out of your way, complete the important tasks.If there is a tie in priority between two important jobs on your list, look at the time estimates for the respective jobs.
If one job will take more time, you should consider starting with it., Once you have finished the process of prioritizing the items on your to-do-list in order of urgency and importance, you should see if there are any items that can be cut.
Once you have cut these items from your list, make sure you write them down as possible additions to your to-do-list for tomorrow. , If you have a huge volume of small tasks in front of you, consider making a short or ten-minute task to-do-list.
On this list, write down all of the tasks you need to get done that will take a short amount of time such as five or ten minutes.
When you have time between larger projects, do one of these small tasks.
You will feel good when you are able to cross it off your list., You should review your work goals to make sure they meet SMART goal criteria.
Your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.
By using the SMART goal criteria, you can ensure that the work you are doing is relevant to the project at hand and achievable within a given timeframe.
Ask yourself what is specific about your work goals.
Consider how you will measure or assess that the work is complete.
Determine whether the goal is actually achievable for you, including in relation to your other responsibilities.
Look at how relevant the goal is to the project or task you are trying to finish.
Review the deadlines for your time-bound goals. , Start by setting smaller goals that are relevant to your larger aims and are achievable.
By focusing on small goals first, you will be able to cross off some relevant and important tasks.
Then, you may feel less overwhelmed by the amount of work on your plate.
You may also be able to build more momentum towards finishing the bigger things on your list.If you need to write a report, start with a smaller goal such as writing a section of the report.
If you need to finish a major project for a client, start with a smaller goal such as one part of the larger project.
If you want to change careers, start with a small goal like interviewing someone who works in a different career. -
Step 3: Identify valuable work.
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Step 4: Cut items from your list.
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Step 5: Make a short task to-do-list.
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Step 6: Set smart goals.
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Step 7: Start with small
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Step 8: achievable goals.
Detailed Guide
By visualizing your work, you will start to get a better sense of the work that is urgent and the jobs that are less important.
The process of writing it down may reduce some of your anxiety over the workload, since you won’t have to hold it all in your head anymore.Make a list of everything you could do today.
Write down a list of all the things you want to get done today.
Be ambitious and don’t worry if it seems like a lot.
Reviewing your ambitious to do list for the day, circle the items that are urgent and cannot be ignored.
Urgent items are tasks or jobs that will have negative consequences if left undone today.
If there is anything that needs to get done right away, you should list it as your top priority.
Finally, order the urgent tasks on your list by writing “urgent, 1,” followed by “urgent, 2” and “urgent, 3”.
Complete urgent tasks in order of priority., Beyond the most urgent tasks on your list, you should prioritize the most important work.
Circle the important work on your to-do-list for today.
To assess which work is important, think about how many people will be impacted by it.
If a lot of people are impacted by a job on your list, it is probably very important.
Order the important work on your list by writing “important 1”, “important 2” and so forth.
Once you have gotten the urgent tasks out of your way, complete the important tasks.If there is a tie in priority between two important jobs on your list, look at the time estimates for the respective jobs.
If one job will take more time, you should consider starting with it., Once you have finished the process of prioritizing the items on your to-do-list in order of urgency and importance, you should see if there are any items that can be cut.
Once you have cut these items from your list, make sure you write them down as possible additions to your to-do-list for tomorrow. , If you have a huge volume of small tasks in front of you, consider making a short or ten-minute task to-do-list.
On this list, write down all of the tasks you need to get done that will take a short amount of time such as five or ten minutes.
When you have time between larger projects, do one of these small tasks.
You will feel good when you are able to cross it off your list., You should review your work goals to make sure they meet SMART goal criteria.
Your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.
By using the SMART goal criteria, you can ensure that the work you are doing is relevant to the project at hand and achievable within a given timeframe.
Ask yourself what is specific about your work goals.
Consider how you will measure or assess that the work is complete.
Determine whether the goal is actually achievable for you, including in relation to your other responsibilities.
Look at how relevant the goal is to the project or task you are trying to finish.
Review the deadlines for your time-bound goals. , Start by setting smaller goals that are relevant to your larger aims and are achievable.
By focusing on small goals first, you will be able to cross off some relevant and important tasks.
Then, you may feel less overwhelmed by the amount of work on your plate.
You may also be able to build more momentum towards finishing the bigger things on your list.If you need to write a report, start with a smaller goal such as writing a section of the report.
If you need to finish a major project for a client, start with a smaller goal such as one part of the larger project.
If you want to change careers, start with a small goal like interviewing someone who works in a different career.
About the Author
Dorothy Taylor
Specializes in breaking down complex organization topics into simple steps.
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