Self-Improvement

Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort. -Paul J. Meyer.

Creating a good To Do List and prioritizing tasks and duties following the Eisenhower’s Principle increases productivity. Dwight D. Eisenhower was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. As President, he needed to be very clear what tasks will be prioritized for his long list and determine which ones were higher level. For this reason, he created the Eisenhower’s Principle. First, having a good To Do List help you to plan your day. To begin, keep a record of all your duties and tasks, considering the idea of having a work and personal list. Mark down your complete duties and tasks you have done during the day and add the new items to your list. There are diverse ways to do your list. One option is the traditional way, where you write down the list on a piece of paper, or you can use an agenda, or you can have a weekly planner. For the second option, you can use an app such as To Do List by Microsoft or any other digital form. Best of all, the benefits of having a To Do List help you to improve memory, provide a sense of accomplishment, and reduce stress.

In the second place, you need to learn and practice the Eisenhower’s Principle to prioritize your list. When you organize your list, identify what is urgent and important; these tasks you will do immediately. The second step is finding the important but not urgent and learning to start delegating to someone else the tasks which are urgent but not important. At the end, you will distinguish which ones are not important and not urgent. After classifying your list, you need to determine deadlines and set reminders to help you execute them on time. Remember, always focus on your priorities, planning your days since the morning or when your shift starts. This will help you be more productive during the day. Also, do your best avoiding procrastination. In conclusion, starting your To Do List will free your mind and at the end of the day you will have completed the most urgent and important tasks and duties, being more productive. Keep doing it, you can do it!