Here we are at the top of the year. You may have made New Year’s resolutions and you’re now looking them over to assess, prioritize and incorporate them into your workflow. Although the year is young, it’s not too early to figure out how to maintain the enthusiasm and discipline it takes to achieve your goals. I think it’s imperative to avoid feeling overwhelmed because for me, at least, that’s the gateway to giving up. Maintaining motivation is what I must do and once in a while I need a flotation device, or something, to prevent me from sinking and keep me swimming toward the shore.

To that end, I suggest a strategy that I discovered that will show you how to break down the huge task that is your goal and will perhaps at times feel insurmountable or even unattainable. This strategy, experience tells me, is especially useful for Freelancers. We are a one-person team. Who’s to know whether or not you achieve what you’ve planned, unless you have a business coach or mastermind group to check in with and report your progress?

As a business owner, I’ve learned that maintaining focus and productivity requires discipline and motivation. One powerful tool that has transformed report on your achievement of your A-level, that is, your most important tasks. I was new to full-time work and my sales manager gave me a very useful book to read—How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life by Alan Lakein (1973). In his book, which also influenced Brian Treacy, a very simple and effective planning method helps prioritize high-value activities, ensuring that the most important tasks are addressed each week. On Sunday evening or Monday morning, you can envision what your workweek will look like and get yourself in the frame of mind to do certain things. Lakein proposes that you rank your projects and goals into A, B and C tasks to implement your strategy, enhance your productivity and drive your business forward. He also recommended the development of SMART goals—Specific, Actionable, Measurable, Realistic and Timely. He understood that success stands on the shoulders of productivity, that is, getting the right things done and feeling in control and not overwhelmed as you do.

What’s in it for you

• Improve focus: By identifying your top priorities each week, you can maintain a clear focus on high-value activities and avoid getting sidetracked by less important tasks.
• Improve time management: Creating a list of A-list tasks helps you allocate your time effectively, by ensuring that your front-burner tasks or projects are completed on schedule.
• Improve workflow: Breaking down your tasks makes your work feel manageable, which is critical to limit feelings of stress. Weekly priorities reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed and help you tackle your workload more effectively.
• Improve productivity: Focusing on high-impact tasks ensures that you make the best use of your time—and that process leads to increased productivity and better results.

Get started

• Identify and rank tasks: At the beginning of each week, identify the one to three high-value activities that you need to accomplish. These should be tasks that directly contribute to your business goals and have a significant impact on your success. For example on Monday, it may work for you to identifying/ confirm/ discuss your A tasks in an email, phone, or video call to touch base in strategic planning / critical meetings with key clients Or maybe you’ll just roll up sleeves and jump into a front-burner A-level project milestone task.
• Prioritize A-level tasks: Block out dedicated time in your calendar for each A-level project or important task. Treat these responsibilities as non-negotiable commitments to ensure they receive your full attention.
• Plan your week: Once you’ve scheduled your A-level tasks, plan the rest of your week around what else is of high priority. Schedule medium-value B-tasks and low-value C-tasks in discrete blocks of time where they will fit and your ability to focus and amount of energy allow. B-level tasks probably deserve your attention; C-level tasks might be somewhat worthwhile to you and your business, but they fade in comparison to A- and B-level responsibilities.
• Monitor progress: At the end of each week, review your progress on your A-level tasks first, followed by B-level and C-level tasks. Reflect on what you accomplished, any challenges you faced, and what you can improve for the following week.
• Adjust as needed: If you find that you consistently struggle to complete your A-level tasks, reassess your approach. You may need to adjust your schedule, outsource certain tasks, or reassess and recalibrate your A-level priorities, if that is possible.

Celebrate achievements

1. Be realistic: Choose a manageable number of A-level major tasks each week. Overloading yourself with too many high-priority tasks often lead to burnout and decreased productivity.
2. Communicate: Consider sharing your progress on A-level project related tasks with the client contact or team, as a way to demonstrate your organizational skills and promote support for your workflow. Good communication helps everyone understand the top priorities and encourages them to work together towards the goals.
3. Be flexible: While it’s important to stick to your schedule, be prepared to adjust if unexpected high-priority tasks arise. The key is to stay focused on your top priorities while remaining adaptable.
4. Celebrate achievements: At the end of each week, take time to celebrate your achievements. Recognizing your progress can boost motivation and encourage continued focus on high-value activities. Schedule a video call or at the very least, send round an email. You can land this plane!

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: © r/aviation AIRdomination (circa 2021) Cockpit view of a plane landing in Seattle, WA.