How to get from now to next?
Focus on the important tasks that move you closer to achieving your end-of-year goals.
Here’s a quick tip: Eliminate, Automate, and Delegate (E-A-D)
Do it in this order: Eliminate, then Automate, then Delegate. Never delegate something that can be automated, and never automate something that can be eliminated.
Ask: can this task be eliminated? If no,
Ask: can it be automated? If no,
Ask: can it be delegated?
STEP 1: Eliminate
Identify one task you do regularly – a weekly meeting, emails, project status calls
Ask yourself, “Can I eliminate this task, attending this meeting, responding to this email?”
Step 2: Automate
Automate tasks to save time and focus on what’s important.
For example, time spent on emails. Think about how many times you look at your email, especially those you don’t need to look at right away—conference announcements, membership updates, or trade emails. Change your mailbox settings so that these types of emails are put into a folder called “Read Later.” This can cut your email traffic by about 15–25 percent—the time you can spend on those tasks related to your goals.
Step 3: Delegate
The purpose of delegation is to further reduce the tasks that take you away from your primary goals. Unless something is well-defined, specific, and important, no one should do it.
Look for a discrete task in your day or week. For example, one weekly meeting, such as a business development conference call. Identify the component parts of the conference call. Maybe you type the meeting notes, and this is something you can delegate. Most tasks you do are habitual. To change a habit, identify its component parts. Look for pieces around the call that you can delegate.
Make sure you are specific in your delegation directions and that it’s important they get done. If not, eliminate them.
Ask, “Am I the best person to do this task?” If not, delegate it to your supervisor, colleagues, employees, or other departments.
