You know that feeling when you smile and the world smiles with you? No, seriously, do you? It’s not just a line from your favourite television commercial from the early 2000s that cued you to rush to the kitchen for a fresh drink; it’s a real feeling!
And no, it’s not the feeling you get when your debt-free sports two-seater is parked outside your debt-free Parktown North home.
That feeling when you smile and the world smiles with you is something you can enjoy even if you have a big belly, a small butt and two beautiful kids at a private school you can’t afford.
It’s the feeling you get when you have your ducks in a row – when you have done your planning and prioritising to a T.
I must admit, though, that the feeling of smiling and having the world smile with me is a rare experience for me. But I am adamant about changing this. I’ve researched other people in high-pressured jobs to create my own programme of planning and prioritising.
Below is my list of 10 tips on how to get better at this. It begins with a firm “philosophical” foundation and concludes with practical tips that can be applied daily.
1. Grow from past experiences, and challenge yourself to do better
I believe if you’ve achieved some of your goals, you’re on the right track. It takes planning, and prioritising some things over others (also known as making sacrifices) to achieve your dreams and goals. So please take the time to recognise that you are not a complete lost cause at this thing called adulting. Now, just build on it!
2. Learn from your favourite nurse – manage your time accordingly
People who are part of our healthcare system – well, those who are good at their jobs – know the importance of time all too well. Healthcare professionals need to prioritise and plan accordingly to effectively help their patients. Think about it this way: for them, prioritising properly could be a matter of life or death. Medical professionals need to assess and reassess situations in order to respond appropriately and ensure quality healthcare. Introducing this kind of thinking to everyday agency life could be the cure to the scourge of missed deadlines.
3. Be like Flow parents and plan ahead
The day of a working parent shows the beauty of planning. At Flow, I’m surrounded by amazing parents, who know the importance of spending time with family and do not want to miss milestones in their children’s lives. In order to make sure they are there for that first lost tooth and that first crush, they plan every detail of every day (they even have a plan for when the original plan does not work out).
Working parents make us realise that managing time involves planning ahead and understanding that unforeseen events may disrupt this plan. A key take-out here is not to procrastinate – if you’re ahead of your plan, keep going; move on to the next thing on your to-do list. This way, you’ll stay ahead of any curveballs.
4. Tear a page from the colourful lives of journalists
I have the luxury of working, closely, with people who have a lot of journalistic experience. And, wow, do they tell vivid stories of the country’s historic events. They also share awesome party stories similar to those I saw on MTV in the early 2000s. And they impart valuable advice.
Recently, a great colleague (a former journalist) told me about the importance of putting a date on everything you write down. “This could be a grocery list, a media release or a proposal – put a date on it,” she said passionately. This helps you keep a record of everything you do. And keeping records makes your planning better. This segues into my next point – make a list.
5. Make a to-do list
I find that the trick with planning day-to-day activities is remembering what I wanted to achieve in the first place. And if this is a mental note, we tend to think it’s pointless to write it down. I’m sorry to break it you: you need to write a mental note down on a piece of paper so that you remember it well enough not to forget it.
Also, this helps with prioritising, because you can move items around your list by order of importance (see point 7). So, consolidate your to-do’s on a single comprehensive written list. Multiple lists are not an option!
6. Know your deadlines and do not forget them
Now that you have a list of items on your to-do list, write down the deadline dates – not when you would like to have the items completed, but the actual required dates. If you’re not sure, find out, because not knowing does not mean it’s off your list. (If you don’t establish the deadlines, a date you did not anticipate might just throw you off your plan – remember our fabulous Flow parents in point 3.) Once done, rank the items from earliest to latest.
7. Establish what’s important and prioritise accordingly
One of the keys to establishing priorities is to consider the consequences if a task is not done immediately, or in the next hour or two, or day or week. For example, there is a proposal due that needs a costing done as well. You might want to move this item higher up the list, even though the due date is further away than other items, because the costing needs to be completed too, and to accurately cost your proposal, you need to complete the proposal first.
Be aware of all the elements involved in completing each item and the consequences if you miss the respective deadlines. You don’t want to under-cost the project because you did not have enough time to get the job done properly.
8. Declutter your list
At this stage, your list may be long and cluttered with relatively small tasks that require little time, but collectively feel like a drag on your life. It helps to dedicate half a day once or twice a week to decluttering the list by attending to the small items, so that you have the rest of the week to focus on the bigger ones.
9. Use technology as a great personal assistant
Now that you’ve decluttered your list, you’re left with important and consequence-heavy items. Use an electronic diary, preferably connected to both your laptop and smartphone, and populate it with your important to-do items. Include deadlines and dated milestones to ensure that you complete your tasks in time. You can also set recurring reminders. When you check your phone in the morning, check your diary as well. This includes your reminders as you work towards your deadlines.
10. Reassess your priorities
Priorities change constantly at a busy agency such as Flow. To keep up, it may be necessary to reassess your to-do list. I use the start of the day to do this, if necessary, once I’ve had a look at emails from my manager, teammates and clients.
Wish me luck!