It’s been said time and time again…the Internet is an abyss; it just sucks you in and it’s nearly impossible to get out.
Raise your hand if the first thing you do when you wake up is check twitter. Or perhaps you sit down in your office and the first thing you do is pull up the slew of emails that appeared overnight.
You’ve probably realized that once you get in the middle of it, your brain is conflicted and it pulls you in a million directions. It’s hard to stop, focus, and get to work on the most important things.
There is a remedy. But it takes discipline.
Don’t open your email. Don’t check Twitter. Don’t pull up Facebook. Don’t open your RSS reader. Don’t start pinning on Pinterest.
Do plan the night before…
- Determine the number one thing you need to accomplish the following day.
- Gather all of the information you need to get the task completed (pulling up your email to get that document will only delay your progress).
- Get it done. Eliminate all distractions and finish the task.
When you’re finished, then and only then, can you go on about your day. Get cranking on email. Become that social media butterfly. By this point, if you get distracted, you can at least be proud of the fact that you knocked one thing (the most important thing) off your to-do list.
Ok..I’m off to go implement this myself now!
How do you ensure that you accomplish the most important tasks throughout the day?
Linked to Anti-Procrastination Tuesday and Tackle it Tuesday
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh girl. I’ve been thinking this same thing today. I have been wondering if one can be physically addicted to the internet…
I am finally realizing that I usually won’t start to “feel like” doing my work, so killing time on slightly-but-not-very tasks like email just delay the inevitable.
I have never prioritized the “most important thing” like this though–actually done it first. I’m going to think about it.
It sure does take discipline!
You are featured at New Nostalgia’s AP Tuesday! You were the most clicked on link for the week! Thanks for linking up.