Today, I had dozens of pending tasks. So here is what I did. I just picked one task that really mattered.
I dropped everything else, started my timer, and did 10 focus sprints of 25 minutes. By around 5:30 pm, the task was done. No sweat, no struggle.
But had I picked up 3-4 other tasks along with it, I would have ended my day with a bunch of semi-complete tasks.
An 80% complete task is like a car that is 80% manufactured — you can’t drive it. Then what’s the point?
Productivity = focus + prioritization.
And my recipe is simple:
- Prioritization: Pick NOT the most important task, but the most important task that you can ALSO complete.
- For focus, drop everything else and engage with one thing at a time. Cut out everything else — be cold-blooded ruthless.
Whenever overwhelmed, pick a task that matters and finish it.
Only finishing counts. Everything else is an ‘80% of a car.’
– Rajan