There are times when managing the little things can feel like drinking from a fire hydrant. No matter how many emails you knock off, a whole bunch of new ones step in to take their place. You no sooner hang up the phone when a new voicemail awaits you.
Right alongside all of the ‘big’ things that we want to accomplish, there are the countless little things that are just as important. Despite having three big deadlines, I might also want to ask Mary about her daughter’s surgery and I might want to ask Bob about his big presentation.
I believe that we need a strategy to stay on top of those little things. Here are my top two tips for managing the little things:
1. Be clear on your priorities
Managing the little details starts with a clear idea of your priorities. Whatever your system, you need to have a way to rank your priorities. Maybe it is a 1/2/3 or an A/B/C system. Regardless, both your big and your little things need to be prioritized.
Once I am clear on my priorities, I make a deliberate (and sometimes difficult) effort to stay focused. There are always countless distractions enticing me in other directions, but I continually remind myself on the things that are most important. You are simply not as effective if you are jumping around and waffling on priorities.
2. Make a plan
I typically plan out each day the night before. I will know when I plan to work on both my big and little tasks. I will know when the gaps are in my schedule and I will actually note when I plan to call Bob, walk down the hall to see Mary and check in with my wife and kids. As silly as it sounds, I will even note when I plan to get something to eat. (The last thing I need is to get the killer ‘I forgot to eat’ headache at 4pm).
Planning each day allows me to go in with a clear idea about how I will make time for all of the little, important things. And yes, sometimes things take longer than you expect. That is where prioritization and creative application come into play. I might need to leave a voicemail for Mary instead of seeing her in person. But at least I will send the message I wanted to send, even if it is not the exact way I had planned.
I hope you find these two tips inspiring. I’ll leave you with one final thought. I tend to gauge my current workload based on how well I am able to stay on top of the little things. If I struggle to fit them all in, I know that it is time to scale back. I would rather do a few less things really well than to feel as though I am not living up to my commitments to others. And that is something that I can live with.
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