Schedule it or it won’t happen

4.6   Schedule or Do. There is No Leave

Productivity hack no.46 from '60 Ways to Hurray! by Ralph Varcoe.

When tasks that need to get done hit you there are three categories they should be put into:

1. Do - If it can be done in 2 minutes or fewer then do it.
2. Schedule - If it will take more that 2 minutes add it to your To Do list and schedule it.
3. Delegate - Do you need to do it or can someone else?

The key message is to schedule things that are on your To Do list. Actually create a diary entry with an allocated amount of time to get the actions done. Don’t make the duration too long though. Keep it snappy (see section 5.2 for more).

Actually manage your schedule and slot your tasks in. Some are work, important work, and deserve dedicated time put in. Others are quick actions. Some don’t need you at all because someone else is well placed to do them instead.

What you should never do is leave something thinking you’ll come back to look at it later. Chances are you won’t. You need never forget anything again simply by writing stuff down and scheduling it.