“The Principle of Priority states
(a) you must know the difference between what is urgent and what is important, and
(b) you must do what’s important first.”
― Steven Pressfield, 'The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles'
The very worst use of our time is to do well what need not be done at all.
Research says that 20% of our Activities will account for 80% of the value of our activities. This means that, if we have a list of ten items to accomplish, two of those items will be worth more than the other eight items altogether.To achieve great things, we must always be concentrating on the small number of activities that contribute the greatest value to our life and our work.
Think about the Consequences
The value of anything in our order of Priorities can be measured by assessing the potential consequences of doing it or not doing it. Something that is important has significant consequences to our life and our career. Something that is unimportant has few or no consequences of significance to our life or career. The mark of the superior thinker is your ability to consider possible consequences before you begin.
Always ask the Key Question
Continually ask yourself, "What is the most valuable use of my time,right now?" And whatever it is, work on that.Your ability to discipline yourself to work on those few tasks that can make the greatest difference in your life is the key quality that makes everything else possible for you.
Try these action to apply this law immediately:
First, make a list of everything that you do as a part of your job. Now, analyze the list and select the three to five things that are more important than everything else put together.
Second, imagine that you are going to receive a 1,00000 rupees bonus at the end of the month if you can work on your highest priority items every minute of the day. Just think how would that change your behavior? What would you do differently?
