Work & Money 

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Setting Priorities

We are continually faced with short v long-term choices. Before deciding, it is crucial to distinguish between important and urgent tasks. Urgency is determined by time. Things with deadlines - a ringing phone, a person at your desk with a burning question - are all urgent. Contrast this with important tasks. Important tasks and projects add value to people or to processes. They have an intrinsic value and are closely tied to long-term organisational success. Examples include market research, new-product development, employee training, planning and getting organised. These projects are often time-consuming and complex.

What stops you from doing these important tasks? The answer is simple: All the 'little things' that seem to multiply incessantly. Here's a strategy that makes it easy to integrate long-term tasks into your daily schedule:

1. Put the project in writing. A solid plan is always more useful than a vague idea floating around in your head or just scribbled down on a piece of scrap paper.

2. Break the project down into small, manageable steps. The steps should be quick and easy to do. Aim for each taking 20 minutes or less.

3. Set interim deadlines in your diary. Putting a task in your diary helps to make it real.

4. Set aside quiet time. Some tasks, such as writing and learning new software, require more than 20 minutes; for these, set aside a longer stretch of uninterrupted time.

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