Current circumstances with more and more “black swan” events keep overwhelming even the most experienced among us. I will share one of the most effective frameworks for staying calm and overcoming stressful situations. It comes from the ex-military leader, now a business consultant helping companies reach their goals.
Prioritise and execute is a framework that can help you navigate complex and high-pressure situations effectively. It involves breaking down tasks into manageable pieces and focusing on what you can control. By acknowledging the situation and gaining a long-term strategic perspective, you can prioritise and execute specific tasks or goals based on their importance and urgency. In this article, we will explore the different highlights of this framework.
Acknowledge the Situation 🧐
The first step to prioritise and execute is acknowledging the situation. It means understanding the context in which you operate and identifying the key issues you must address. Once you clearly understand the situation, you can start to plan your approach.
Prioritise and Execute 🎯
The next step is prioritising and executing specific tasks or goals based on their importance and urgency. It means breaking down larger tasks into smaller, manageable pieces and focusing on what you must do first. By prioritising effectively, you can make the most efficient use of your time and resources.
Relax, Look Around, and Make a Call 🧎♂️
When you feel overwhelmed, taking a step back and relaxing is essential. It allows you to detach from the immediate issues you are dealing with and gain a long-term strategic perspective. By looking around and considering all the available options, you can make a well-informed decision and confidently move forward.
Get a Long-Term Strategic Perspective 🌱
To achieve long-term success, gaining a strategic perspective on the situation is crucial. It means considering the broader context and identifying opportunities for growth and development. By taking a long-term view, you can develop a plan to help you achieve your goals and objectives.
Focus on What You Can Control ✅
One fundamental principle of prioritising and executing is focusing on what you can control. It means identifying the factors within your control and taking action to influence them. By focusing on what you can control, you can avoid wasting time and energy on things outside your control.
Do Not Worry About Things That You Cannot Control 🔴
Finally, avoiding worrying about things you cannot control is essential. It means accepting that some factors are outside your control and focusing on what you can influence. By doing so, you can maintain a positive and proactive mindset, even in challenging circumstances.
Conclusion 🎓
Prioritise and execute is a robust framework that can help you succeed in complex and high-pressure situations. By acknowledging the situation, prioritising effectively, gaining a long-term strategic perspective, and focusing on what you can control, you can approach any challenge with confidence and clarity. Remember to relax, look around, make a well-informed decision, and not worry about things outside your control. By following these principles, you can achieve your goals and overcome any obstacles that come your way.
The pomodoro technique 🍅
If you are off to do some deep work, it’s easy to dive it and lost yourself in time and space 🙂
“The Pomodoro Technique” is a time management method that helps you increase productivity and avoid burnout. The idea is simple:
- Pick a new task at hand that you need to complete
- Set a 25-minute alarm for non-interrupted time to work
- After the work sprint, take a 5-minute break
- Every 4 pomodoros, take a 20 to 30-minute break before the coming sprint.
💡Pro tip: you can change the times to more suitable for your needs!
The name “Pomodoro” comes from the Italian word for “tomato”, as the creator of the technique, Francesco Cirillo, used a kitchen timer shaped like a tomato to keep track of his work intervals.
The Pomodoro Technique helps you stay focused and avoid distractions while you work, as well as giving you enough breaks to recharge your batteries and avoid burnout. So, if you’re looking for a fun and effective way to boost your productivity, give the Pomodoro Technique a try! Just don’t forget to set your tomato timer!
Interesting marriage of Pomodoro and GTD in link below.
Tips&Tricks as usual 🛠️
How to find many instances of the item?
I’m sure you use Command-F to find items, such as words in a document or on a webpage.
Command-G is its lesser-known relative. Use it to navigate through each instance of the item you want to find.
Also, you can also press Shift-Command-G to move back to the previous mention.
Useful links 🌐
- HOWTO: Be more productive (Aaron Swartz’s Raw Thought)
http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/productivity
“With all the time you spend watching TV,” he tells me, “you could have written a novel by now.” It’s hard to disagree with the sentiment — writing a novel is undoubtedly a better use of time than watching TV — but what about the hidden assumption? - Meetings for an effective eng organization.
https://lethain.com/eng-org-meetings/
Some engineers develop a strong point of view that meetings are a waste of their time. There’s good reason for that perspective, as many meetings are quite bad, but it’s also a bit myopic: meetings can also be an exceptionally valuable part of a well-run organization. - How to Write a Great Summary
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-write-a-summary/
A summary is a shorter description of a longer work, covering all of the highlights but not many of the details. It’s used for an overview so that people can get an idea of what the longer work entails without reading or watching it first.
Thanks for reading!
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