How many time were we caught in a situation where we feel that we have so much to do but so little time?
We are always plagued by a lot of things to do. As a daycare entrepreneur, we need to see to the administration of the daycare, plan some of the activities and curriculum, develop the marketing plan for the daycare, manage the finances to ensure that all our daycare staff gets paid and invoices and bills are well managed. And on top of that, some of us are still required to play the role of a teacher and the principal.
And it seems that the list of things to do keeps getting long and longer and longer. Just one you clear off one task, two more gets added. Sounds familiar? With so many things to do and so little time, it's naturally that we tell ourselves that we must multi-task. Basically, try to do as many things as we can at the same time and get it over and done with. Whilst something are in the "get it over and done with category", others must be seen to in greater detail.
It was therefore an eye (or rather ear) opener to learn about the ABCDE method from Brian Tracy. Here's what you need to do.....
Every day before you start your day (preferably the night before), spend a few minutes listing down the things that you need to do. Be as comprehensive as possible. I usually take up to 15-20 mins to do it.
And behind all the items, put an A,B,C,D or E next to it. A for those tasks you deem as very important, B for tasks which are important but not as important as A, and C is not as important, till you reach E.
Next, look at all items that you've put an A beside and add a 1,2,3, etc beside it, once again, in order of importance.
The rule is that you must discipline yourself to finish your A1 task before you embark on your A2 task and you do not start your A3 task before you complete your A2 task, and so on. And he recommends that D tasks to be re-delegated for someone else to complete and E tasks to be eliminated completely. The rationale is if it is so far at the bottom of your list, it can't be that important.
I was a little skeptical at first but surprisingly, I love it and now cannot function a day without doing it. Not only did I become more productive, I found myself like a little girl, happily cancelling off tasks which I had completed and I know I wouldn't need to look at again. It was a great morale booster. I simply love looking at the list again, with all the tasks cancelled off, and know that it was a day well spent.
