So what do I do with these “fake” high priority items that I’m not willing to demote in importance, nor that I’m able to focus on as if they truly were do-immediately tasks? Well, I cheat. I cheat in the form of sticky notes. Let me explain.

I’ve talked about my much-loved project management app, Intervals, before. It has helped me manage all of the facets of my business from managing projects, to keeping track of individual tasks, to tracking time, to sharing files; I love it. But the one thing it doesn’t do is solve my everything-is-a-priority way of thinking. No project management tool could do that.

So what do I do to avoid becoming completely overwhelmed and losing sight of the real priorities? I use a sticky note. I manage all of my work in Intervals, then every day I make a short list of the real top priorities just for that day and put it right where I can see it. I keep it as my focus-instigator; if it’s not on that sticky note, and I’m spending more than 15 minutes on it, I need to stop, review my priorities and adjust as necessary (because I can change my sticky note list if I need to). As simple as this is, it really does wonders for my focus and productivity during the day.

I’ve used a regular sticky piece of paper that I kept on the side of my laptop, but recently rediscovered Stickies on my Mac. I believe Windows 7 comes with a similar app, and there are a number of sticky note tools available online with varying levels of functionality. But the reason I love Stickies is because its so simple. And it works for me.

So that’s my big secret. Do you have one seemingly obvious tip that makes you more productive?

Image credit: spekulator

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