Another technique that helps to set priorities and choose what is needed, not what is imposed by the environment - to draw a square named after French physicist, mathematician and philosopher René Descartes.
He is also the author of the method of radical doubt. That helps to consider the situation of a difficult choice from all parties.
Draw a square
So, you should draw a square on paper and divide it into four parts. Each one contains a question. All questions should be answered as many times as possible. This will not leave a stone on the stone from doubts after the entire square is filled.
- What happens if it happens? (then getting what you want is good, motivating you to move forward)
- What happens if it doesn't? (advantages of not getting what you want, valuable factors in the current state of affairs that you don't want to give up)
- What doesn't happen if it does? (minuses from achieving the goal, the price of the decision made)
- What doesn't happen if it doesn't? (Losses from not getting what you want, a filter of doubts that prevent you from making a decision).
Of course, the answers should be recorded on paper, not scrolled in mind. This will be clear and very effective. Long reflect on each record is not necessary - it is better to trust your intuition.
Stephen Covie in a similar way suggests to make a table in the form of a square of four sections and assign them the degree of importance:
I. IT'S IMPORTANT - URGENTLY.
II. IT IS IMPORTANT - NOT URGENT.
III. IT DOES NOT MATTER - IT IS URGENT.
IV. NOT IMPORTANT - NOT URGENT.
All your tasks-actions should be placed in these squares, and you will be surprised that almost all tasks will be placed in the III and IV squares. Alas, but this is the truth of our lives. Almost all the time we spend on unimportant goals and tasks: watching TV, reading useless magazines, playing computer games, etc. Covi himself advises to spend his time according to the principle of the second square: it is important and not urgent (this will stop you from bringing things to the ravine urgency and stop wasting time on useless and unnecessary things).
Other methods of selecting the main one
If the above-described training and methods have not helped to identify the priority tasks, you just need to find some time to rest. Calm down the thoughts. Get out of the wheel, which has to rotate every day, like a squirrel. And talk to someone you can trust.
It doesn't have to be a psychologist or a personal development coach. It is enough to invite a friend to dinner. Or take a walk with your husband/wife. Sometimes experience and stories from another person's life help to look at yourself differently. Or, as in a mirror, it reflects shortcomings, which it is time to get rid of.
Topics for conversation
Here is a sample range of topics for discussion, which will help to identify the main thing. It's like an interview, but informal, without ties or cameras:
1. Tell me, how do you keep your eyes on the important task? How do you avoid being distracted by social media, telephone conversations and frequent email checks?
2. Do you think I could handle two things at once? Do you know how to do that?
3. What habits do you find useful? Maybe an early rise? What is the clear mode of the day? Or giving up smoking during working hours?
4. What can make you sacrifice your rest? Have you ever worked on a day off? Why not?
5. How do you reward yourself for your success?
6. Describe what your life looks like after ten years. And now describe my life after the same period of time.
7. If I am a nesting doll, what is in my heart?
8. How do you reject people who do not do any good?
9. Teach me the art of defending my time.
Quite a lot of chances that this conversation will shed light on the planning of your life. It will make the path to success easier. It will help to make a reasonable and sober decision about what to consider important today, this week, this year.
The main question is
Foreign businessmen Jay Papasan and Gary Keller have raised perhaps the most necessary question for those who are tormented by doubts about the correctness of choice, can not determine the key priority, to formulate their mission. Here he is: "What one thing can I do to make everything else easier or unnecessary?
The way to glory is an impatient
One single thing will direct the work in a productive direction, easily and playfully set priorities will make a grand breakthrough. Truly phenomenal success is provided to those who will find the answer to this question. It will turn out that the way to fame and prosperity is not so long and thorny. It will be found out whether strict discipline and diaries are needed. Show how to collect only brilliant results in his piggy bank.