A system to prioritize your tasks for the day

Cari Nazeer
Forge
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2 min readJul 6, 2020
Credit: Cavan Images/Getty Images

Today’s tip: Divide your to-do list into “maintenance tasks” and “progress tasks.”

If you’re struggling to make progress on the work that matters most to you, the psychologist and productivity coach Todd Snyder recommends an exercise: Divide everything into two groups: maintenance tasks (the recurring daily activities necessary to maintain your workflow, like replying to emails, returning calls, and submitting reports) and progress tasks (the things that move you closer to your goals).

Now shrink the amount of time you give yourself for your maintenance tasks. If you typically spend an hour and a half tackling your inbox, see if you can do it in 45 minutes. You probably can. By giving yourself a constraint, you’ll have more time for the work that really matters — and for life outside of work.

📚 More from Forge on managing your time:

A 3-Step Plan to Manage Your Energy All Day
Read more >>

Nothing Takes Less Than an Hour
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To Be More Productive, Hack Your Sense of Time
Read more >>

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Published in Forge

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Cari Nazeer
Cari Nazeer

Written by Cari Nazeer

Former lead editor, Forge @ Medium