What it is:
A two -column to-do list to separate jobs which you need to do ‘on the business’ from jobs which you need to do ‘in it’
Why it works:
I’m sure you are completely at home with the difference between to-dos that are ‘on’ the business and ‘in’ the business, but just in case you need a reminder:
Working ‘on’ the business tends to be brain ache stuff and falls into the ‘important not urgent*’ basket. Which means we tend to have it on our to-do list but never quite get round to it.
Working ‘in’ the business stuff always seems to be urgent so there is usually plenty of it on the to-do list and we move through it pretty quickly.
What you do
This recipe is achingly simple, but it works!
When you see the empty ‘on’ column you can’t help but want to fill it. And once it’s filled you will of course want to cross those ‘on’s off the to-do list. Before you know it you’ll be working more effectively (doing the right stuff....) because you will be working ‘on’ the business.
*Stephen Covey came up with this very clever way of looking at tasks in his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
He divides tasks into four quadrants:
A two -column to-do list to separate jobs which you need to do ‘on the business’ from jobs which you need to do ‘in it’
Why it works:
I’m sure you are completely at home with the difference between to-dos that are ‘on’ the business and ‘in’ the business, but just in case you need a reminder:
- to-do’s on the business relate to the work you are doing growing the business and making it more profitable (like these lunch and learns for instance)
- to-do’s in the business relate to the work of the business itself; serving customers, making product etc
Working ‘on’ the business tends to be brain ache stuff and falls into the ‘important not urgent*’ basket. Which means we tend to have it on our to-do list but never quite get round to it.
Working ‘in’ the business stuff always seems to be urgent so there is usually plenty of it on the to-do list and we move through it pretty quickly.
What you do
This recipe is achingly simple, but it works!
- Divide your to-do list into two columns. Head one column “On” and the other “In”.
- Categorize everything - from now on- that pops on to your to do list under the appropriate column heading.
When you see the empty ‘on’ column you can’t help but want to fill it. And once it’s filled you will of course want to cross those ‘on’s off the to-do list. Before you know it you’ll be working more effectively (doing the right stuff....) because you will be working ‘on’ the business.
*Stephen Covey came up with this very clever way of looking at tasks in his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
He divides tasks into four quadrants:
- QI - Important and Urgent
- QII - Important but Not Urgent
- QIII - Not Important but Urgent
- QIV - Not Important and Not Urgent
Comments
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