Last week I wrote about reflecting on where you stand on your Q1 goals. With the Easter Holidays in full swing (or at any time of year for that matter) it can be a real challenge to feel like we are moving the ball forwards on our big property goals.
In our serviced accommodation business the daily operational demands fluctuate in volume but can often feel like we have to be focused purely on reactive tasks. In other words reacting to all of the day’s demands as they arise, such as incoming booking requests, check-ins, email, snail mail, incoming calls, interruptions, cleaner/maintenance conversations etc.
This modus operandi of best laid plans dissolving to stop/start execution and lots of reaction can lead to that common feeling of stress and overwhelm. I’m guessing everyone can relate to finishing a day’s work with a long list of outstanding to-do’s and a feeling of anxiety, that “I’ve got too much to do!” feeling.
For us running our SA business and Chris also running a large residential extension it’s so key for us to carve out regular time for the strategic and proactive things. One of those big proactive things for us right now is the 3 bedroom flat we’ve recently bought that we will transform with a full refurb and monetise via our existing SA model. Of course we want to monetise it quickly, but no one is screaming at is to do it. There’s no squeaky wheel as it’s all proactive stuff.
Chris and I were chatting with some friends this week about this balance of managing reactive and proactive tasks and it reminded me of the Eisenhower box. I discovered it several years ago and using the framework to plan my days has been hugely beneficial.
Everyone has 176 hours in their week, the major difference is how we choose to spend them. Choose being the operative word. Yes, you have a choice to re-frame your day and the way you operate.
Introducing The Eisenhower Box
As the name implies, this concept was originally credited to US President Dwight D. Eisenhower. In deciding how to prioritise his time across tasks, it is said he would ask himself two questions. First, is the task important? Second, is it urgent? Of course you will have to define your own meaning of important.
Using this framework we can categorise each of our tasks and projects into one of these four quadrants within a few minutes. Taking a proactive approach means we focus on the tasks that sit in the Important but Not Urgent quadrant.
In the past when I had found myself slipping into reactive modus operandi the feelings of stress and overwhelm creeping in felt horrible. That’s why I have found this matrix to be so powerful in re-framing the day or week with priority and focus. Even if it is just a 60-90 minute focus session in the morning (with the phone off) dedicated to a proactive project then incremental progress is achieved and I and I can feel good at the end of the day. So for example, these sessions can be blocked out for Chris and I to project plan the refurb to SA for our latest property.
There will always be those fires to put out and certain time sensitive tasks but you’ll be surprised at how these reduce when you work in a proactive manner.
[Image credit: Tools Hero]