Ever get to a task in your day, and you absolutely dread it. You save your best tasks for last, hoping those will help you get through the ones you dread. You “kick and scream” your way through the task, but doing it that way makes the rest of the day hard to get through. Even doing your more likeable task doesn’t even help. What if you switched it up, and you did your favorite tasks first, then work towards the tasks you dread.
Why Doing your Favorite Tasks First Works
Someone named and I’m loving the name: Eat the Pancake First. You build your momentum, you get your brain happy and your body moving. You use that momentum to then move on to the task that you’re dreading. A body in motion stays in motion, of course.
This is a good time management technique for someone with ADHD, or Depression. Since an ADHD/depressed brain need the happy chemicals to do anything, doing the tasks you enjoy means you’ll be more likely to do all of your tasks for the day. You can build the momentum you need, so you’re not forever avoiding the task that you do not want to do, and fighting your way through doing it.
This is another technique I use for getting things done during the day. Sometimes when I don’t have any favorite tasks to do, I have to make some up by doing housework. That gets me going, and when I sit down my brain is ready to move onto the tasks that I’m dreading for one reason or another. Once I start working, I can use power hours to keep my brain moving and get my list of tasks done for the day.
I will also start work after dinner for that very reason. I have been up, moving and making dinner. I’ve then eaten that dinner, and am full. I now have the energy and the momentum to sit down and work on the work items that I have to do.
How to Set Yourself up for Success
This requires a hard look at yourself and your daily routines. It means you have to identify when you’re the most creative, and the most productive. It can also be useful in deciding to eat the pancake or eat the frog will work best for you.
Are you more creative in the morning, and you enjoy those tasks more then? That’s when you make your graphics, you take pictures of your product, you plan your social content, etc. Once the afternoon hits, you can then use all those happy tasks to carry you into the more data driven tasks: customer service, data entry, taxes, etc.
Working with your brain, the way you work, and your energy levels (even if you don’t have ADHD, etc) will get you much farther in your business tasks then working and fighting your brain every step of the way.
Don’t be Afraid to Mix it up
As always, you have to give this time management technique time to see if it works for you. Several weeks of doing it is a good tell. Don’t be afraid to mix up what you’re doing everyday too. Are you finding yourself not getting carried through the end of the day? Maybe you need to mix up the order in how you do the tasks. Sometimes people’s routines need a good shake up to become interesting again.
This requires you to be constantly looking at your energy levels and your production levels. Its needed so you can get the best time management technique that you possibly can to help you not feel like your drowning in your business. If you find your energy levels changing due to the seasons, or life, your schedule may need a good change up.