Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed with your workload?

Have you a seemingly never-ending list of tasks that you never seem to get through?

Are you experiencing stress and anxiety when facing into the busy day ahead?

If so, then try this performance enhancing approach.

When confronted with any task apply the ‘one-minute rule’. This means that if the task can be completed within one minute then you simply do it straight away without hesitation.

For any tasks that take longer than one minute you then select one of these four approaches.

Option one is to simply ‘Do it’. Yes, it can really be that straight forward. Whether the task takes fifteen minutes or two hours, just focus on getting it done straight away.

The second option is to ‘Defer it’. Now this is not where you tell yourself that you will do it ‘later’. Far too vague and noncommittal. Instead you defer the task to a specific time, for example 2pm tomorrow afternoon. You then add this to your calendar or diary.

Option three is to ‘Delegate it’. That’s right! You do not have to carry out all tasks yourself. Delegate to others and share the workload. Remember to delegate not only mundane tasks but also those that are more interesting and exciting. Others will appreciate the fact that you value their ability when you ask them to carry out meaningful work.

The forth option is to ‘Discard it’. In this instance you choose not to complete the task; not to defer it and not to delegate it. Instead you let it go completely as it is not of sufficient value to you.

Finally, remember that where you do choose to defer a task but when the time comes to carry it out and you don’t want to, you are not allowed to defer it yet again. Instead you must either ‘do it’, ‘delegate it’ or ‘discard it’. Disciplining yourself in this way will assist you in enhancing performance.

Joe McDonald is a professional coach and trainer. He is also Founder of create10 providing powerful one to one confidential coaching as well as impactful and motivating workshops on leadership development, team performance and innovation creation. create10 also offers excellent online courses on leadership, management, coaching, innovation and strategy. See www.create10.ie for further information or email info@create10.ie to get started.