What's the Most Important Thing to Work On Today?

Last week I attended a training teaching how to improve the quality of our conversations by focusing on the most important topic to discuss. Great session, to say the least, but it also got me thinking about how that hyperfocus could help in other areas. For instance, asking "What's the most important thing to work on today?" to get started in the morning.


How could you add the most value today? Which project can you have the most impact on? What one thing if you accomplish would make the day a success?

Sure, getting one thing done a day starts you on the path of my Productivity Challenge (which you can get in full by starting at the end here), but the key thought for today is to select the right thing to work on. Use these criteria to help you decide.

• Can you finish it today?
• Are you adding high value?
• Is there anything else you could do more important or adding more value?

The selection criteria seem simple, but the process of selecting your highest value priority can daunt you. Don't let it. If you have trouble deciding between two similarly prioritized items, just pick one. Doing one important thing takes precedence over being paralyzed deciding on the thing to do.

So, what are you going to do today?