I know that many of you are expecting another blog about "attracting younger agents," but I am waiting for more responses to my call for input first.  I'll follow up next time…

For some reason, I have had difficulty prioritizing my time to get the most out of the last few weeks.  Over the past couple of years, I have used several systems to help with this, but occasionally I feel the need to find something new to help me organize and shake things up a bit.  I'll share with you an old system that I have used in the past, and two new ones I came across this past week in my blog reading (one from Dan Foster's blog).

The old system is modeled after Steven Covey's book- First Things First.  It is based on a simple four quadrant matrix where you have to categorize "Urgent" vs. "Non-Urgent" tasks, and "Important" vs. "Non-Important" tasks.

The Urgent/Important tasks of the week go straight to the top of your to-do list.  These are the tasks that are not only very important to you, but should be done now (or regularly).  These are the tasks that impact your life or your business greatly.  This list should include activities that build and drive your values, your family, and your business.  These are the items that will define you in the future.

The Non-Urgent/Important tasks are those that are equally valuable, but can wait, and don't have to be done regularly.  More on this later…

The Urgent/Non-Important tasks are those that may appear to beckon your attention, yet don't come close to competing with the "important" tasks.  These tasks can be difficult to determine.  They may be the fires that people bring you that perhaps distract you from the real work to be done.  For real estate managers, they might be some of the deal doctoring that could be delegated to someone else, freeing you to do the work that impacts the bottom line, like recruiting.

And lastly the Non-Urgent/Non-Important tasks are those that should be dropped off your list.  Last week I was on the verge of beginning a task that might have ended up being a daily series of these blogs, only on Twitter.  Now, for some, Twitter may fit into a more important or urgent category (or both)…perhaps it is their way of connecting with their young audience or marketing their services.  But, after reading that only 1% of Americans are using Twitter and that most of them are under the age of 30…for me, it doesn't make sense.  For others, it might.  Just make sure it does!  And when it does, where does it fit in the above categories?

And now for the new systems… The first one comes from CEO, Scott Belsky, who reminds us that with most priority systems, like the one above, we can easily exclude the most important priority:  Finding Adequate time to invest in thinking creatively about the future.  Watch this video for insight into this often forgotten practice.

Scott Belsky: Is It Urgent, Or Is It Important? from 99% on Vimeo.

This next system is shared by Dan Foster, Manager at Prudential NW in Portland.  His system takes more time, but may be worth the work.

Track how you spend your time.  Spend 3-5 days recording everything you do in 15 minute increments.  Sounds terrible, and to be honest, it is.  Stick with it though.

1. Identify your high and low payoff activities.  From your list, assess each of your activities and identify them as either HIGH PAYOFF or LOW PAYOFF.  You should have anywhere from 3-7 high payoff activities, depending on your role with your company.
2. Create your perfect week.  Take a blank weekly calendar and write out your perfect schedule for a week.
3. Delegate the low payoff activities.  Assemble the activities that did not make it into your perfect week and that you consider low-payoff activities and delegate them to someone else.
4. Communicate your schedule.  It is extremely important that you let your clients, team, and family know about your new schedule and priority management plan.  People will respect your time if they see you value it.  Post your schedule, the hours you are available, and when you are completely unavailable.
5. Practice delivering solution based “No” responses.  My high payoff activities become non-negotiable appointments on my calendar.  If someone wants to meet during the time I have a high payoff activity scheduled, I tell them “No, I can’t meet with you then, but I can at ________ or at ________.  Which of these two times works best for you?”  This is a solution based “No” response and people prefer it to a simple “No, I can’t,” or “No, I’m busy then."
6. Review your plan.  Your new plan should be reviewed daily for the first 30 days.  After that, a weekly review is ideal.  Shift activities to different time slots if needed during this review.  Assess your energy level at certain times of the day and determine what level is required for you to deliver maximum results.  Make adjustments and re-engage the next week.

There is value and wisdom in using various systems and integrating them as they make sense and as your business evolves.  I have already performed a review of my own calendar and to-do list…now it's your turn!

Editor's Note:  This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn.  Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle.  Comments or questions are welcome.  If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email.  If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.