How to Have a Good Day: Harness the Power of Behavioral Science to Transform Your Working Life pdfdrive com

MOST IMPORTANT THING FIRST
Some years ago, a haiku-like phrase was posted on a now-dormant Twitter
account, badged as “productivity in 11 words.” It said: “One thing at a time.
Most important thing first. Start now.”
3
It wasn’t written by a behavioral
scientist, but it might just as well have been, given the research on how readily
the brain’s deliberate system gets overloaded.
But what 
is
the most important thing? If you could do only one thing today,
what should it be? One January day in New York, I was coaching a high-
powered businesswoman about to leave for the World Economic Forum’s annual
gathering of world leaders in Davos, Switzerland. There’s no doubt that Valerie
was entirely overloaded with things to do. She was in the middle of changing

---

jobs, had promised a dozen favors to friends and acquaintances, and had a big
speech to write about the role of business in society. She was listing all her tasks
out loud as we walked in the snow.
Eventually, during a break in the conversation, I said: “That’s a lot, yes. So,
out of all that, what’s really the single most important thing to do today?”
Her eyes widened. “That’s it.”
I looked at her blankly.
“What you said is so clarifying,” she explained. It was hardly the most
sophisticated question in the world, but it was enough to make her realize that
“the most important thing” was to get personal invitations sent out to some key
people for her speech in Davos. It meant a lot to Valerie to make that session a
success, and it was approaching fast. Feeling overwhelmed had made it hard to
see the obvious; posing the blunt question made it clear again, by reducing the
noise in her head (or, to be specific, reducing the load on her brain’s working
memory).
It’s a simple trick that Anthony uses time and again when he hits his weekly
pinch points. “After I’ve taken a breath and gotten my head back on straight, I
look at all the things on my plate and say, ‘Okay, what 
really
needs to happen by
the end of the day?’ That clarity can be quite de-stressing.” What if there are
multiple urgent things to do? “If I ask myself honestly, there’s always one thing
that’s really top priority, usually because other things depend on it or there’s
really more at stake in the longer term. And the other things can be deferred or
delegated or dropped if I really analyze it.”
Looking at your to-do list, try these clarifying questions:
What really matters most right now? (It may help to revisit your intentions for
the day.)
What really has to happen today, if nothing else?
Project forward to the end of the day. What will you be most glad or relieved
to have done?