Using Urgency Bias
Ruthlessly say NO to things and don’t fall prey to urgency.
As a leader, focus on long term, ignore the short term.
You must do things that are important. Delegate things that are not important.
Does that sound like a bunch of productivity advice you have received?
All the advices are great just that
You can't say NO to things easily. You will think about how you will make the other person feel, how this NO will affect your future relationship with the other person, if you are missing out by saying no and more. It is hard to focus on long term by default as our survival instincts works day by day. It is darn hard to figure out what is important for you as it takes a ton of energy and it is overwhelming.
The leadership world is caught in the whirlwind of The Eisenhower Matrix. What if I told you Eisenhower forgot to consider how the human system works when making that popular matrix?
For example: Your brain is wired to chase short term needs over long term goals (urgency bias). Your brains get a dopamine hit when you strike off something from your todo list (completion bias). When you have an overwhleming todo list, your brain choses what is available (tunnel vision).
If you are a human being, you can’t escape the design of a human system. Don’t try to. It is intelligence to work it and not against it.
Here are some productivity tips for you to make the most of your brain 👇
- Focus on what is important AND significant. Mark it as high priority. Mark everything else as low priority. Now it will be easier for you to focus.
- Whatever important + significant, make it urgent deliberately. Deliver everyday. You can’t escape urgency bias. This is your way to use your biology for your success.
- Allocate an Inbox (digital or physical). Collect everything there. It includes tasks logs, thought log and time logs. Collection enables categorization. Don’t try both at the same time. This will help you escape tunnel vision.
Bonus tip: Focus on your done list. Your to do list will be long, undone and overwhelming forever. Prioritise how you feel. Your brain anchors on your emotional relevance.
🥂 to human system!