Efficiency

Prioritising Tasks - Urgent or Important?

We all suffer from the same problem: How do you manage your to-do list and prioritise your tasks? All too often we are confronted with the feeling that everything needs to be done RIGHT NOW. But usually this feeling is wrong. Dwight Eisenhower once correctly said

“What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.”

So how can we prioritise our to-do list properly then, and work more efficiently? One tool to help might be the Eisenhower Decision Matrix, shown in the image.

Goals are for losers?

You can be more effective! You can be happier! With these 7 habits you can be successful!

These are all slogans books have that claim to help you be better, more efficient and happier. And the truth is, most of these books have very valid points, if you can incorporate the tips into your life and workflow. But in the end, they all talk about success.

Do you work for your software?

Business nowadays is inextricably linked to information systems that manage everything. Software systems make everything possible, automating the simplest of tasks. This makes things easier right?

Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Too often, companies conform to the demands of the IT solution, rather than implementing an IT solution to complement the existing processes. Consider this letter I got from American Express:

Lights: OFF!

Anyone driving around at night in The Netherlands lately will have noticed that it is considerably darker than it used to be. Why? Because the Dutch government implemented one of their many plans to save money and help us out of the economic recession. Apparently turning off the lights on the motorways at certain hours in areas where there is less traffic will save us € 35m annually. € 35m, a very large sum of money that was being used simply to keep the asphalt lit. The first thing that came up in my mind when I heard this news was: "Why only now?".