I came across this productivity tool through Leo Babauta‘s blog, Zen Habits. I’ve been using it for awhile now. It‘s an extremely effective way to prioritize your daily tasks and accomplish a lot more than you even realize.
The 3 Most Important Tasks (MIT) are the 3 tasks you must accomplish that day—whatever they might be. I recommend at least one of those tasks be related to your writing projects and goals.
Now that‘s not to say you won‘t get a lot more done in your day then your 3 MITs, but having the MITs will help ensure you complete the tasks that you most need to get done.
The 3 MITs Process
Every writer needs to customize the 3 MITs process for themselves. To get you started, here’s the process I use for my 3 MITs:
- Each night before bed, I think about what I need to complete the next day.
- I grab a Post-It note and write my 3 MITs down on it.
- I attach the Post-It to the notebook I carry with me everywhere.
- The next morning, I review my 3 MITs for the day and think about when I‘ll be able to fit them in.
- As I complete each task, I cross it off.
- Then I repeat the process.
At least one of my tasks always relates to my writing; on occasion, all three of my tasks are related to my writing.
Knowing the most important tasks I need to complete helps me stay focused and get my writing done.
How do you ensure your most important writing tasks get finished?
Note: This post was excerpted from the eGuide, Butt-In-Chair: A no-excuses writing productivity guide for writers who struggle to get started. For more great ideas for sitting down and writing, be sure to grab yourself a copy.
About the Author: Jennifer Blanchard is the founder of Procrastinating Writers. She is co-founder of the Better Writing Habits Challenge. For more great writing tips, tools and advice, be sure to follow her on Twitter or Facebook.