If You Want to Prioritize Something, Put It in a Prominent Place.
There are two really good methods to help you remember what you need to carry with you when you walk out the door every morning. One is to give yourself a mantra like “phone, wallet, keys”, and the other is to put things to take with you in front of the door.
The idea is that you cannot open the door without pushing in the package that needs to be mailed this afternoon, or you cannot turn the doorknob without disturbing the note that says “Do you have packed lunch? You have made what needs to be remembered very noticeable , which means that you have a better chance of remembering it.
It turns out that this trick also works with less tangible priorities, such as your values or how you want to spend your time.
As Gretchen Rubin Emily Balchetis, an assistant professor of psychology at New York University and author of the new book Clearer, Closer, Better: How Successful People See the World, recently said :
One of the most effective tactics I have come across is what I have called “materializing” my practice. We prioritize what’s on our calendars. What we literally see on our to-do list for the day. We don’t pay enough attention to the things we just think about.
When Balcetis wanted to learn how to play the drums, she would schedule her workouts in the same way she would set aside time for a work meeting or doctor’s appointment. I feel the same way about my to-do list and calendar; if I want to do something (personal or professional), I put it on the list and, if possible, schedule it for a specific hour.
Why? Because these are the parts of my life that I want to prioritize: do I leave on the freelance deadline, get into the YMCA in time for class, or hang out with a friend. (Yes, I’m one of those people who puts “check in with such and such” on the calendar – and yes, it works.)
And if something happens and the item fails, whether it’s because another task is taking longer than expected, or because of another priority that confirms its importance, I remove it from the to-do list and calendar. That way I can see what I’m actually prioritizing.
In short, I start each day with a list of what I hope to achieve and end the day with a note of what I actually did – and if an item keeps getting dropped off the list, I have to ask myself if there is something my life is not balanced, or this point is simply not important enough to ever be fulfilled.
But the listing itself is the equivalent of a doorknob sticker or a packaged duffel bag placed next to your shoes; a pre-arranged reminder that I don’t want to forget.
This is why it works.