Get More Done:  Make Your Time Top-Heavy

Orginally published on Monday, February 25, 2008 at 8:15 AM
by Todd Rhoades

Do you have trouble getting done things done? Are you chronically late for appointments? Do you find yourself constantly procrastinating? If so, your problem could be a bottom-heavy schedule. According to blogger Scott H. Young, people who get things done tend to have a "top-heavy" schedule. Procrastinators, people who always run late, and people who can't finish all their tasks in a given time period usually operate on a "bottom-heavy" schedule. What is a top-heavy schedule? Young provides these definitions:

“Being top-heavy means the bulk of the work is at the start. A top-heavy joke has a long build-up for a short punch line. A top-heavy schedule emphasizes the start, leaving more space at the end. When it comes to productivity, there are a few things you can make more top-heavy:

Volume of Work. Put most of your work earlier in your schedule. This could mean working all morning while having little to do in the evenings.
Importance of Work. Put your most important tasks first. Do the tasks that have a long-term impact before taking on the minor problems.
Difficulty of Work. Put the hardest tasks first, when you have the most energy. I love writing articles, but it takes a great deal of energy and thought before writing each post. Putting my writing work earlier lets me write when I’m the most energetic.
A bottom-heavy schedule would be the opposite. It would place the most work, the most important work, and the most difficult work at the end of your schedule. This is a recipe for procrastination as you burn yourself out on the tasks that don’t matter.”

All of us want to be the most effective in our ministry work. Rearranging our tasks into a top-heavy schedule may be just the trick! You can find other great tips at Young’s blog.

What changes to your work schedule have made you more productive over the past year?

Have a great week!

Todd

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Hi... I'm Todd Rhoades. I'm a Christ-follower, husband, father and I love to connect leaders with other leaders. Hopefully you'll find something here at MMI you like and will return often. If you want, you can find out more about me or follow my every step on Twitter.

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