Beat Procrastination at Work

Ol' Blue Eyes is back.

Create a table with four categories:

1. Urgent and important (Do now)

2. Important but not urgent (Schedule)

3. Urgent but not important (Delegate or schedule soon)

4. Neither urgent nor important (Eliminate or do in free time)

For everything on your to-do list, label as above. Here's an example of each.

• ELIMINATE OR DO IN FREE TIME: Browse social media

• DELEGATE OR SCHEDULE SOON: Handle minor customer complaints

• DO NOW: Fix system outage

• SCHEDULE: Sign up for a required professional development class

This is known as performing an "Eisenhower Matrix." It was first introduced to me by a business consultant several years ago and it transformed my workday. I had a 12-page to-do list. "You'll never do those things," she said to me. "Mark each item according to those four categories." I did, and I kept doing it (and started putting those "schedule it" items on a calendar), and I became much more efficient.

The here and now is here and gone. Use this strategy to make the most of your workday--and to beat procrastination.