The New Corner Office: Win at your daily must win

Get clear on what must be done today

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Episode Transcript

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(01:05):
a third season of you and Me both When I
started this podcast we were going through some tough times
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join us Listen to you and me both on the
I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get
your podcasts. Yeah, good morning, This is Laura. Welcome to

(02:14):
the New Corner Office, the podcast where we share strategies
for thriving in the new world of work, where location
and hours are more flexible than in the past. Today's
tip is to establish a daily must win and then
win at it. This exercise and prioritization can help us

(02:36):
feel like we're making progress no matter what life tosses
our way. This tip comes from Ashley Willins, a professor
at Harvard Business School and author of the recently released
book Time Smart, How to Reclaim Your Time and Live
a Happier life, which I've mentioned on this podcast before.
In a recent webinar hosted by Pen's Behavior Change for

(02:59):
Good initiative, will Ens listed focusing on a daily must
win as one of her time use strategies to help
people cope while working remotely. I think focusing on a
daily must win is a great way to give yourself
purpose and direction. Long time listeners have heard me advise
to manage by task, not time, and to create short

(03:20):
to do lists of important things that you actually intend
to do. Focusing on a daily must win keeps with
this same spirit. You identify an immediate priority for the day.
What is the one thing you absolutely have to win
at for the day to be a success. That is
what you must do, and as a corollary, when you

(03:42):
do that thing, the day will have been a success.
It turns out that when we know what our top
priority is and our laser focused on it, we tend
to get it done no matter what else comes along.
To start winning at your must win, get in the
bit of actively designating the days must do. Look at

(04:04):
your list. If nothing else happened, what one thing would
make the day feel like it wasn't a disaster? Or
try this thought exercise. If you knew you would lose
power in an hour or your laptop would be taken
away from you, what on your list would you choose
to do first. Now, this priority may not seem grand

(04:27):
and important. It might seem absurdly small, like signing a
contract or actually submitting something that is mostly put together,
but no matter, put a little star next to it
or bolded or otherwise make it stand out, and then
do whatever it takes to make sure that this priority happens.

(04:47):
Even if you aren't going to lose power or have
your laptop or phone taken away from you, it's a
good idea to tackle your must win item first thing
in the morning. That way, if unexpected things happen later,
you've already won at your daily must win. Or if
you have unanticipated difficulties with handling your must do, you

(05:09):
have time to address the issue before the day is over. Now,
designating a must win doesn't mean that we have only
one thing on our plates. And I'm not suggesting that
you quit for the day and go out for drinks
as soon as they must win item has been one.
But how often have we not completed something that really
does need to get done because we had another fire

(05:31):
to put out, or we encountered an obstacle like needing
someone else's approval, or maybe we've dropped the ball because
we've just lost track of time and forgot. Designating a
must win and then committing to winning it means that
fewer balls get dropped. You don't forget to submit that
huge proposal before the five pm deadline because someone catches

(05:52):
a big error on another project. So today, start thinking
about your daily must win and what kind of schedule
maneuverings would be required to make sure that you win it.
You'll probably find yourself getting more done and feeling a
lot less stressed about it. In the meantime, this is Laura,

(06:15):
Thanks for listening, and here's the succeeding in the New
Corner Office. The New Corner Office is a production of
I Heart Radio. For more podcasts, visit the I Heart
Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows.

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