I, like many of you, have a plethora of things to do. There are tasks related to my career (making name tags, reaching out to parents, report cards, etc, etc, etc…), home (the ever growing To Do List), personal development (refining my meditation practice) and business (this blog post for example!). We all have SO MUCH on our plates! So…how do we get through it all? Where do we even begin? I’m going to introduce you to a tool which has significantly helped me organize and prioritize: The Four Ds.
- Get a piece of paper and divide it into four sections. Write one label at the top of each box. The labels are: DO IT, DELEGATE IT, DROP IT, DISCUSS IT
- Start in the DO IT box. List three things you need to do, fix or work on. It can be anything. Fix the upstairs railing, make a grocery list, organize under the bed, etc.
- In the DELEGATE IT box, list three things you can do, but need extra help with. Examples may be choosing a paint color for the living room, creating a web page or researching the best suitcase for overseas travel.
- Next, move to the DROP IT box. Here you’ll list three things that you worry about but have no control over. Do we have enough money for a vacation? What if I’m no good at meditating? What will other people think of my career change? These are things that concern you but you can’t control.
- Finally, in the DISCUSS IT box, you will list three things that may keep you from reaching your goals. For example: you want to start meditating but have no one to watch your kids. Or you want to have a rummage sale but can’t organize it alone. These are the things which could get in the way of your goals.
Look at all the work you did! You are now ready to begin tackling some of your tasks. Decide which D you want to start with (Do It, Delegate It or Discuss It) and let go of the items in the Drop It box. I hope you’re able to use this tool with success. The key is to be gentle with yourself ~ no one is perfect: mistakes and setbacks will happen. Accept this as part of the process of learning and growing. Please comment below or on Facebook and let me know how it works for you!