Bull's Eye

Use the ABCDE method to organize your list before you begin.

A=Must do. This is an essential task you absolutely must complete to be successful and to stay on top of your work; noncompletion has serious consequences.

B=Should do. This is a task that needs to be done sooner or later, but it is not as important as your A tasks. There are only mild consequences for noncompletion. The rule is that you should never do a B task when you have an A task left undone.

C=Nice to do. This is something pleasant and enjoyable, like chatting with a friend, checking email, or playing with social media. They may be nice to do, but these activities have absolutely no consequences at all for your life. Rule: Social networking is social not-working.

D=Delegate. This is a task or activity you can delegate to someone else to free up your time for those tasks only you can do. The rule is to delegate everything possible so you have more time to work on the tasks most important to your career.

E=Eliminate. The rule is that you will never get caught up. You cannot continually seek ways to work more efficiently so that you can do more things. The only way you can get control of your time and your life is to stop doing things. In this sense, perhaps the very best rule is just say no!

Abraham Maslow, the groundbreaking psychologist, concluded that people have two types of needs: deficiency needs and being needs.

Deficiency needs were defined as those fears, doubts, worries, and unresolved conflicts that served as brakes on individual potential and hold people back most of their lives. His conclusion was that fully 98 percent of the population failed to realize their full potential because of one or more of these mental obstacles.

Being needs were defined as the qualities of self-actualizing people—people who felt wonderful about themselves and who were dedicated to becoming more and more of everything they could possibly be.

Maslow’s conclusion, and his great contribution to psychology, was that as you free yourself from your deficiency needs, you liberate yourself to fulfill your being needs. As Walt Whitman said, “Keep your face always toward the sunshine—and shadows will fall behind you.”

You must do everything possible to increase the probability that you will be a big success in life