You’re no doubt familiar with the process of elimination. It’s a method used to narrow your focus. For example, if you’re taking a multiple choice test, or you’re a contestant on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” you might deduce the right answer with the process of elimination. If you’re trying to make a decision about which strategy to follow you might also use the process of elimination. You can also embrace this practice to streamline your life and your business.

How it Works

Imagine you’re staring at a long “to do” list. You’re not sure where to start first and you have a limited amount of time to work. By using the process of elimination you can narrow your choices. The result will be a few important tasks that you can accomplish in the time you have available.

Questions to Ask to Begin Eliminating Options

Take a look at your current task list and ask the following questions:

What doesn’t have to be done today?
What tasks take more time than I have available?
What tasks can be done by someone else?
What tasks can be automated?

Now your task list may be shortened. You can then further reduce your list by asking these questions:

What tasks don’t generate an immediate profit?
What tasks don’t facilitate growth, profit, or sales?
What tasks are essential to today’s success?
What tasks are required to move forward with a project?

You’ll now begin to see which tasks are important and must be prioritized and which tasks can be pushed down the list or simply eliminated from your day.

What if Eliminating Tasks Feels Painful?

Many people struggle with this concept of eliminating tasks because they believe they have to do it all themselves. Eliminating a task from your list doesn’t mean it won’t get done. What it does mean is that you don’t have to be the one to do it. And it means that maybe today isn’t the best day to accomplish that task if you are the best person for the job.

One way to make the process easier is to look at your weekly task list on Sunday night. Begin by prioritizing tasks for each day. Place the most important tasks on your schedule early in the week. The tasks that are eliminated from Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday can be allocated to Thursday and Friday.

You can also:

Reschedule the task for a day later in the month.
Combine it with a similar task.
Put it on your “someday” list.

Once you begin ruthlessly eliminating tasks from your list you’ll begin to embrace the freedom and the power. You’ll become more productive, more focused with your work, and more efficient. You might be surprised how easily it is to work less and accomplish more.

Google