A couple months back I started reading the book Eat that Frog! after it was recommended to me by an Instagram friend, @simply.a.momslife It’s a book essentially about beating procrastination and the author, Brian Tracy, has years of research on this subject area behind him. It’s a quick, great read.
Procrastination likes to bite me often and I’ve been reading more about it in order to understand it better. No matter the most amazing management skills you learn, sometimes it’s way deeper than that, I found out. Mel Robbins in the Five Second Rule chats about how procrastination is often a form of avoidance. Avoidance of hard things and stress.
Today on the blog, I’ll be sharing with you how to beat procrastination with this one simple, effective to do list strategy…if you’d like to start tackling it better too and move closer towards your goals.
The ABCDE Method
The ABCDE list is a to-do list on steroids when it comes to learning how to prioritize.
It’s a simple method and effective because it’s so action oriented.
How it works: write down your to do list for the day. Then you’ll categorize them from A - E. Each letter means something different.
What each letter means:
An A item means it’s very important. This is something that you must do and if you didn’t do it, there would be significant consequences. If you have more than one “A” task, write A-1, A-2, A-3.
A B item is defined as a task that you should do, with mild consequences. And do not move onto a B item until all of the A items are done.
A C item is something that would be nice to do, but there are no consequences if you don’t do them. So, they can easily be forgotten about or moved to another day.
A D item is something that you can delegate, pass onto someone else.
An E item is for something to get rid of completely. It’s no longer relevant.
The key to making this ABCDE Method is to follow through with it with consistently doing it.
And. That’s it! I’ve been using it now for a few weeks and I can say for sure, it’s having an impact on my focus and productivity. I used to look at, even a SMALL to do list and just get lost in thought or scrolling on Facebook because I couldn’t decide which to do first. Now, I just take a minute in the morning to label them from A-E. Problem solved!
And if you are majorly struggling in this area, the book Eat That Frog! is soooo helpful, as I mentioned. The author has researched for years so he knows what he’s talking about and has 1.5 million copies sold of his book. If you’d like a quick recap of all of the ways he suggests beating procrastination, you can find that HERE.
Hi, I’m Kelly! I’m a mother of four children - three boys, one toddler girl - and our family lives on the beautiful east coast of Canada. I’m a past elementary teacher, turned stay at home, work at home mom eight years ago after I had my second child. I’ve found that the busier I’ve become and as my children age, that it’s become even more important to figure out what is most important to me and us as a family. Living a simpler lifestyle has helped us in so many ways in our home life - from better routines to faster tidying up times. It has been through my children that I have been inspired to learn how to effectively manage my time and to simplify in all areas of my home and life. I enjoy helping busy moms simplify home life by teaching flexible planning methods and skills. Enjoyed this blog and think it would be helpful to others? I'd love if you shared it. Thank you!