What to do if you are slow in doing things

Some people find that their work efficiency is particularly low and their hands and feet are very slow. Compared with others, something that they can finish in 10 minutes takes me 15 minutes or even longer. Being slow in doing things not only delays my work progress, but also seriously affects my superiors' impression of me, so I really want to change this situation. So, what should we do if we are slow in doing things?

What to do if you are slow in doing things

The four quadrants of time help you prioritize tasks

The four quadrants of time method was proposed by management scientist Covey, which divides the things in our work and life into four "quadrants" according to the two dimensions of "important" and "urgent".

Things in the first quadrant generally have a significant impact and are time-sensitive, such as important meetings, urgent tasks that cannot be delayed, etc., and they must be dealt with as a priority.

Although things in the second quadrant are not time-sensitive, they are of great significance to oneself and need to be taken seriously and processed in a timely manner, such as building a network of interpersonal relationships, learning certain skills, etc.

The third quadrant contains urgent but less important things. Things in this quadrant are most likely to be regarded by people as those that must be dealt with as a priority, and other more important things will be postponed. For example, being invited to a meeting at short notice or entertaining a sudden visitor. When dealing with matters in this quadrant, it is best to judge their importance first to avoid delaying the "real business".

The fourth quadrant is for things that are neither urgent nor important and can be done during your break, such as chatting, watching a play to kill time, etc.

In daily life, many people fail to distinguish the priorities of things, and often spend most of their time on unimportant things, resulting in the inability to complete the things they originally planned to do on time. If we make good use of the four quadrants of time to manage time, we can gradually improve our execution capabilities.

The Pomodoro Technique helps you complete a task with your full attention

Francesco Cirillo created the Pomodoro Technique in 1992. In the Pomodoro Technique, one Pomodoro lasts for 25 minutes. People use an alarm clock or mobile phone to set an alarm for 25 minutes. During these 25 minutes, they can only focus on doing a certain task and cannot do anything unrelated to the task in the middle. When the Pomodoro clock rings, they can rest for 4 or 5 minutes and then continue to the next Pomodoro clock (the rest time can be extended every four Pomodoros) until the task is completed.

However, when using this method, it should be noted that the Pomodoro Time cannot be divided, that is to say, if other things are done during the 25 minutes, the Pomodoro Time will be invalidated; in addition, the Pomodoro Technique is not suitable for non-working time, such as spending time with children, fishing, etc.

If you are easily distracted when doing work, you might as well use the Pomodoro Technique to improve your work efficiency.

Micro-habit formation method, accidentally over-completing tasks

Many people have had such "face-slapping moments": they claim that they want to develop a good habit, such as fitness, reading, etc., but during the period they may not implement it according to the plan due to factors such as poor condition, overtime and no time, and they give up after a short time... The micro-habit formation method can help us change this situation.

For example, when you make a plan to exercise for one hour every day, you will stick to it with enthusiasm in the early stage, but later on you will find it difficult to start this hour due to laziness, mood and other reasons. However, if you set a task for yourself to do two push-ups every day, do you think this is something you can do anytime and anywhere?

This is the charm of micro-habits. You can set yourself a plan with very small goals that can be completed without spending too much time. You don't need to rely on motivation, but can directly drive your body with your thoughts. Over time, you will develop a habit of doing it every day, and even be able to "exceed your goals" every time. People who often fail to complete tasks as planned can try this method to make better use of their time.