The strategy of “I must do something!” will always solve more problems than, “Something must be done.”

Therefore, you have to know your A, B, Cs. Your A priorities are those activities and goals that deserve your time, attention, focus and energy. Now! A influencers include:

• Is it important to a customer, client or prospect?

• Is it important to a member of your internal team?

• Does this have a significant bottomline impact?

• Is there a deadline?

• What’s the visibility?

• What’s the impact upon others, teammates, etc.?

• What’s the best that can happen as a result of this goal or act?

• What’s the worst that could happen?

• What will happen if you don’t commit to this goal or act?

• How does this A priority complement your other goals or acts?

List, some of your A priorities.

Next, when preparing your “to do” list, here are five considerations:

1. Randomly list your “things” to do.

2. Then, go back and rank or prioritize them. Before moving on to item 2, finish 1. Before moving onto item 3 finish 2. (When you finish 1, 2 becomes your new number 1.)

3. Before you personally commit to doing any item, see if it can be delegated.

4. After your “musts” are completed, move on to the As, not the Bs or Cs. (“Musts” include stuff like meals, hygiene, travel time, exercise, etc.)

5. The Bs are simply As or Cs in waiting. Decide where they belong. Move ‘em up or move ‘em down.

So what’s a C act, task or job?

• Something of such low value, you could avoid it or discontinue it. Meaning, you could remove it from your life and not miss it.

• Something that could be done by another.

• Something that could easily be delayed without worry.

• Something that could be combined with a lot of the same acts, tasks or jobs. (like returning phone calls.)

• Something that can easily be stored and saved for a later date, so when you need it, you have easy access to it.

• Something that gets in the way of an A.

The secret of getting ahead, is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one. Yet when some people want to be everywhere at once, they get nowhere. So to improve your performance and bottomline, remember, it’s a lot easier to accomplish stuff through and with other people. Therefore, learn to delegate!

Yet, like any other worthwhile process, it may not initially come easy. Or, you may not be satisfied with the results of delegation. The following barriers might help you identify what’s wrong and how to correct it.

Barriers in the delegator, i.e., you ...

1. Prefer to “do” rather than “manage” or “delegate.”

2. Demand that everyone “knows all the details.”

3. Believe, “I can do it better myself!”

4. Lack experience in the position or in delegating.

5. Are insecure.

6. Fear being disliked.

7. Won’t allow for mistakes.

8. Lack confidence in the “doers.”

9. Are a perfectionist and require “overcontrol” or the need to micro-manage.

10. Lack organizational skills to balance competing demands.

11. Don’t delegate authority commensurate with responsibility.

12. Are uncertain about the activity to be done or goal pursued.

13. Are a poor communicator, with an inability to explain.

14. Don’t desire to develop others, teammates or “doers.”

15. Don’t develop effective monitoring or feedback.

Barriers in the delegatee or doer, i.e., he or she ...

1. Lacks experience.

2. Lacks competence.

3. Avoids responsibility.

4. Is over dependent on you.

5. Is disorganized.

6. Can’t complete their current workload.

7. Is immersed in minutiae or trivia.

8. Requires additional training.

Barriers in the situation or environment:

1. One-person show.

2. No toleration for mistakes.

3. Critical questioning of others’ decisions.

4. Everything seems “urgent.” (Crisis management.)

5. Confusion in responsibilities or authority.

6. Insufficient staff.

7. Bureaucratic culture.

8. Poor communication within or between teams or departments.

9. Everything has to go through the “proper channels.”

For each member of your team, identify the barriers that may exist, (as described in the previous three sections). Then, and most important, identify how you’ll eliminate the barrier(s).

In The Living Bible, Ecclesiastes 4:9, 12, it states: “Two can accomplish more than twice as much as one, for the results can be much better ... two can standback-to-back and conquer, three is even better; for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”

Here are six more success steps:

1. Assess what needs to be done.

2. Identify the steps and activities to get it done.

3. Decide who makes what happen. You or somebody else.

4. Determine deliverables, dates for completion, benchmarks for progress.

5. Confirm the follow-up and completion process. Do you check on progress? Or do they report to you on progress?

6. Praise for a job well done! Heed the advice of poet Carl Sandburg, “The time for action is now. It’s never too late to do something.”

And remember: Procrastination is your foe. Indecision an assassin. Make every day count.

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Jeff Blackman is a speaker, author, success coach, broadcaster and lawyer who lives part-time on Marco Island. His clients call him a “business-growth specialist.” Send an e-mail to jeff@jeffblackman.com or go to www.jeffblackman.com to subscribe to his free e-letter.