The importance of time management hasn’t seemed to diminish in today’s fast paced world. It’s becoming more necessary than ever to develop, with technology supplying so many distractions from work and social responsibilities, and the surge in working from home since the Covid pandemic disrupting the kind of structure provided in traditional workplaces. But there are some techniques available to help you build better time management skills that can be applied in all aspects of your life. One is called the 4 D’s, and several well known business professionals have praised it as a way that has helped them to effectively prioritize tasks and increase productivity, keeping them on track to achieve their goals and stay on the path to success.

The Origin Of The 4 D’s

The 4 D’s stands for Do, Delete, Delegate, and Defer. These are four essential time management skills that were designed by self-help guru, motivational speaker, and entrepreneur Jack Canfield in his book The Power of Focus. Jack Canfield is better known for the popular Chicken Soup For The Soul book series which he co-authored, which sold over 500 million copies. Through utilizing the 4 D’s, Mr. Canfield believes quick decision making about task priority is an essential importance of time management, and helps to get them done more efficiently. They provide you with a hierarchical schedule of what needs to be done, and when.

Do

“Do” is for essential tasks that can’t wait. The most important things you have to do are first on the list. You should give all of your attention to your “Do” items and focus on nothing else until completion.

Delete

The “Delete” rank is for tasks that you should get rid of from your schedule altogether. These might be non-essential or irrelevant things that have made it onto your schedule, but upon evaluation, have no real value and only hinder you from performing “Do” tasks.

Delegate

Some of your schedule might include tasks that others can do for you, and these are to be listed under “Delegate.” Delegating work is an important part of a manager’s job at any business, but it can be done in social functions, as well. Household chores and childcare among spouses is an example of a good place for delegating tasks.

Defer

“Defer” is for tasks that need to be done – just not immediately. Deferred jobs should make way for the more essential “Do” priorities.

Become Organized

The importance of time management cannot be stressed enough as a means to a productive life. Become Organized is a company based in Manhattan that helps people develop the time management skills necessary to take control of their busy lives and achieve the goals important to them and their families. Serving Manhattan and the surrounding areas of New York and New Jersey, contact them and see how they can assist you at BecomeOrganized.com.