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This article is based on another fantastic Brian Tracy Podcast: “21 Great Ways To Double Your Productivity - Number 5.”

Whatever you are doing right now falls into one of four categories:

1. Urgent AND Important Tasks

You have to complete these tasks immediately. These are in your face. These are things like phone calls and meetings. You can’t put them off without causing serious problems.

Most people spend all day long doing these types of tasks.

2. Important BUT NOT Urgent Tasks

Brian Tracy says that if you want to create the longest-lasting impact on your life, then finish these types of task.

These tasks include updating your business skills, personal renewal, spending time with your family, and physical fitness and exercise.

You can put these tasks off until later; but don’t! Brian Tracy indicates you can change your life dramatically by working on these tasks.

Mark my words, if you don’t work on the Important BUT NOT Urgent Tasks now, the come back to bite you in the butt. Some tasks in this category are term papers for school and reports for your boss.

3. Urgent BUT NOT Important Tasks

The tasks in this category include telephone calls, coworkers dropping in, and conversations about TV programs and what you did last night.

Brian Tracy says that these tasks will have negative effects on your success. Don’t delude yourself into thinking this type of work is important work.

In fact, these kinds of tasks are great time- and career-wasters. Stay away from tasks in this area.

The greatest time wasters of all are those that are:

4. Neither Urgent Nor Important

Don’t spend any time on these tasks. They’ll produce no results for you. At work, don’t read the newspaper, don’t surf the internet, and don’t call home to chit-chat. You’ll be wasting your company’s money and your time.

In Summary…

Always work first on your Most Urgent and Important Tasks. Next complete the Important But Not Urgent Tasks. And most vital to increasing your productivity is to refuse to work on non-important tasks.

Finally, always ask yourself “What are the lasting consequences of completing this task?”

When you answer this question, you’ll know what to work on.