• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer

Sources of Insight

Better Insights, Better Results

  • About
  • Latest
  • Articles
  • Books
  • Courses
  • Topics
    • Emotional Intelligence
    • Intellectual Horsepower
    • Happiness
    • Leadership
    • Mental Health
    • Personal Development
    • All Topics
  • Resources
    • Books I Recommend
    • Book Summaries
    • Great Lessons
    • Great Quotes
    • Products I Recommend
    • All Resources
  • Contact

Worst Things First

by JD
WorstThingsFirst

“Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.” — Zig Ziglar

“Worst things first” is a practice I learned long ago and it’s actually helpful whether it’s day to day or building software.

The idea is simple — do the worst things first.

Rather than save a big hurdle to the end, do it up front when you are at your strongest.

Get It Over With

It’s human nature to move away from pain.  Sometimes I have a meeting or a conversation or even just a task for the day that I’m not looking forward to.

I’m not talking about the stuff I can ignore forever.

I’m talking about stuff that needs to happen sooner rather than later, that I won’t enjoy doing.

Don’t Let It Loom Over You

If I push those things to the end of the day or the end of the week, they loom.  Why loom longer than necessary?

That’s draining.

Somebody long ago gave me the tip worst things first and I didn’t realize it’s actually become one of my most effective habits.

One of my mentees is going to combine Worst Things First with a 30 day Improvement Sprint to see how much energy they get back and how much more they get done.

I think this is a great experiment and I look forward to their results.

You Might Also Like

Life Frame

30 Day Improvement Sprints

Rituals for Results

Image by »Philo

Category: Effectiveness, Motivation, Personal Effectiveness, ProductivityTag: Effectiveness, Motivation

About JD

Previous Post:High Leverage Strategies for Innovation
Next Post:How To Find Your ValuesHow To Find Your Values

Sidebar

About the Author

JDI am J.D. Meier. Join me on a quest for the world's best insights and actions for work and life. Learn more...

My Best-Selling Book

This is the book that changes lives ...

Become the Greatest Version of Yourself!

Learn better skills for work and life. Stand on the shoulders of giants and awaken your greatness. Realize your human potential through the world’s best insights and actions for mind, body, emotions, career, finance, relationships, and fun.

Features

  • Book Summaries
  • Books I Recommend
  • Great Lessons Learned
  • Great Quotes
  • How Tos
  • Lists
  • Best Products

My Other Sites

JD Meier.com
Getting Results.com

Copyright © 2023 · Sources of Insight · All Rights Reserved