Negotiation: Due to the lack of negotiation capacity, we are constantly forced in our work to deal with new requests and requests for tasks presented as urgent and that overlap current or previous ones, diverting us from our main objective. This problem is more common than you think and is the cause of work stress, low productivity, burnout, and lack of professional effectiveness.
The solution lies in learning to prioritize our tasks, to negotiate with applicants the terms and delivery times of the work, and, when necessary, to learn to say “no”.
For this reason, Pietro Carollo, Agile Coach, Trainer, and Expert in Negotiation, Leadership, Motivation, and Growth Mindset, has given an #ENyDOpenclass to explain how to carry out an effective negotiation in order to better manage time and priorities.
This is the direct consequence of not knowing how to manage two of the most important resources we have and waste: time, which is the same for everyone; and energy, which you have to know how to take care of it and take it into account when prioritizing tasks.
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Choose And Decide
Although many people think that choosing and deciding are similar terms, they are not equivalent.
To Choose
It involves classifying and evaluating different possibilities. For example: what will I do on my next vacation? I can go to the beach with my friends, to the mountains, to Paris with my girlfriend… “As we can see, there are many possibilities, many options from which I have to choose the one I like best or the one I prioritize. Therefore, choosing means having options and choosing one. It is limited by choosing”, affirms the rapporteur.
To Decide
Confirm a choice knowing that you agree with that decision and accepting all that it entails. It implies acting in the chosen direction.
However, there are people who choose without deciding. For example, when someone chooses to join the gym but does not go. “You cannot say yes to a proposal, commit to carrying out a project and not do it. On numerous occasions there is talk of a decision when in reality it is a choice”, says Pietro.
Choosing Opens Realities While Deciding Builds Realities
If we want to choose well and then decide better, we have to know how to distinguish both concepts and consider them as two events that go separately but are connected and that respectively represent the cause and effect of the commitment that is going to be accepted.
This will be very useful when it comes to knowing whether or not to accept a new project at work, say yes or no to a new urgent task that is added to our entry list, etc.
How do we make the right choice and decide even better? With 3 simple steps that will help us make decisions quickly and correctly:
- Never say yes to something without thinking about it: be it a request, collaboration on a project, request to perform a task… Take your time to evaluate the commitment well.
- Ask your interlocutor direct questions: find out what is expected of you and what your specific contribution will be in said job.
- Evaluate the cost: when we talk about cost, we refer to your own, how much time and energy of the person you are going to need for the proposed project. Study your agenda and the most important tasks that you already have scheduled.
How To Prioritize: Importance VS. Urgency
Most of the stress suffered by the population at work comes from inadequate management of the commitments that are created and accepted. The need to work faster and take on more work jeopardizes our performance, creating anxiety and stress from not being able to meet all commitments.
However, it is essential to understand the relationship between the importance and urgency of the tasks that we must carry out and, above all, when these are added to our inbox. In addition, it is necessary to identify what is eliminated and what is planned.
Every day we receive requests for ‘urgent tasks to be carried out that are not really important to us, but that the applicants present to us as something extremely urgent and necessary.
