Purpose Your Day: Most Important Task (MIT)

I’ve mentioned this briefly in my morning routine, but I thought I’d explain a little bit more about MITs - Most Important Tasks. It’s not an original concept, but one that I use on a daily basis and that has helped me out tremendously.

It’s very simple: your MIT is the task you most want or need to get done today. In my case, I’ve tweaked it a bit so that I have three MITs — the three things I must accomplish today. Do I get a lot more done than three things? Of course. But the idea is that no matter what else I do today, these are the things I want to be sure of doing. So, the MIT is the first thing I do each day, right after I have a glass of water to wake me up.

And here’s the key to the MITs for me: at least one of the MITs should be related to one of my goals. While the other two can be work stuff (and usually are), one must be a goal next-action. This ensures that I am doing something to move my goals forward that day.

And that makes all the difference in the world. Each day, I’ve done something to make my dreams come true. It’s built into my morning routine: set a next-action to accomplish for one of my goals. And so it happens each day, automatically.

Another key: do your MITs first thing in the morning, either at home or when you first get to work. If you put them off to later, you will get busy and run out of time to do them. Get them out of the way, and the rest of the day is gravy!

It’s such a small thing to implement, and yet I’m raving about it like it’s a huge revelation. But it is. Sometimes small things can make big differences. I highly recommend you give it a go.

Comments (26)

gtdfrk Says:

February 12th, 2007, 22:26 pm

Leo, this is so true of many things. They may be obvious, they may seem to be easy, but the real trick is about actually focusing on them and doing them! That’s why I love to read about your MIT. I find that I am sometimes doing what you are suggesting right here, but not really consistently and definitely not every day. Reading about it in your article once again makes me aware of the power of this MIT concept. I’ll be working on implementing this tip more consistently. Thanks!

-gtdfrk

Leo Says:

February 12th, 2007, 22:31 pm

gtdfrk, thanks for the comment! I know what you mean about being consistent with these habits every day. I have a hard time with that myself sometimes, but the key is to just pick it up where you left off if you drop it for awhile. Don’t get discouraged and keep on going!

Pascal Venier Says:

February 16th, 2007, 14:19 pm

A very useful post.

A most extreme form of the MITs would be the legendary The “Not Insane” To-Do List: See: http://americandigest.org/mt-archives/005701.php

;^)

Leo Says:

February 16th, 2007, 14:56 pm

Hi Pascal, thanks for the nice comment. If it’s of some use for people, I’m happy! The link to the no insane to-do list doesn’t seem to work for me, but I remember it. Basically a very, very simplified to-do list. Love it.

Naomi Hazel Brice Says:

March 14th, 2007, 17:53 pm

Have you ever thought about doing your MITs at night?

Leo Says:

March 14th, 2007, 18:10 pm

Excellent question, Naomi. I don’t have a problem with doing MITs at night — ultimately, when you do them is a personal choice that depends on what works best for you. The main thing is just to get them done, and to give your day some purpose.

For me, however, mornings are best. I used to be a night owl, but I was always too tired at night to really be productive. I’ve found that waking early and getting my MITs done in the morning (when I seem to have more energy) is really best for me - it starts my day with great momentum and everything else I get done is gravy. If I wait until the end of the day, it leaves more pressure and I feel like I’m running behind. It’s best to get it over with and move on from there! At least, that’s my experience — but if the night hours work better for you, go for it!

Lyman Reed Says:

March 15th, 2007, 10:52 am

Thanks for the great post! The concept reminded me of Brian Tracy’s “Eat That Frog”, a book about getting those things done that are most important to us. Doing it first thing in the morning is definitely the way to go for me.

Leo Says:

March 15th, 2007, 14:31 pm

Thanks Lyman. I haven’t read “Eat That Frog” yet, but I’ve heard a lot about it and plan to read and review it soon, as it sounds right up my alley. Getting the tough things, or the important things(either or both), out of the way early makes a huge difference in my day. I’m not able to do it every day, but I try to do it most days.

Nico Deblauwe Says:

April 14th, 2007, 7:47 am

Hi,

I like this concept, but just had one side-thougth: You suggest doing your MITs as soon as possible, in the morning.

If you are like me, and thus not very much of a morning person, it sounds sensible to schedule the execution of your tasks to another moment, e.g. to fight some the otherwise unproductive moments in your typical day, e.g. after coming back from lunch (at work) or after arriving home in the evening. You actually convert procrastination time into priority time, which is actually a double win!

Could you share your opinion on this?

Leo Says:

April 14th, 2007, 8:12 am

Hi Nico … very interesting question. First, my suggestions don’t work for everybody … everyone has to find their most productive times and use those to the best advantage. If for you, your most productive time is after lunch, then use it!

However, my suggestion for doing MITs early is because of an observation I have for myself and many others: that later in the day, we tend to run out of time to do things we had scheduled, because unscheduled things pop up throughout the day to ruin our schedule. So if I schedule something at 8 a.m. and another thing at 4 p.m., I notice that the 8 a.m. task is easier to stick to, while the 4 p.m. task might just get pushed back because of other things that have popped up. So I recommend getting your MITs out of the way as soon as possible … if not first thing in the morning, at least earlier in the day rather than later.

Another thing, for me, is that I find I have less energy later in the day. At this time I don’t really feel like doing harder tasks. You should see when you have the most energy and use this time. I’m sure it’s different for you than me.

Ultimately, we just have to experiment and see what works for us. You might give mornings a try for your MITs, and if that doesn’t work, try after lunch or right when you get home from work. When you’ve found that sweet spot, it’ll feel great!

Thanks for the excellent question!

Jim Says:

June 27th, 2007, 5:41 am

Leo I am in process of quitting smoking, cutting back on drinking and finally organizing my house. I have 4 kids . You have been an inspiration !

Rick Says:

July 6th, 2007, 9:13 am

tramadol

Rick Says:

July 9th, 2007, 17:15 pm

tram-1978

MikeTheory Says:

August 1st, 2007, 0:10 am

This is a great idea and I am going to start this August 1. I have finally got in the habit of getting up at 4:30, but have not really been doing anything useful with my time yet, but I always get a burst of energy on Mondays and the first day of the month.

David Says:

August 3rd, 2007, 12:46 pm

Question, Leo: do you DO your MITs right after you wake up and get that glass of water, or are you just SETTING them, to be done later throughout the day after your morning routine?

Leo Says:

August 4th, 2007, 7:32 am

Hi David … good question, and I didn’t make this clear: I set my MITs in the morning, first thing. I also try to take care of one MIT before I leave home, and then my others when I first get to work, although that can vary from day to day.

I should also note that another approach I’ve taken is setting my MITs the night before, which actually works very well.

dlasiebie.pl Says:

November 13th, 2007, 19:25 pm

[…] Tekst zainspirowany artykułem Purpose Your Day: Most Important Task (MIT) […]

Dennis Says:

December 3rd, 2007, 0:06 am

Hey, Leo…

Have you ever considered making a “printable” page link on each article, possibly linked to a pdf (that would not only have the articles, but also promo info & credits, etc.)?

I sometimes would like to share an article here and there to friends now and then, but when I cut n’ paste, I might not always get all the linkback info…

And what’s this I keep seeing about a book?

Thanks!

Magda Says:

December 18th, 2007, 20:31 pm

dlasiebie.pl –This is fabulous. Of all places, I never thought I’d chance upon a Polish website which revolves around “zen habits” topics.

Much thanks.

Eugene (Editor, Varsity Blah) Says:

December 29th, 2007, 1:41 am

Focusing on just one thing at a time is such a great concept. It really does increase your chances of getting it done, especially if you do it right away. Great post!

Jim Says:

January 6th, 2008, 21:16 pm

Finish preveious comment.

Work focus, breaks, focus breaks, Lunch eat and walk.
After work I enjoy the gym. Etc.
Aerobic and resistance exercise.
End of day 10-15 minute sit. Watch the breath.
Slow my mind.
Prayers.
Rest.

Chloe Says:

March 18th, 2008, 12:27 pm

Hi Leo-

I am a huge fan of your blog and really admire your lifestyle. I tried the MITs at the beginning of the year, but couldn’t stick to them. I wonder if you have any advice for someone who works part-time, is in a Master’s programs full time, and lives alone (so all the cleaning, decluttering, fixing, cooking is my responsibility). Depending on the craziness of work and school (midterms versus non-midterms, projects for work, etc) I feel like each of my life areas (work, school, health, home, etc) have one or two things that need to be accomplished each day, so three is sometimes not enough, and then I’m overwhelmed, etc…it’s a cycle!

Basically, if you have any advice for this situation…I’d love to hear it.

Thanks!

Sara - Piperita Says:

March 26th, 2008, 6:19 am

You MIT’s concept changed my daily routine as much as the GTD 2 minutes rule!
It’ just genius!
Thanks!!!

Heal Says:

April 3rd, 2008, 15:11 pm

Interesting the more I read this blog the clearer I see life!

Thanks

Vanessa Says:

April 8th, 2008, 8:10 am

Could you give some examples of your MITs?

How do you balance “process” (or habit) MITs (eg go for a run, spend more time really with to daughter) v’s “project” MITs (draft floor plan for proposed creative / visitor room).

Dan Says:

April 26th, 2008, 0:18 am

How you can implement MITs with Gtdagenda:

“And here’s the key to the MITs for me: at least one of the MITs should be related to one of my goals.”
- Fist, add a goal into one of your life’s categories (or areas of responsability, as David Allen says it). Then add smaller goals, or projects, that finishd one after another will result in reaching your goal. These projects will then contain the tasks, or action steps that can be done and marked as done. One of the cool features of Gtdagenda is that it allows prioritizing. Your MITS in each project have to be set as priority 1. They will be clearly visible, there’s a line that separates priority 1 activities from the rest.

“Another key: do your MITs first thing in the morning”
- Then, mark 2 or 3 MITs as Next Actions, and do them in the morning. When you connect to Gtdagenda in the morning, the start page will be Next Actions so you know exactly what you want to to that morning. It’s very important to start your day doing MITs, because only this way you’ll feel productive throught the day. If you start the day doing some trivial activities, you’ll feel unproductive all day long even, you finish your MITs in the evening.

Dan
http://ww.gtdagenda.com