Several years ago, I earned an Executive Certificate in Strategy and Innovation at MIT Sloan in Boston. After I completed the final course, I treated myself to a comfortable MIT sweatshirt, now one of my (and my cat’s!) favorite go-to items of clothing.
But actually, whenever I see this sweatshirt (and as interesting as the program was at MIT—especially the parts centered around innovation ecosystems), I don’t think about the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; instead, I think about the blogger, writer, and simplicity expert Leo Babauta, who introduced me to the productivity acronym Most Important Tasks (MITs).
Simply put, first thing each morning I write my three MITs for the day on a sticky note, and then I start working on them.
In my case, my MITs usually center around three areas: health, writing, and digital platform. For example, this morning, my list consists of a one-hour workout at 24 Hr Fitness (already completed), a 1000 word count goal on my primary book (my next task this morning), and a blog post to write (this one).
It’s a simple tactic, and it integrates well within my broader strategic productivity system—something known as GTD—in which I organize all of my projects around my longer-term strategic goals and life purpose.
So thank you MIT, not just for being a great university, but also for being such a helpful acronym.