Being clear on what you are not going to do is as important as knowing what you are going to do. Countless executives have found that the consistent discipline of identifying only three must-do things that will have the biggest effect on their business and team constituted a turning point in their careers.

Once you truly focus on your three most important tasks you’ll find a multitude of activities you can safely move from your to-do list to your not-to-do list.

If you decide to try this three must-dos a day tactic we recommend letting someone know what you are doing and then conducting an in-depth review of the results at the end of each week. It’s also a good idea to put reminders in obvious places to keep you on track, such as changing your screen saver to list your three must-dos or tacking a note on your bathroom mirror so you’ll see it first thing in the morning. Finally, reward yourself when you stay on track. If you stick with this goal for a week buy yourself the CD you’ve been wanting. Do it for a month and take an afternoon off.