Here’s the conclusion of the whole matter; there’s only one thing that matters:
Doing the right thing, right now, as fast as you can.
We can break this up into two parts if you like:
1. Work on the right thing right now
2. Do it as fast as you can.
Feel free to provide your own definition for what the ‘right thing’ means.
What about goals, targets, tasks, scheduling, to-do lists, check lists, priorities, urgent things, important things, etc? Yes, one of those or any combination of those are important or matter to someone somewhere. But all these are implementation details.
You will find people who will swear by any one or any combination of these. “Use a calendar or nothing gets done.” or “Use a to-do list or you will never get anything done.”
“A goal without a date is just a dream.” – Milton H. Erickson
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
The list goes on and on.
You have to implement whatever it is at some point, so yes, implementation details matter. But they don’t matter at all, if you are not working on the right thing.